Should large people have to buy two airplane seats for themselves?

[Alex+R 0]

What? Your average sized passenger should now have to buy 2 seats if they want to have the expectation of having an entire seat? That's just ludicrous. I can see disagreeing with the idea that the obese passenger should pay more, but come on.

I guess my question is what should my expectation be when I buy an airplane ticket. What exactly should the airline have to guarantee me? A smokefree environment? Yes. Complete silence so I can sleep? No. A full plane seat? I would think so.

Frankly, I don't care who absorbs the extra cost. If the airline does, then it will eventually be passed on to me, but what are you going to do really? Everyone is always paying a little bit more than they should here and a bit less than they should there.

I think anyone who buys a whole seat is entitled to the whole seat. The issue of what to do about the obese/large/oddly shaped person's need for more space is really the question. No, I don't think it's anywhere near fair to ask someone to buy two seats just in case a big person comes. I agree that that's ludicrous.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What? Your average sized passenger should now have to buy 2 seats if they want to have the expectation of having an entire seat? That's just ludicrous. I can see disagreeing with the idea that the obese passenger should pay more, but come on.

I guess my question is what should my expectation be when I buy an airplane ticket. What exactly should the airline have to guarantee me? A smokefree environment? Yes. Complete silence so I can sleep? No. A full plane seat? I would think so.

Frankly, I don't care who absorbs the extra cost. If the airline does, then it will eventually be passed on to me, but what are you going to do really? Everyone is always paying a little bit more than they should here and a bit less than they should there.

I think anyone who buys a whole seat is entitled to the whole seat. The issue of what to do about the obese/large/oddly shaped person's need for more space is really the question. No, I don't think it's anywhere near fair to ask someone to buy two seats just in case a big person comes. I agree that that's ludicrous.

What options are available to you if your (full) long-haul flight about to take off and you're squishing or are being squished by another passenger?

[Alex+R 0]

What options are available to you if your (full) long-haul flight about to take off and you're squishing or are being squished by another passenger?

I'm not sure. If it happened to me and we were about to go to, say, Brazil, I would probably request a seat change. If that weren't possible, I'd probably refrain from throwing a fit but maybe write an angry letter and hope to get a voucher out of it. I'd probably throw enough of a mini-fit that I had a chance of being bumped a class, however.

[KarenCee 3]

I think when you're in or have been in that situation - you do tend to blame the people causing your inconvenience, whatever that may be.

We're also not talking about the 'average' American but the average world traveller.

I have been squished by a larger person before, and yes, I was mostly a little annoyed that we had to touch, but soon I felt bad for the guy, who was obviously embarrassed about it and apologized. But once we're out of the plane, regardless of how mad they made us in the plane, we can think rationally about it, right?

Aren't most flights Americans take domestic? Most Americans fly, but most also didn't own a passport before the new Canada/Mexico passport rules. Most of us aren't world travelers, but most of us do need to go to a funeral in Tulsa or a job interview in Boston.

That's it right there Alex...not everyone feels the way you or I do. I've been in this position too but I wasn't abhorred by being in such close proximity. I guess I'm the oddball here...obese people don't seem to sicken me. Sure, it's their problem (I'm fairly certain they know this too) and there are all sorts of circumstances that contribute to that but IMHO if a person is extremely large, doesn't it seem to occur to anyone here that they KNOW this and will ask for two seats ahead of time? Should airlines start screening their customers by asking what their weight is when booking a ticket? Should there be an overweight section to each plane? Should customers who are what society deem "normal size" be told that their seat is potentially next to an overweight person? Almost everyone on here seems to be complaining but isn't offering any REASONABLE solution other than penalizing the overweight person.

And why is McDonalds ALWAYS attributed to overweight people?

[Scott & Lai 12]

And why is McDonalds ALWAYS attributed to overweight people?

As a point of clarification, my McDonalds analogy in no way was about why an overweight person got that way. It was simply an illustration in response to the idea that you should expect someone else to take part of what you've paid for, and if you don't like it, you should pay more to avoid that happening. The "squisher" in that analogy could have been rail-thin; their weight wasn't the point I was making.

[KarenCee 3]

It wasn't just your post...it's mentioned overall anytime a weight issue thread is posted.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think when you're in or have been in that situation - you do tend to blame the people causing your inconvenience, whatever that may be.

We're also not talking about the 'average' American but the average world traveller.

I have been squished by a larger person before, and yes, I was mostly a little annoyed that we had to touch, but soon I felt bad for the guy, who was obviously embarrassed about it and apologized. But once we're out of the plane, regardless of how mad they made us in the plane, we can think rationally about it, right?

