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Options for Washing in Plane Bathroom

Thank you for being helpful with my past questions.

I’m a frequent business traveler and have had this question arise several times;

I’m on a plane, and I want to wash for hamotzie and use the bathroom, and there’s a long line of people waiting. Once I come out it would look very rude and inconsiderate to go back in without again waiting on line. So here are the choices that I consider:

A) use bathroom, wash without cup, dry, wash with cup for hamotzie, come out and make hamotzie and eat kizayis, then make asher yotzar.

B) wash netilas yodayim for both and make asher yotzar after eating,

C) make asher yotzar in bathroom, if no odor or any mamoshus of tzoa, as it may be a bais hakisay shal parsiyyim, then wash netilas yodayim, come out and make brocho,

D) eat without netilas yodayim by covering hands with a bag.

E) don’t eat until can go again to wash Netilas yodayim

Answer:

Option (B) is the best option of the five you mention. There is no need to wash hands twice, and it is sufficient to wash hands once with a cup, make the berachah outside the bathroom, and say asher yatzar after eating bread. There is no need for (A), (C) is a problem (one may not recite berachos in a bathroom even if it is clean), (D) is not lechatchilah where you have the option of washing, and (E) is unnecessary.

Another option (F) is the same as (B) but reciting asher yatzar before eating. This means washing with a cup, reciting the al netilas yadayim blessing while hands are wet, drying hands, reciting asher yatzar, and sitting down to say hamotzi. See Magen Avraham and Shulchan Aruch Ha-Rav 165.

If you are confident that you won’t forget asher yatzar, option (B) remains preferable to (F).

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