Maybe the airlines should go by the "can-your-fat-be-squeezed-into-a-seat" test? After all, some peoples fat is denser than others. If you can squeeze in, you're good to go

they do, and you have to be able to put down the armrest.

The poll question is basically "is that fair". Looks like 2/3 of people here think it is.

Disagree. Poll question is not "should people who take up more than one seat be allowed to be in 1 seat" it's "whose responsibility is it to ensure people who take up more than 1 seat don't inconvenience people?"

I see it quite plainly. If you fit in the seat - great, if not - buy two seats or don't travel. If I had terrible body odor, people would advise me to use a deodorant. Its just human nature for some to suggest to an overweight person that they should eat well and exercise, even if excessive weight is a medical issue. Yes we should all try to be more considerate towards others, but not at a detrimental cost to ourselves. We simply don't live in a world where we are totally selfless at all times. If my plane seat is being shared by an uninvited passenger, then yes I will not hesitate to tell cabin crew that I am uncomfortable and wish to be moved. If it offends a larger passenger then so be it - I'm not going to apologise for ensuring that a flight I have paid good money for is as comfortable as it can be.

Wait, you're saying if I eat well and exercise, I'll drop the weight I've been trying to lose? No fukcing way! I had no idea... thank you, benevolent stranger inspired by sheer "human nature," for you have truly made a difference. I'm glad you wrote that you feel it's just "human nature" to be an inconsiderate chopfcuk, or I'd think you were being, you know, a chopfcuk.

Nothing wrong with being honest.



The question assumes that the "large" person should buy two seats. So it comes down very to much whether or not its fair.

I eat well, low fat and I watch my carbs...I exercise...yet my medical condition causes weight gain and makes it very hard to get rid of it. Would you like more information on it? I will gladly educate you on it. I hear this so much...not necessarily towards me, but in regards to overweight people in general and you know...it gets old really quick. This society is very judgmental of such people and it saddens me that it has come to this. Why does anyone feel the need to be so opinionated of those that weigh more than oneself?

If the airlines thought this was such a major issue, I feel certain that measures would have been taken by now to ensure that other's rights are not infringed on. I also still stand by my previous comment that very overweight people...and they know they are...would more than likely buy two seats for their own comfort. Do ya really think they like feeling they are inadvertently touching you or anyone else? Don't ya think they know how most of society really feels about them in general? I seriously doubt an overweight person deliberately tries to cheat anyone out of their seat. I'm also fairly certain the airlines would do all they can to accomodate you for your "inconvenience".

Im saying that a lot of people look at overweight people and think "eat well and exercise". You can read back and see that I also wrote if someone had very bad body odor, people would think "get some deodorant". I was making the point that regardless of what led to someone being overweight, people are not always going to be sympathetic. I did NOT say I think this way. I will reiterate however that my plane seat is my plane seat and Im not sharing it with anyone I dont know. To be brutally honest, your weight issues are yours - I couldnt care less about them. You clearly do so maybe address them.

I think part of the problem is that people don't always speak up at the time and so store up the resentment. I mean - nothing is lost by saying "don't kick my chair", "can you put your chair forward" etc.

As I said, I don't care 'why' a person looks/weighs what they do - I only care if they're inconveniencing me as a result. But if there's no solution on offer (e.g. moving to another seat) - then it comes down to attitudes. To go back to the guy I sat next to - made all kinds of huffing, puffing / grousing and grumbling sounds when ask if he would move so I could get to the bathroom (I went perhaps 3-4 times during an 11 hour flight). Guy wouldn't get up, but rather leaned his seat back so that I could step around him, while trying not to pull the hair of the woman in front. Guy was a tosspiece.

If you can't defend your point with anything other than a personal attack, don't say anything at all. I agree that nobody should have to share a plane seat. The question is, should someone have to buy two or should the airlines provide alternatives?

