A few days before Christmas, a school teacher from Chicago was traveling to Reykjavik with her family. After developing symptoms, a rapid antigen test showed she was positive for coronavirus. Afraid of infecting other passengers, she decided to self-quarantine in the lavatory of the Icelandair 737 MAX 8 for the remainder of the flight. Still isolated in Iceland, she only has good things to say about the response of the airline's crew.

Four hours in the lavatory

Most of us have had plans upset in one way or another or suffered some inconvenience while traveling because of COVID. However, not all of us have been isolated in an airplane lavatory for four hours in the hopes of protecting others from infection. Yet, this is precisely what happened to Marisa Foteio, a school teacher from Chicago who was traveling to Europe over the holidays.

@marisaefotieo Shout out to @Icelandair for my VIP quarantine quarters.. #luxuryliving #imsolucky #covid #vaccinated #fyp #viralvideotiktok #quarantine ♬ I'm So Lucky Lucky - Grandzz

While on an Icelandair flight from New York Newark to Reykjavik on December 20th, the Michigan-based preschool teacher noticed her throat hurting. Rather than wait to arrive at her destination, she immediately took a rapid antigen test. This turned out to be positive. While some people try to come up with all kinds of tricks not to wear face masks during a flight, Foteio's main concern was not infecting the other 150 or so people on board.

After consulting with the Icelandair flight attendants, she decided to quarantine in one of the lavatories for the rest of the flight. Foteio documented the ordeal on her TikTok account. Thus far, the video, where Foteio is seen wearing not one but three masks, has received over four million views.

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Kind flight attendants saved the day

Four hours on a plane are tedious at best. One can only imagine what it must be like when stuck in a lavatory. However, Foteio took it all in good stride and did not hold back in her praise on behalf of the airline crew. She was especially grateful to a flight attendant named Ragnhildur "Rocky" Eiríksdóttir, who kept checking on her, ensuring she had everything she needed.

"Their flight attendants are so positive and so kind, and they just put everybody at ease the second that this happened. They put me at ease, which is why I think I was so willing to stay in that bathroom," she said, as reported by ABC.

After landing in Iceland, she then had to isolate herself for ten days in a room at the Red Cross hotel. The crew members who had assisted her onboard the flight from Newark sent over a care package with food, drinks, flowers, and a little Christmas tree.

Foteio's father and brother, who were traveling with her on the flight, both tested negative and continued to Switzerland, which was their final destination, NBC reported.

The teeny toilets of the MAX

When the 737 MAX was first introduced in the US, passengers and crew alike were appalled at the size of the toilets, designed small to fit more seats than on the 737-800. In 2018, the LA Times reported that a group of flight attendants met with American Airlines' Chief Executive Doug Parker to complain about the design. American's MAX's are made to fit 152 passengers. Icelandair's are designed to carry 160.