Aren't most flights Americans take domestic? Most Americans fly, but most also didn't own a passport before the new Canada/Mexico passport rules. Most of us aren't world travelers, but most of us do need to go to a funeral in Tulsa or a job interview in Boston.

That's it right there Alex...not everyone feels the way you or I do. I've been in this position too but I wasn't abhorred by being in such close proximity. I guess I'm the oddball here...obese people don't seem to sicken me. Sure, it's their problem (I'm fairly certain they know this too) and there are all sorts of circumstances that contribute to that but IMHO if a person is extremely large, doesn't it seem to occur to anyone here that they KNOW this and will ask for two seats ahead of time? Should airlines start screening their customers by asking what their weight is when booking a ticket? Should there be an overweight section to each plane? Should customers who are what society deem "normal size" be told that their seat is potentially next to an overweight person? Almost everyone on here seems to be complaining but isn't offering any REASONABLE solution other than penalizing the overweight person.

And why is McDonalds ALWAYS attributed to overweight people?

I don't recall suggesting implicitly or otherwise that overweight people are 'sickening'.

I think a lot of knee-jerk resentment is being attributed to comments that were never actually made. I don't like flying at the best of times, and I certainly don't like being cramped. I've also yet to be in that situation where the person involved (nice as they might be off-plane) has been anything other than a total arsehole about it. That may explain my resentment towards that particular situation.

[Alex+R 0]

I think when you're in or have been in that situation - you do tend to blame the people causing your inconvenience, whatever that may be.

We're also not talking about the 'average' American but the average world traveller.

I have been squished by a larger person before, and yes, I was mostly a little annoyed that we had to touch, but soon I felt bad for the guy, who was obviously embarrassed about it and apologized. But once we're out of the plane, regardless of how mad they made us in the plane, we can think rationally about it, right?

Aren't most flights Americans take domestic? Most Americans fly, but most also didn't own a passport before the new Canada/Mexico passport rules. Most of us aren't world travelers, but most of us do need to go to a funeral in Tulsa or a job interview in Boston.

That's it right there Alex...not everyone feels the way you or I do. I've been in this position too but I wasn't abhorred by being in such close proximity. I guess I'm the oddball here...obese people don't seem to sicken me. Sure, it's their problem (I'm fairly certain they know this too) and there are all sorts of circumstances that contribute to that but IMHO if a person is extremely large, doesn't it seem to occur to anyone here that they KNOW this and will ask for two seats ahead of time? Should airlines start screening their customers by asking what their weight is when booking a ticket? Should there be an overweight section to each plane? Should customers who are what society deem "normal size" be told that their seat is potentially next to an overweight person? Almost everyone on here seems to be complaining but isn't offering any REASONABLE solution other than penalizing the overweight person.

And why is McDonalds ALWAYS attributed to overweight people?

I don't recall suggesting implicitly or otherwise that overweight people are 'sickening'.

I think a lot of knee-jerk resentment is being attributed to comments that were never actually made. I don't like flying at the best of times, and I certainly don't like being cramped. I've also yet to be in that situation where the person involved (nice as they might be off-plane) has been anything other than a total arsehole about it. That may explain my resentment towards that particular situation.

I don't recall her mentioning you. I know you stand by your "jabba the hut" comment, but it's stuff like that that hurts people's feelings. Or Gupt suggesting an airline with twinkie and shake sales. It's all over this thread, really.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think when you're in or have been in that situation - you do tend to blame the people causing your inconvenience, whatever that may be.

We're also not talking about the 'average' American but the average world traveller.

I have been squished by a larger person before, and yes, I was mostly a little annoyed that we had to touch, but soon I felt bad for the guy, who was obviously embarrassed about it and apologized. But once we're out of the plane, regardless of how mad they made us in the plane, we can think rationally about it, right?

Aren't most flights Americans take domestic? Most Americans fly, but most also didn't own a passport before the new Canada/Mexico passport rules. Most of us aren't world travelers, but most of us do need to go to a funeral in Tulsa or a job interview in Boston.

That's it right there Alex...not everyone feels the way you or I do. I've been in this position too but I wasn't abhorred by being in such close proximity. I guess I'm the oddball here...obese people don't seem to sicken me. Sure, it's their problem (I'm fairly certain they know this too) and there are all sorts of circumstances that contribute to that but IMHO if a person is extremely large, doesn't it seem to occur to anyone here that they KNOW this and will ask for two seats ahead of time? Should airlines start screening their customers by asking what their weight is when booking a ticket? Should there be an overweight section to each plane? Should customers who are what society deem "normal size" be told that their seat is potentially next to an overweight person? Almost everyone on here seems to be complaining but isn't offering any REASONABLE solution other than penalizing the overweight person.

