flight attendant

On a crowded flight, the smallest spaces often carry the greatest potential for chaos. Ask any flight attendant, and they will tell you: the airplane lavatory, no bigger than a broom closet, can quickly become the scene of disproportionate confusion — and it often begins with a simple oversight.

The culprit, according to several cabin crew members who spoke candidly, is surprisingly mundane: passengers forget to lock the door. Sometimes they step inside without sliding the latch. Other times, they finish up and walk out, leaving the door ajar as if the space were still in use. Either way, the …