Its also not hard to figure out that most people don't like to be in any forced physical contact with a stranger.

where did i make a personal attack, and on whom? if anyone has made a personal attack it would be you on me.

and on was clearly a personal attack. I just attacked your post.

it wasnt an attack - you were clearly upset by my opinions (as the original OP, you will recall you asked for people's thoughts on the matter), and this was due to the fact that you are trying to lose weight and are sensitive to weight issues. I merely informed you that I didn't care about your weight issues - why would I? - they are yours and yours alone to deal with. Don't ask for others thoughts on a particular issue if you don't like what you read. Everyone is entitled to an opinion or does mine make me a "chopfcuk"?

Your post retread the territory many people on this thread have covered. Nobody thinks someone has the right to more than one seat. The question is who must be responsible for solving that problem. It felt like you just posted your thoughts, none of which hadn't been posted before, in order to reinsert your contempt of overweight people into the thread.

Looking at the poll 60% of respondents think it's the 'large person' should buy 2 seats if the one they have is not enough.

Look, there is no contempt on my part for anyone who is overweight. I simply don't care. No one cares that I am considered a healthy weight, quite rightly, and I don't care if people are nicole richie thin or very heavy. All I was saying was that I would not accept an uncomfortable plane journey because of someone else's weight problems, and that it is true that a lot of people aren't sympathetic towards overweight people, regardless of the cause. I'm simply being honest, and not trying to demean or upset anyone.

I just hope I don't ever have to sit next to Rosie O'Donnell on a flight......for many reasons.

(DISCLAIMER: An attempt to throw some humor in this post)

People don't fit in seats for all kinds of reasons besides weight though. I've just barely fit in a seat once last November when I was within the healthy weight range for my height, which is only 5'5". I think if people didn't attribute someone's size to some shortcoming of theirs, they might be less quick to penalize them.

I wonder if this image springs to mind in relation to Rosie O'Donnell.



In character and temperament at least...

Buwahahahahahahahahahahahaha

When/how?

Well, besides being overweight, I guess I meant. Abnormal body shapes and just being large and/or muscular could do it.



I'll bet...

3 words to describe Rosie:

Loud
Crude
Vicious

I'm sure she wouldn't be in this thread at all if she were thin, is all I'm sayin'.

She'd be in first class.

now that is really unfair..... to pay a huge amount of money for a first class seat, and then be placed next to Rosie. Im guessing that airlines have a refund policy for that instance

someone who is very tall would have a hard time fitting into most of the seats...

I remember watching the show Airline and this guy was over 6 feet and he told them that he needed an aisle seat but they told him that they couldn't do that for some reason that I can't remember....

I'm sure she's not loud like that in public - unless she were seated next to Donald Trump.

I think its so wrong to make someone pay for two seats because they are big..
definitly discrimination.. they should have seats for larger people.. Pobresitos!!!

Those seats should cost more money IMO.

That's the solution I like best. Airlines claim this is cost prohibitive, but seriously, one row? C'mon. People could buy those seats who weren't large, too. An extra row of, say, "extra comfort seats" with 23-inch-wide seats or something. If you don't fit in your seat, however, you MUST buy an extra comfort seat. If it costs less than 2 seats, but more than 1 seat, it seems pretty reasonable to me. That has passenger and airline absorbing the cost. Especially since not all flights have someone on them that don't fit, but they'd probably all have someone who'd want a maybe 50-dollar upgrade to the comfy seats.

If the consensus were that people shouldn't have to pay for their size, then those comfy seats could be extra money for the average person, but free or at a reduced cost to those who don't fit in a normal seat. But no matter what, sitting in a seat you don't fit in should definitely be prohibited for the consideration of those around you.

It would follow from this arguement that WalMart is prejudice against large people because they charge extra for 2X and 3X sizes.

The avg tick we've spent Orl to UK is about $750+. If the 'extra comfy' seat is 20,30,40,etc % bigger, it should be reflected in the same increase in price. I can't see it being cost efficient at a $50 surcharge.

As to the bit in red, that would actually be punishing 'average' sized people for not being fat, so I think that's uncool.

Because despite the cutbacks in airline services, the size of your seat is not the only cost involved in flying, and of course, we can't assume a proportionate extra amount of weight for fuel or anything.

