You remembered your boarding pass. You schlepped your way through the security line. You carefully mapped out the way to the gate to make sure you could stop by Starbucks before boarding. You’re settled in your seat, all is well, and then: you’ve got to go to the bathroom. “No, no, no,” the flight attendant tells you, “lavatories are closed during takeoff. You have to wait.”

Air rage incidents are up, according to Consumer Reports, and we wonder if some of those are due to people being to hold it in!

Before you think about ripping into the flight crew, however, remember that they’re just doing their job. International flight regulations actually declare that pilots cannot take off while someone is in the lavatory. Since everyone wants to depart and arrive on time, a no-bathroom-break period is the solution.

Take some more comfort in the fact that you’re being asked to wait for your own well-being. Overall, air travel is quite safe— safer than traveling by car.

Accidents are more likely during takeoff and landing than any other flight time, however. That’s why pilots and flight crews want you to stay in your seat with your seatbelts fastened until you reach cruising altitude.

Think about it: if there were an accident, emergency hard landing, or even a bump during take-off, the last place you would want to be is in the bathroom. There’s no seatbelt, for one. For another, there are lots of hard edges and corners that you could get injured on. Finally, if the lavatory door jammed, you would be trapped inside.

Suddenly, being asked to cross your legs doesn’t seem so bad? Thanks, flight crews, for thinking of us! This still does leave the problem of what to do if you’ve just gotta go, however.

Taking a quick potty break in the terminal, before getting on an airplane, is the annoyingly obvious thing to do, if at all possible. One extra perk? Since they’re serviced frequently, airport bathrooms are way cleaner than airplane bathrooms.

If you’re already on the plane and waiting for takeoff, FAA regulations do say that flight crews must keep lavatories open if there is a delay on the tarmac. Once a plane starts to taxi, however, you’re just out of luck. And if you’re thinking you can sneak into the bathroom, lock yourself in, do your thing, then come out saying you had no idea you weren’t allowed to use it, think again. Lavatory doors actually have a secret unlock switch on the outside, so the crew can open the door and escort you out if needed.

The next best thing? Grin and bear it until you reach cruising altitude. Oh, and use this brilliant hack: experts say the best time to go to the lavatory is just after the “fasten seatbelts” light is turned off, but before drink service. Think about it: during drink service the aisle’s going to be too crowded, and after all those thirsty passengers have downed their colas and juice in a hurry, there might be a sudden rush to the lavatory!

To learn more about how and why airlines handle this bathroom regulation, be sure to watch the video from Travel and Leisure below!

Do you have any savvy hacks for dealing with airplane lavatories? Stories of passengers being told not to use one?