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April 20th, 2009
07:10 AM ET
Vote! Should overweight passengers pay for 2 seats on airplanes?
Overweight passengers might soon have to buy two tickets to fly on United Airlines. The company says “for the comfort and well-being” of all their customers, they have a new policy for passengers who:
– Can’t fit into a single seat
– Can’t properly buckle the seat belt using an extender
– Can’t put the seat’s armrests down when seated
If there are extra seats available, the passenger will be
moved next to an empty seat at no charge. But if the
flight is full, they either have to buy an upgrade to
business or first class where the seats are bigger or
change to another flight and buy a second seat.
What do you think?
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I watched CNN this morning and was thrilled to hear about United's decision to charge extra for people who need two seats. The issue isn’t about fighting over the arm rest as Brandon Macsata stated. As United's policy states – "can't fasten the seat belt"; "can't lower the arm rest" – those are the issues. Is it unpopular? Yes. Is it going to make some people mad? It certainly will. Is it discrimination? No. What about my rights as a ticket holder?
If I pay for an airline seat, don't I have a reasonable expectation to not have someone else's flesh occupying 10-20% of that area? I can share an armrest. I don't mind getting my foot or leg hit while someone tries to stretch their legs a bit. I can live without using my laptop while the person in front of me reclines to sleep. And babies don't cry for fun or just to irritate those around them. Those are the reasonable expectations of flying coach these days.
Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. When an obese man or woman buys an airline seat, they know whether or not they can fit into a seat. Their decision to buy one seat an occupy that plus one-third of the person's next to them is nothing less than a callous and intentional disregard for the person next to them. If anyone is guilty of discrimination, insensitivity, or rudeness it is the person who bought the ticket, not the person stuck sitting next to them. And it is certainly not the airline for stepping in to deal with the matter.
Can the airlines do more? Yes they can. Put in a row or two of "plus size seats" and reserve them for overweight passengers. Charge for them? Absolutely. Offer them up to non-plus size folks after the cabin door closes? Sure, why not. Allow a slender person to hop into one during boarding, on the hopes that it won't be needed? No way.
Do I hate large people? No. But that doesn't mean that I want to share a level of flesh-to-flesh contact best reserved for an evening at home watching movies with my wife with a complete stranger who thinks that their "right to fly fat" outweighs my right to the space I paid for.
By the way Brandon, if your work is so important or your planning so poor that you HAVE to work while you fly, then go business class. You can work up there unimpeded.
I do think it is fair IF it affects the number of seats available or gas mileage. However, the reverse should be true. Is the airline going to give discounts to people that are under a certain weight?
Okay, what about bodybuilders that are NOT overweight, but huge (both size and weight questions)???
Real debate:
Is it the gas mileage (weight) or the seat space (size) that the airline is affected by? This should be the true debate!!! Purely math – not emotional.
If it is a question about seat occupancy then it is fair. If you need two seats then pay for two seats.
BUT....isn't it the airlines that have reduced the seat size for maximized occupancy. Then it could be said that the airlines planned in reducing seat size to charge double! Can we go logically about this and someone research how seat size has changed, or how the average weight of all passengers has been changed (say, in the last 20 years)?
Maybe they should charge by weight , like luggage. Planes do have weight limits don't they? Bigger people should have the opportunity for a bigger seat and there should be a special area for people with children, babies or not. I am not a big person but I am considered obese at 4'10" and 145 lbs and I am uncomfortable in sum of those seats. I would rather pay more and be comfortable.
This is pure greed by the airlines. The seats in planes have become smaller so they can fit more seats in and now they want overweight people to pay extra . Even normal size people barely have room in their seats. Prices go up, seats get smaller, and they charge ridiculous prices for food that's barely edible.
My best friend of 60 years has always been obese. When she found herself on an airplane she always purchased two seats. Her reasoning was that she was uncomfortable with a passenger siting "right under her" and she recognized that it must be just as uncomfortable for them because she took up part of the second seat. The only solution for both parties was to make sure the seat next to her was hers. This personal sacrifice made her time in the air more memorable. Maybe just for now when we are faced with more pressing problems, just maybe Americans should stop whinning
about how the airlines' industry handle its business. Isn't that exactly why conservatives are whinning about Obama sticking his nose in the free market? Maybe these critics could better serve their country by volunteering their "whinning time" to a soup kitchen. or homeless shelter. I say give the airline industry the room to do what they feel is needed to reach prosperity. If it offends someone, do what my best friend finally did, buy a van and keep on traveling.
