Should Obese Fliers Pay More?

[MrFSS]

A photograph of an obese passenger filling his seat and part of a jet's aisle, reportedly snapped by an American Airlines flight attendant, has renewed the debate about how airlines deal with obese travelers.

Policies differ by airline — some carriers try to accommodate their passengers at no cost, some require their large customers to purchase a second seat and reimburse the money if the plane is not full and a second seat becomes available.

Large or small, frequent traveler or not, opinions are numerous.

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[amtrakwolverine]

hes half sitting on the chair and sitting over the arm rest. maybe retrofit jets with a small number of BIG seats that can handle wide loads and have the seats by them selves not next to each other maybe 2 next to each other sense the seats will be wider.

 

[Neil_M]

hes half sitting on the chair and sitting over the arm rest. maybe retrofit jets with a small number of BIG seats that can handle wide loads and have the seats by them selves not next to each other maybe 2 next to each other sense the seats will be wider.

But the airline would make more money by selling 2 seats, why should they have wider seats just for lard butts?

Everyone else would want to sit in those seats!

 

[PetalumaLoco]

This response suits me;

“I work for an airline and we learned long ago that for all the talk of bigger seats, all people really care about is the lowest fare, and the few airlines that have tried to provide cabins with larger seats at moderately higher fares have all gone under in a price war. So unless you're willing to put up the money and shop for seat pitch and width online, you’ll have to accept what you get. It’s your problem, not the airlines.”

 

[Ryan]

hes half sitting on the chair and sitting over the arm rest. maybe retrofit jets with a small number of BIG seats that can handle wide loads and have the seats by them selves not next to each other maybe 2 next to each other sense the seats will be wider.

They do that already - it's called "First Class"!!!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

hes half sitting on the chair and sitting over the arm rest. maybe retrofit jets with a small number of BIG seats that can handle wide loads and have the seats by them selves not next to each other maybe 2 next to each other sense the seats will be wider.

They do that already - it's called "First Class"!!!

Those are a joke, you pay an unGodly amount of money and for the obese pax its only mildly better.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

you need seats that can hold free willys mother or father. current seats will not do that. you don't need a whole plane of them just maybe 5 or so and have signs that say reserved for free willy.

 

[Neil_M]

you need seats that can hold free willys mother or father. current seats will not do that. you don't need a whole plane of them just maybe 5 or so and have signs that say reserved for free willy.

As funny as that is, everyone will want a free willy seat won't they? Only 2 things to do, make Buster Bloodvessel buy a whole row of seats or simply put them in the hold!

 

[JAChooChoo]

In a way this is a "social" issue. What is the definition of "obese"? Should there be a "legal" seat size definition?

 

[amtrakwolverine]

i say if your bigger then Oprah(is that possible) or Larry the cable guy your obese.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I know a niche business opportunity when I see one, so am pleased to announce the (massive) formation of AirWide, the world's first Plus Size airline. One fare, no seats, no windows, complimentary passenger tiedown cables, no fees for overweight psychological baggage, and an All You Can Consume At Cruising Altitude slop trough and wallowing lounge. Reserve today to waddle or be hoisted aboard our generously-proportioned, semi-converted (from cargo models) JUMBO JETS !!

(Fantasy Weightless Simulation Flights also available at slightly higher cost.)

www.weight4me.com/wingit

 

[Bob Dylan]

Wonder why FEDEX or UPS hasnt picked up on "Porker Airways?" They have the cargo jets flying all over the world,

can charge by the pound (very costly!) or upgrade to "Supersize" (first class for porkers!)for an additional fee! :lol:

Bags fly free, make it up on overweight pax!! :lol:

 

[DET63]

My guess would be that airlines save a significant amount of money by cramming as many passengers as possible into the least room possible (subject to necessary minimal comfort and safety standards). If airlines used larger planes but with the same seating capacity, or the same size planes with fewer seats, the competition would quickly drive them out of business.

There may be a civil-rights issue at stake here, however. Some people are large-framed. They may not necessarily be obese; they may just have a large skeleton. (Think NBA players, and why most if not all teams have a private plane or charter one for "road" trips.) If we charge people who are overweight extra to fly, should we also charge those who have a large frame extra? Wait till the ACLU's lawyers get hold of a client who, through no fault of his/her own, is "big-boned" (or even obese due to a recognized medical condition), and they get a judge or jury to agree that the airline company's surcharge for large passengers amounts to discrimination.

 

[Ryan]

The right to fly for the same amount of money isn't a civil liberty, as such ACLU wouldn't be interested in such a case. Civil liberties refer to our interaction with the government, privately owned airlines are free to do whatever they want.

 

[AAARGH!]

you need seats that can hold free willys mother or father. current seats will not do that. you don't need a whole plane of them just maybe 5 or so and have signs that say reserved for free willy.

OMG is that funny. :lol:

Gives new meaning to Jumbo Passenger Jet.

 

[DET63]

The right to fly for the same amount of money isn't a civil liberty, as such ACLU wouldn't be interested in such a case. Civil liberties refer to our interaction with the government, privately owned airlines are free to do whatever they want.

Don't be so sure of that. "Privately owned" airlines are subject to federal regulation, they benefit from the use of publicly owned airports and other facilities, and I don't think the ACLU confines itself to "our interaction with the government."