I think making a row of seats that are not nominally for large people, just for comfort, and then occasionally giving large people a lower rate on them, is fair. It would keep large people from sitting in normal coach rows and inconveniencing people and wouldn't make flying cost-prohibitive for them.

You have to pay more for other classes of seating with more generous seat and legroom. Stands to reason it should come at an increased charge.

How would the airline charge 'large people' less? That sounds open to all sorts of legal challenges and potential abuse.

It may not be the only cost, but it's a big factor. There are weight restrictions on luggage for a reason. Piggybacking off the 'can't assume proportionate extra weight for fuel' is a non-issue...try bringing some oversized and overweight luggage...or even an extra piece of luggage...and see what happens. I can't say to the ticket counter...oh but it's a necessity for me...they'll say 'ok, no one's sayin you can't bring it, but you gotta pay for it'

The bit about the bigger seats not nominally for large people? That's called business class or first class. Giving larger people a break on them is not fair at all imo...Why should larger people have roomier seats at essentially the same price? It wouldn't inconvenience me physically, but financially it would become a burden on every other passenger flying coach.

Think about it...a row of these seats...let's say it eliminates 3 'normal sized' seats. That's 3 seats of revenue lost each and every time that plane flies. Sure, the law of avgs is that most planes won't be fully booked, but over time the smallest differential in cost for any business CAN add up to an exhorbitant figure. The airline will not take the hit...it will be passed on to everyone else.

Now as I said before, if the cost increased is reflected in the price adjustment, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all.

That's it exactly. It amounts to a premium economy class (which already exists). But however you dice it - less seats = higher ticket prices. I just don't see why I should pay extra for something that's of no benefit to me.

Fine. How about we have some extra big seats and people can pay extra for those so that everyone is happy that they aren't paying for something they don't use?

It would be stupid to make it impossible for large people to fly. Airlines would lose a lot of money that way. This would help.

But that's exactly the same as premium economy - which we already have (costs more than coach, less than Business and 1st Class)

But the seats aren't significantly bigger at this time. Premium economy is not available everywhere either. Either way, the whole point is to make the seats at least 1 and a quarter times the regular coach seat.

And one last thought-- I'm pretty sure if airlines were pressed to do something for deaf or blind people or people in wheelchairs, people wouldn't be so quick to say "fine do whatever for them, but don't ask me to absorb the cost. I don't see why I should pay more if I'm not using those things." It would probably be more like, "that's fair. We should be able to accommodate everyone." We do it all the time, with our tax dollars, etc. It's a little like saying, "I want a lower priced movie ticket because I don't feel it's right I had to absorb the cost of the theater making itself wheelchair-accessible. Either that or make those people pay more."

apples to oranges.

Being blind/deaf/disabled is not a choice.

There are wheelchairs to fit in the airplane aisles.

I thought we already went over the fact that some people are not overweight by choice

Airlines should just charge people by weight - problem solved.

Get on the scale at check-in with all your bags - pay extra if you're over the limit.

That's exactly the problem I see here. It really isn't always apples to oranges. Being overweight is not always a choice. And having a large body frame is certainly not a choice. People are not willing to accommodate large people because they blame them for their size. Sometimes it is a choice, but even people who have not eaten well and don't exercise don't say "I choose to be fat" the way they might choose to be a smoker one day. Sometimes it's people in a wheelchair's "fault" too. Maybe they rode a motorcycle without a helmet. Maybe someone shot off fireworks at close range and now they've been blinded. But we don't usually blame them for their disability, do we?

The problem that I see there is, where do we draw the line in blaming people for their physical attributes?

Because we (as a nation/world) weren't as fat 10 years ago, or 20, 30, 40 years ago, etc. It is a choice. For 95% of the population.

Not wearing a helmet & getting paralyzed becasue of that is NO WAY the same as being fat.

It's a bad choice that leads to a horrible life-changing handicap. But I would never say "it's your fault you're like this," because that happens. So does getting fat. Do you think Americans are fatter today because they're more interested in making the choice to be fat? Because otherwise it seems to be a systemic problem.