The seats on commercial airplanes have been desined solely for profit. Normal sized seats are only available in First and Business just for that reason. Of course an extra charge could also be levied against loud people or those who snore or those who have body odor or cough too much or have bawling babies etc. Discrimination is discrimination.
To Alex Aster: At 6'2" and 220 I wouldn't want to sit next to you on a long flight.
I really don’t think this is the real issue here... The airlines are ripping us all off on seating and baggage.. I am 5’4” and not overweight and I am terribly uncomfortable on an airline coach seat with anyone sitting next to me. We need wider seats and more leg room period! I though I was going to DIE on a recent flight from NYC to Texas. Larger persons do need two seats only because one seat is not enough for anyone! The space issue is BS! We all need two seats! Don't even think of flying coach internationally!
I will have to say that Jet Blue is better that the others. I hope they expand their routes into more airports..
The decision of the airlines to charge for an additional seat seems like simple business math to me. This is not an issue of discrimination. It would be discrimination if they DIDN'T charge if a passenger needed or wanted a second seat FOR ANY REASON. If a family wants an extra seat for their baby because they don't want him on their laps, they would pay for it. If a 5'2" 115 lb woman wanted an extra seat to put her laptop on, she would pay for it. Come on, airlines are a business just like every other, they need to make money and they make their money buy selling seats.
I have read many of the blog entries here. I would love to know how many of the intolerant people here call themselves "good Christians" or some other sort of religion.
I read that many of you are uncomfortable sitting next to a heavy person. Did you ever think the heavy person is uncomfortable sitting next to you?
You complain that these heavy people eat too much and thus get what they deserve. Are all of you so perfect that you can throw this stone? Do any of you with these emails drink too much, are you too loud, do you have body odor, are you PERFECT?
Who among us is so perfect we can complain about others imperfections? How about a surcharge for stupidity and intolerance?
We should learn a lesson from Canada, where people come before money. Didn't you see SICKO?
By the way, I am of normal weight, so you can forget about calling me names.
It seems like obesity can be classified as a disability or an addiction. Disabilities should be classified the same regardless of the disability. Are you going to charge a wheelchair bound person more whose chair takes more than the normal seat space? How about someone on oxygen? Remember, food can also be an addiction just like smoking is considered an addiction. So .. what is next, Charging a smoker two seats. I find it appalling sitting next to someone that reeks with smoke and / or alcohol. It infringes on my comfort on a plane. Sometimes those smells permeate more than just the person next to you.
This is a form of discrimination. There is a lot of negative feelings toward obese people. Prejudice involves ignorance and animosity. people in wheelchairs charged extra? It seems the airlines are looking to increase their income any way possible However, following this new standard, I believe they would have to charge very thing people half price. If this logic does not fly, the original premise needs to be examined. PS I am not an obese person Thanks for listening.
Compare fat people to people that smoke. We teach that smoking is bad and as time has went, we make them pay for smoking. Over the past couple of years we have been teaching that being over wieght is a bad thing. Its getting time to start the taxing of the FAT PEOPLE! I agree with chargeing people a higer rate for taking up more space in a very small area.
I have a bad weight problem, probably obese. I have a bad thyroid, and take medication for it, and have for some years. Due to a low income, I can't eat the foods that would help me lose weight. Because I don't smoke anymore, the main metabolism booster I had was gone. Because of arthritis and Osteoporosis and genetic knee problems, I can't exercise the way I would like. So, until I can get some help with surgery or something I am stuck where I am.
The ADA states that anything that interferes with ones ability to function in their daily lives is a disability. My Obesity (if you will), is a disability to me. It is a disability big time. If the airlines want to charge me extra for a seat, and take a chance on being sued for discrimination due to a handicap, let them go for it.
I don't drink, or smoke, or anything. I try to do the best I can to get this weight off, and still seem to be getting demonized for being a person with a problem. If more people would put themselves in the shoes of people with this problem, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to judge.
Why not make it a choice? Present the option in a customer-friendly fashion so that a) the overweight person feels good about the transaction and b) the others feel good too.
While I don't necessarily disagree with the airlines...if you occupy more than one seat then you should pay for more than one. However, if the airlines are truly concerned with the comfort of the passagers they should start with themselves first. Take out some of the seats; make them wider so that there's more room.
