Obese have right to two airline seats

[DeadPoolX 9]

Normally I'm pretty sympathetic towards those who're overweight or obese. I've been overweight my whole life (although I've lost most of the weight over the years). Even at my largest, I never required two seats. At that point, blaming their obesity on metabolic issues seems like BS. It's one thing to be a little heavy, but if you let yourself get to 300 lbs or more, then that's an issue regarding caloric intake and lack of exercise.

I could possibly see giving these obese individuals a second seat at a reduced rate, but to give it to them for free? Why? People who're very tall get squished in seats too, so should they automatically receive a first class seat?

I understand that most seats on an aircraft are relatively tiny. As previously said, many "normal" people have difficulty fitting into them. But what concerns me about this are three things:

1. Airlines might increase costs to absorb the lost income of giving a second seat to someone obese.

2. Seats might be made even smaller overall in order to fit more passengers.

3. Carry-on and checked luggage weight allowances might be reduced (hoping that people need to pay an extra fee when loading on heavy items).

[PlatyPius 5]

I'm kinda mixed on this.

Firstly, there's too many damn fat people. I don't see why society should be catering to people who can't stop stuffing their face and stomach full of the sh*t all the time. I would say make them pay for two seats, but..

Secondly, the seats in airplanes are simply way too small and tight even for normal sized people.

A clear compromise is make some more room in the seats, then, if the fatties are still too big, charge them 2 seats.

As a "fattie" who "can't stop stuffing his face", I don't think people should get the second seat for free. I DO think that seats need to be larger in general, as I mentioned before, because they're getting tight for even normal-sized people now. Besides - who likes having someone in your personal space for 1-16 hours? If someone is large enough that they still need more space, then by all means charge them for a second seat. It would help when calculating how much fuel they need to reach the destination. Too many heavy people on a plane paying for only one seat could cause a flight to really cut it close fuel-wise under some circumstances.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

My daughter and I recently flew to the Philippines in October and boy was I in for a wake up call. I havent flown coach since I was 9 and I'm 43 and around 240 lbs. so I can relate to people who have problems with one seat. My problem is my height at 6'3" and the jerks in front of you have no respect or concern and just flop their F****** seat back. I had on several flights to MAKE the attendants have these people let return their seats to the upright position because if I ask its not going to come out in a manner to kindly and why should it because the people in front of me didnt give a rats ### in the first place abouts my knees.

when that happened to me and i was told to put my seat upright the woman who requested it was kindly informed that she had no right to ask me to put my seat upright. i'm surprised you weren't told the same thing...

I was on a 3 hour European flight last year and, as it was early morning, I put my seat back so I could have a snooze. At that point the b!tch behind me started pressing her knees into the back of the seat really hard. She may even have been kicking it at some point. What did I do? Ignored the b!tch. I'm sorry, but if she had just tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to move the seat forwards then I'd have been totally cool with a compromise - maybe part way up, or all the way if she was having issues. But if you start kneeing the back of my seat constantly then you deserve to be cramped.

Stupid cow.

Its weird - some people are afraid of conflict to the extent that in trying to avoid they'll end up creating it anyway. I have the same thing on my daily commute - pretty much. Something I don't get is why people you see on the bus everyday (and who see you), people who have been doing it long enough to remember where others get off insist on:

1) Sitting on the aisle seat as soon as they get on, which forces you to ask them to move if you want to sit in the seat next to them.

2) When you do ask them to move - rather than shift their butt over, they'd actually prefer to stand up (blocking the whole aisle in the process) so that you can have the window seat. They do this EVEN if you (and they) know that you'll be getting off before them - and will have to ask them to move (again).

I hate passive-aggressiveness.

[HAL 9000 96]

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Obese is pretty much having a BMI > 30.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Technically I would be classed as obese for being 15lbs overweight - though I'm one of those people where it isn't really noticeable. I am tall though - so I do have problems with the seats. The leg room is terrible - and god help you if you're in economy and you have the seat right in the back.

We had that once - where a whole family of *really* obese people (300lbs +) had the row in front of us and everyone one of them put their seat all the way back. Pretty much the worst flight ever.