 

[tp49]

The right to fly for the same amount of money isn't a civil liberty, as such ACLU wouldn't be interested in such a case. Civil liberties refer to our interaction with the government, privately owned airlines are free to do whatever they want.

Don't be so sure of that. "Privately owned" airlines are subject to federal regulation, they benefit from the use of publicly owned airports and other facilities, and I don't think the ACLU confines itself to "our interaction with the government."

I'm agreeing with Hokie on this one. Private parties cannot violate one's civil rights unless they are acting under the color of government authority. Following a company policy just doesn't fit into the equation. That's not to say there aren't other theories to base a potential action on but a civil rights violation just isn't it.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Tough call. More than once I've found myself in the middle seat between two larger bodied folks. Maybe I should have been awarded a partial refund to sharing my seat with others.

 

[Ryan]

The right to fly for the same amount of money isn't a civil liberty, as such ACLU wouldn't be interested in such a case. Civil liberties refer to our interaction with the government, privately owned airlines are free to do whatever they want.

Don't be so sure of that. "Privately owned" airlines are subject to federal regulation, they benefit from the use of publicly owned airports and other facilities, and I don't think the ACLU confines itself to "our interaction with the government."

You should learn more about the ALCU and "civil rights" then.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Did I miss a memo? I didn't realize that picking on people of size had become such an open, public sport... :unsure:

As a person of size (or whatever word you choose to insert here), I like the idea of a special section of larger seats for folks who are bigger and I would pay to sit in such a section *BUT* only if the airlines chose to make sure that only bigger people can ride in this section. It can't be a section where just anyone who wants extra room can ride. So, thin folks who want more room would not be allowed. Get in your regular-size coach seat or cough up the bucks for a first-class seat....

Similarly, I like the idea of separate sections on airplanes for the following individuals:

1. People who think that once they sit down for any length of time that they must immediately engage in a cellphone conversation or generally loud conversations. (Trust me, when cellphones are finally allowed in-flight, this *will* become an issue and I see a lot of rage around this point. Most of that rage will probably come from me as I make my way from the "fat" section of the plane to smack-down those in the cellphone section.)

2. People who drink too much to calm their flying jitters, and then have to annoy everyone as they slosh up the plane aisle to rush to the bathroom because they can't hold their liquor (or their bladders can't).

3. Parents who think their kids are too good/cute, etc. to behave in public and think it is OK to kick, jump and generally annoy other passengers.

4. People who insist on bringing every piece of luggage they own *on* the plane and hogging all the overhead bin space because they are too cheap to pay the luggage fees.

5. Inpatient people who when the minute the plane's engines are cut, they jump out of their seats (because they actually undid their seatbelts during the beginning of the descent). These same people then stand in the aisle even though there is no place to go and they have to wait anyway and because no one else can get their luggage, it still means we all get to get off the plane one at a time....

For the folks in this category, again, cough up the bucks for first-class, sit at the front of the plane and dream of the fewer people you will have to run over so you can be among the first to get off the plane...

I could probably keep going with this list, but I think you catch my drift......

-- Jackie

 

[rrdude]

Did I miss a memo? I didn't realize that picking on people of size had become such an open, public sport... :unsure:
As a person of size (or whatever word you choose to insert here), I like the idea of a special section of larger seats for folks who are bigger and I would pay to sit in such a section *BUT* only if the airlines chose to make sure that only bigger people can ride in this section. It can't be a section where just anyone who wants extra room can ride. So, thin folks who want more room would not be allowed. Get in your regular-size coach seat or cough up the bucks for a first-class seat....

Similarly, I like the idea of separate sections on airplanes for the following individuals:

1. People who think that once they sit down for any length of time that they must immediately engage in a cellphone conversation or generally loud conversations. (Trust me, when cellphones are finally allowed in-flight, this *will* become an issue and I see a lot of rage around this point. Most of that rage will probably come from me as I make my way from the "fat" section of the plane to smack-down those in the cellphone section.)

2. People who drink too much to calm their flying jitters, and then have to annoy everyone as they slosh up the plane aisle to rush to the bathroom because they can't hold their liquor (or their bladders can't).

3. Parents who think their kids are too good/cute, etc. to behave in public and think it is OK to kick, jump and generally annoy other passengers.

4. People who insist on bringing every piece of luggage they own *on* the plane and hogging all the overhead bin space because they are too cheap to pay the luggage fees.

5. Inpatient people who when the minute the plane's engines are cut, they jump out of their seats (because they actually undid their seatbelts during the beginning of the descent). These same people then stand in the aisle even though there is no place to go and they have to wait anyway and because no one else can get their luggage, it still means we all get to get off the plane one at a time....

For the folks in this category, again, cough up the bucks for first-class, sit at the front of the plane and dream of the fewer people you will have to run over so you can be among the first to get off the plane...

I could probably keep going with this list, but I think you catch my drift......

-- Jackie

.........Geeze Jackie, tell us how you *really* feel................... hahahha I "forgot" how to spell "feel" for about 30 seconds, what a dipshi* I am..............

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I got a better idea. I'll just ride Amtrak and avoid all this airline nonsense.