This isn't discrimination because obesity is something you can control. And it certainly isn't fair for someone to buy a plane ticket, only to have half of their seat taken up by someone else.
I feel it is a reasonable decision by the airline – we have to pay for our overweight luggage, even if it is only a pound or two over ($37.00 for one pound over on my last USAir filght) – if you cannot fit into a seat, you should have to pay for the second seat – the fact that the airline will give you a seat if the plane is not full, is more than fair – thank you,
what is this the soviet union
While I understand that it seems that oversized persons are
being targeted, let's be honest. If you are spilling over to the next
seat you are taking two seats. The person assigned to that seat would be better off in another seat and the oversized persons will also be more comfortable. Maybe a discount for the second seat? If they don't buy two seats then someone is stuck squashed in that seat (you pay for a whole seat not half of one). I understand special problems faced in flying, I am very tall and my knees are always crushed in the seats. Also, there seems to be someone always leaning their seat back in my lap. No one will be totally happy either way. It is still better than driving.
I fly 150 days a year for business. It is a very uncomfortable situation when a morbidly obease person comes to coach and cannot fit into the seat, and makes everyone in their row uncomfotable. Now that being said, United or any other airline for that matter will not fly a plane with an empty seat even if the person pays for two seats. So the only people who benefit from this will be the airlines, not customers.
Obesity is a handicap. Do they charge for other handicapped people who need special accommodations?
The regular seats are not big enough even for normal weight people. They've been cutting down on space and comfort for years now.
The criteria are discriminatory in another way as well. What about men with huge shoulders? They may be able to buckle the seat belt, but I have personally been extremely uncomfortable next to such a person, who would be constantly bumping me with his big shoulders and arms, and dominating the arm rest for the whole trip.
I'm afraid the solution, airlines, is to make more space in seats, even though that's more expensive. Like it or not, Americans are among the biggest people in the world, even without obesity. And the large percentage of obese people is a reality. Were people made for airplanes or airplanes for people!!!
I am sorry that overweight people are overweight. Sometimes it is a medical issue, most of the time not. BUT – if they take up two seats, they should pay for TWO seats. I have sat next to an obese person on a plane. What a miserable ride! Free seat? NO WAY!
To the person who wrote that people who have long legs or have screaming babies should pay more as well. That's not logical. Even though the baby crying IS annoying, they are not taking up extra seats. My husband is 6'4" and he is always uncomfortable on airplanes, BUT he still easily only takes up one seat. It's his legs that are cramped. He doesn't have fat hanging over the arm rest. I am sorry that last sentence sounded rude, but it's the truth! I do however agree that the airlines don't care about our comfort or happiness. But you pay for A seat on an airplane, not however many seats it takes to make you fit!
Having traveled by air for business for 30 years, I have been surrounded by overweight people on many, many occasions. It is NOT enjoyable to be pinned against the wall for two hours when you have a window seat. It is equally unenjoyable when you are in the middle seat and the fellow next to you 'rolls' over the arm rest (which I always INSISTED remains down) and makes it impossible to even use your right arm to eat with. Of course, that was when they actually had food on board.
Don't forget that to be singled out as overweight carries the requirement that you can't put on your seat belt EVEN with the extender. That's REALLY fat, folks!!! Not just overweight, but HUGE. Once I was pinned between two of these huge people for four hours. I vote YES, YES, YES.
The guy from Hawaii was correct in saying that the airlines have done everything they can to make air travel today an uncomfortable, regrettable experience to be done only as a last resort.
I object to being charged for overweight luggage when the combined weight of my body and my luggage is less that the weight of the person sitting next to me. Airline travel has become a shipping commodity so why not just charge us based on our total package weight?
If I must pay shipping based on weight and size on my packages by the US postal service, UPS and FedEx and much of this goes by plane, why should people not pay based on being over a determined weight? I'm sure that these shipping companies would never ship my 350 pound box and charge as if it weighed only 150 pounds.
Ok lets put it this way if you drive an SUV that gets 12 MPG and I drive a cobalt and get 36 MPG. Should we pay the same for gas? Im sure there are plenty of americans living the 'fat' lifestyle and feel they should be able to drive an SUV and not pay more for gas, but that american 'fatness' IS the problem. We grow ourselves, our lifestyles and impact on society and the planet and think there should be no cost. BULLOX!!!
otherwise hence forth im duct taping myself to a travel companion and we will travel as one. Doesnt it take twice as much fuel to make 400lbs get airborne than 200? What if everyone weighed 400lbs (yuck) and took two seats, wouldnt prices have to double for the airline to stay profitable? They are actually being too nice about this if the plane isnt full they arent charging.