[rocks 494]

My daughter and I recently flew to the Philippines in October and boy was I in for a wake up call. I havent flown coach since I was 9 and I'm 43 and around 240 lbs. so I can relate to people who have problems with one seat. My problem is my height at 6'3" and the jerks in front of you have no respect or concern and just flop their F****** seat back. I had on several flights to MAKE the attendants have these people let return their seats to the upright position because if I ask its not going to come out in a manner to kindly and why should it because the people in front of me didnt give a rats ### in the first place abouts my knees.

when that happened to me and i was told to put my seat upright the woman who requested it was kindly informed that she had no right to ask me to put my seat upright. i'm surprised you weren't told the same thing...

I was on a 3 hour European flight last year and, as it was early morning, I put my seat back so I could have a snooze. At that point the b!tch behind me started pressing her knees into the back of the seat really hard. She may even have been kicking it at some point. What did I do? Ignored the b!tch. I'm sorry, but if she had just tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to move the seat forwards then I'd have been totally cool with a compromise - maybe part way up, or all the way if she was having issues. But if you start kneeing the back of my seat constantly then you deserve to be cramped.

Stupid cow.

that's what happened to me. exactly that. her children screamed the entire way and she yelled at the top of her voice constantly so i could not sleep. that's the only reason i complained and she got told to put her legs down and that she could not tell me to put my seat upright. then she had the nerve to tell me that because her husband was a new york doctor she thought i was the one who needed medication...

[chri'stina 190]

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Obese is pretty much having a BMI > 30.

How many people know that, or even know what BMI is, or what someone witha BMI of over 30 looks like?

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Technically I would be classed as obese for being 15lbs overweight - though I'm one of those people where it isn't really noticeable. I am tall though - so I do have problems with the seats. The leg room is terrible - and god help you if you're in economy and you have the seat right in the back.

We had that once - where a whole family of *really* obese people (300lbs +) had the row in front of us and everyone one of them put their seat all the way back. Pretty much the worst flight ever.

Well I would be labeled obese too. I think for my category obese starts like 20lbs overweight(If I remember correctly), that's not a lot IMO. Anyway we won't talk about me any more...

But if I got a free seat, wahooo!! Do I think it's fair if that happened? No. I agree with what platy was saying too.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If I got a free seat I'd take it.

I do think though that there are limits to what size people can be reasonably accommodated on a commercial aircraft.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Technically I would be classed as obese for being 15lbs overweight - though I'm one of those people where it isn't really noticeable. I am tall though - so I do have problems with the seats. The leg room is terrible - and god help you if you're in economy and you have the seat right in the back.

We had that once - where a whole family of *really* obese people (300lbs +) had the row in front of us and everyone one of them put their seat all the way back. Pretty much the worst flight ever.

[AlHayatZween 2]

Its weird - some people are afraid of conflict to the extent that in trying to avoid they'll end up creating it anyway. I have the same thing on my daily commute - pretty much. Something I don't get is why people you see on the bus everyday (and who see you), people who have been doing it long enough to remember where others get off insist on:

1) Sitting on the aisle seat as soon as they get on, which forces you to ask them to move if you want to sit in the seat next to them.

2) When you do ask them to move - rather than shift their butt over, they'd actually prefer to stand up (blocking the whole aisle in the process) so that you can have the window seat. They do this EVEN if you (and they) know that you'll be getting off before them - and will have to ask them to move (again).

I hate passive-aggressiveness.

i'll admit that on interstate bus trips and airplane trips, i take the aisle seat, and i am a shorty. but it is precisely because if i take the window, some big person will just jump in the seat next to me, like they found a treasure chest on NJ Transit, and little by little they start creepin' in on my space. when i say "big" it doesn't have to be an obese person, usually it's just a big-built person and they just cramp me up against the window and i'm like a lopsided, smooshed blowfish pushed up against the glass, gazing out on the Jersey turnpike, with a look of pleading help in my eye. it's terrible. the only way i have a chance is if i get the aisle seat.

Edited November 24, 2008 by AlHayatZween

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Its weird - some people are afraid of conflict to the extent that in trying to avoid they'll end up creating it anyway. I have the same thing on my daily commute - pretty much. Something I don't get is why people you see on the bus everyday (and who see you), people who have been doing it long enough to remember where others get off insist on:

1) Sitting on the aisle seat as soon as they get on, which forces you to ask them to move if you want to sit in the seat next to them.

