On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, American Airlines flight AA37, en route from Madrid to Dallas-Fort Worth, was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) after six of its eight toilets became inoperable. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft carried 287 passengers and crew, leaving only two functioning toilets available. This situation led the crew to decide to land at JFK for over three hours before continuing to Texas. The aircraft landed safely and resumed its journey after the stop. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the diversion in a statement, citing the "insufficient number of operational toilets" as the reason for the landing at JFK. The FAA noted that the aircraft was a Boeing 777-200, which had departed from Madrid with a destination of Texas. While the FAA confirmed the issue, it did not specify the exact cause of the toilet failures or the number of affected units. As the flight approached JFK, the pilot communicated with air traffic control, stating, "We only have two toilets functioning on board American Flight 37." The controller confirmed the information, and the pilot sent a "pan-pan" message, an international signal used to indicate an urgent situation requiring assistance, but not an immediate threat to life. This is different from a "mayday," which signals a life-threatening emergency. The cause of the toilet failures remains unclear. CNN reported on October 6 that American Airlines had not responded to its request for comment. Airplane toilets operate using a system that relies on pressure differences to move waste through a network of pipes. These systems can become clogged or malfunction, as explained in 2024 by Nigel Jones, a former engineer at British Airways. He noted that passengers sometimes dispose of inappropriate items, such as diapers or cans of carbonated drinks, into the system, which can lead to blockages. Finding such a blockage can take days due to the complexity of the piping network. The incident highlights a sometimes overlooked challenge in long-haul flights: the availability of toilets can be a critical factor in continuing a flight. In this case, with only two usable toilets for 287 people on board, the American Airlines crew chose to make an unscheduled stop rather than risk continuing to Dallas-Fort Worth.