And why is McDonalds ALWAYS attributed to overweight people?

I don't recall suggesting implicitly or otherwise that overweight people are 'sickening'.

I think a lot of knee-jerk resentment is being attributed to comments that were never actually made. I don't like flying at the best of times, and I certainly don't like being cramped. I've also yet to be in that situation where the person involved (nice as they might be off-plane) has been anything other than a total arsehole about it. That may explain my resentment towards that particular situation.

I don't recall her mentioning you. I know you stand by your "jabba the hut" comment, but it's stuff like that that hurts people's feelings. Or Gupt suggesting an airline with twinkie and shake sales. It's all over this thread, really.

I stand by the comment in relation to the various arseholes I have had to sit with on several long flights. If others choose to take it personally that's certainly not intended - but as I said in the context of a crowded, cramped flight I'm not inclined to feel sympathetic towards someone's problem, situation (or whatever PC terminology we want to use to describe it) - especially if that person approaches the situation with an air of disgruntled, uncompromising entitlement to every inch of space that they're depriving me.

[KarenCee 3]

I wasn't in any way referring to your assessment of certain people you've had the misfortune to be near during your flights. Hmmm...I don't think I mentioned that at all. No...I'm sure I didn't.

I am referring to the overall consensus of this thread...that overweight people should be penalized for being overweight. So far I've read complaints and ridiculous "solutions". I've seen overweight people referred to as "fatties" and other sad terms. Methinks maybe you're using this thread for your own agenda?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I wasn't in any way referring to your assessment of certain people you've had the misfortune to be near during your flights. Hmmm...I don't think I mentioned that at all. No...I'm sure I didn't.

I am referring to the overall consensus of this thread...that overweight people should be penalized for being overweight. So far I've read complaints and ridiculous "solutions". I've seen overweight people referred to as "fatties" and other sad terms. Methinks maybe you're using this thread for your own agenda?

No agenda, but in the absence of a workable solution from the airlines to make specific provisions for 'wide seating' I think the onus on buying a second seat should be on the person causing the inconvenience.

The fact is - this already happens.

Edited June 28, 2007 by erekose

[KarenCee 3]

I wasn't in any way referring to your assessment of certain people you've had the misfortune to be near during your flights. Hmmm...I don't think I mentioned that at all. No...I'm sure I didn't.

I am referring to the overall consensus of this thread...that overweight people should be penalized for being overweight. So far I've read complaints and ridiculous "solutions". I've seen overweight people referred to as "fatties" and other sad terms. Methinks maybe you're using this thread for your own agenda?

No agenda, but in the absence of a workable solution from the airlines to make specific provisions for 'wide seating' I think the onus on buying a second seat should be on the person causing the inconvenience.

The fact is - this already happens.

So now overweight people are an inconvenience. At what point does this type of judgmental attitude stop? The man or woman with the long legs in the back of your seat...are they also an inconvenience? The mother in front or in back of you with an unruly child...is she and the child also an inconvenience? The person next to you that snores...is this person also an inconvenience? How would you like to feel that YOU are an inconvenience because of some such issue of which you might not have much control over? When you refer to overweight people as causing inconveniences, what are you REALLY saying? Seems there is more to this than what you're saying.

[Caladan 19]

If their long legs mean I have to perch on the edge of my seat, we've got a problem.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So now overweight people are an inconvenience. At what point does this type of judgmental attitude stop? The man or woman with the long legs in the back of your seat...are they also an inconvenience? The mother in front or in back of you with an unruly child...is she and the child also an inconvenience? The person next to you that snores...is this person also an inconvenience? How would you like to feel that YOU are an inconvenience because of some such issue of which you might not have much control over? When you refer to overweight people as causing inconveniences, what are you REALLY saying? Seems there is more to this than what you're saying.

They are all inconveniences but I would suggest that most of them are controllable to a point - a person can be asked to not put their seat back all the way, a child can be silenced, someone who snores can be woken up - and most disputes can be resolved if not diplomatically - then with the aid of flight staff.

Whether or not I can fit into my seat because of the person sitting next to me isn't controllable - its a matter of simple physics.

That said there always a degree of discomfort associated with flying economy, but being able to occupy the entirety of the seat you've paid for is a bare-minimum standard IMO.

[Scott & Lai 12]

being able to occupy the entirety of the seat you've paid for is a bare-minimum standard IMO.

It's such a simple, common-sense point. I don't see the need to cloud the issue with assumptions that there must be some hidden agenda.