2) When you do ask them to move - rather than shift their butt over, they'd actually prefer to stand up (blocking the whole aisle in the process) so that you can have the window seat. They do this EVEN if you (and they) know that you'll be getting off before them - and will have to ask them to move (again).

I hate passive-aggressiveness.

i'll admit that on interstate bus trips and airplane trips, i take the aisle seat, and i am a shorty. but it is precisely because if i take the window, some big person will just jump in the seat next to me, like they found a treasure chest on NJ Transit, and little by little they start creepin' in on my space. when i say "big" it doesn't have to be an obese person, usually it's just a big-built person and they just cramp me up against the window and i'm like a lopsided, smooshed blowfish pushed up against the glass, gazing out on the Jersey turnpike, with a look of pleading help in my eye. it's terrible. the only way i have a chance is if i get the aisle seat.

Well as a last resort - farting works

If you can't enjoy the ride - noone should. That's ultimate passive agressiveness.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Paul Daniels

[AlHayatZween 2]

Well as a last resort - farting works

If you can't enjoy the ride - noone should. That's ultimate passive agressiveness.

Ooooooooo... that's true...

i'm going to keep it in mind this Thanksgiving when the buses are crowded...

either that or bring a live turkey on the bus... that might work, too, no?

[HAL 9000 96]

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Obese is pretty much having a BMI > 30.

How many people know that, or even know what BMI is, or what someone witha BMI of over 30 looks like?

Sometimes I think people don't even know what obese means. People who would be labeled obese you may be very surprised about because they won't look like the image you have in mind. Sure they may look overweight to you, but you can't always assume what obese means in the image way.

Technically I would be classed as obese for being 15lbs overweight - though I'm one of those people where it isn't really noticeable. I am tall though - so I do have problems with the seats. The leg room is terrible - and god help you if you're in economy and you have the seat right in the back.

We had that once - where a whole family of *really* obese people (300lbs +) had the row in front of us and everyone one of them put their seat all the way back. Pretty much the worst flight ever.

Well I would be labeled obese too. I think for my category obese starts like 20lbs overweight(If I remember correctly), that's not a lot IMO. Anyway we won't talk about me any more...

But if I got a free seat, wahooo!! Do I think it's fair if that happened? No. I agree with what platy was saying too.

BMI is based from simple measurements- but yes, I agree with you. Check what I posted a little further back in this thread about it.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well as a last resort - farting works

If you can't enjoy the ride - noone should. That's ultimate passive agressiveness.

Ooooooooo... that's true...

i'm going to keep it in mind this Thanksgiving when the buses are crowded...

either that or bring a live turkey on the bus... that might work, too, no?

Take an egg salad sandwich and a bag of raw broccoli florets with you just in case

[Mags 112]

Its weird - some people are afraid of conflict to the extent that in trying to avoid they'll end up creating it anyway. I have the same thing on my daily commute - pretty much. Something I don't get is why people you see on the bus everyday (and who see you), people who have been doing it long enough to remember where others get off insist on:

1) Sitting on the aisle seat as soon as they get on, which forces you to ask them to move if you want to sit in the seat next to them.

2) When you do ask them to move - rather than shift their butt over, they'd actually prefer to stand up (blocking the whole aisle in the process) so that you can have the window seat. They do this EVEN if you (and they) know that you'll be getting off before them - and will have to ask them to move (again).

I hate passive-aggressiveness.

i'll admit that on interstate bus trips and airplane trips, i take the aisle seat, and i am a shorty. but it is precisely because if i take the window, some big person will just jump in the seat next to me, like they found a treasure chest on NJ Transit, and little by little they start creepin' in on my space. when i say "big" it doesn't have to be an obese person, usually it's just a big-built person and they just cramp me up against the window and i'm like a lopsided, smooshed blowfish pushed up against the glass, gazing out on the Jersey turnpike, with a look of pleading help in my eye. it's terrible. the only way i have a chance is if i get the aisle seat.

Well as a last resort - farting works

If you can't enjoy the ride - noone should. That's ultimate passive agressiveness.