My husband and I would only need half a seat, so I was wondering if we could pay half each for our fat "arses". Also, I want smelly people, people with crying children and people who talk too much to pay more if I have to pay more for inconveniencing others with my fat!
Anyone who objects to this new policy should try sitting next to an obese passenger on a 7 hour flight! It can destroy what little comfort there is in coach. Obese people in fact occupy more than one seat and so should pay accordingly.
One of your callers complained that airlines do not charge more for tall people – tall people do not take up room in adjacent seats.
As someone who flies frequently, I have had to share half of my seat with an overweight passenger on many occasions I would totally support charging for the extra seat if you can not fit into your own seat.
I agree with the airline stance on paying for a second seat for overweight individuals. It is sad when I pay for seat and have to share it with another individual. Having an individual take up more room than there allowed is difficult.
I believe this is horrendous. We are human beings and we come in all shapes and sizes. Why should this determine the price we pay for the same transportation as anyone else? Is it because people believe that those who are 'overweight' will take up more room? Is it because this will cause discomfort to the person next to them? Or maybe because the added weight will increase fuel usage? All this is absurd. Hey United, you transport people to their destination...stick to that and we will be fine. Establishing a double charge is the same thing as saying sit in the back of the bus.
What I am wondering is what are the airlines saying is "over weight"
i'm 5'6 and weigh 140 pounds but according to the national standards of health and nutrion, my wt is concerded over weight.
What parameters are they basing this on?
Speaking as a person who is not overweight, I totally disagree with United. We need to communicate our needs as customers so business provides our needs. Don't discriminate against customers, agree with customers. We need larger spaces for all people, we need accomodations for special needs. It isn't complicated, we may need to pay a small amount more for our tickets for this kind of change but it is a healthy change.
I strongly agree that obese people should pay extra. If they take up two seats, they should pay for both of them.
This is another outcome of the ever-increasing epidemic of obesity in this country. Another is the fact that those of us who live healthy lifestyles end up paying inflated health insurance rates to offset the costs of obesity-related health care issues. I currently live in an area where the fast food and all-you-can-eat establishments flourish, while restaurants that offer healthier fare are out of business within a year. Eight out of ten people here are overweight or obese. I am 5'8", 130 lbs. and do everything in my power to maintain my health, yet I'm paying for their unhealthy habits, since few insurance companies in the area offer "healthy lifestyle discounts". I'm tired of paying again and again for the irresponsibility of others.
The answer to the obesity problem lies in the out-of-control mass consumerism which spilled over into the food industry decades ago. People in this country have been brainwashed into valuing "quantity over quality" in all areas of their lives. Food in this country may be cheap, but much of it ceased to be nutritious long ago.
Programmes on television such as "Man vs. Food" and "Top Places to Pig Out" only encourage this lifestyle of evereating. Unfortunately, re-educating people in this country about food is an almost impossible task which will take decades. But until Americans develop a more healthy relationship with food, issues like this will only become more numerous.
The obesity problem is no different than that of smoking. How long ago did the campaign against smoking begin? Yet we're still dealing with smoking related issues forty years later. As I stated above, I'm extremely tired of paying the price for others' responsibility.
Let's level the playing field. All airlines should set a weight limit for customers and their baggage. If the scale tops 200 pounds in combined weight, make the customer pay up. Weight equals fuel useage.
What people don't understand is that the seats on an airplane are the product. If you take up more than one seat you should have to pay for the extra seat. If you go to the grocery store and buy one egg but the recipe you are making calls for 2 eggs yo most definitely pay for that extra egg, the grocery store doesn't give it to you for free just becasue you need the extra egg. Same principle goes on an airplane. You pay for what you use.
Why don't airlines just weigh passengers and charge by the pound?
We have all gone stark, raving mad in our culture to even consider
starting another ugly form of discrimination. Kindness and compassion should be the guideline for our actions. I am not overweight, but I would not want to be a part of any form of discrimination against anyone.
The policy may seem unfair at first; however, the criteria listed are very reasonable. If someone requires two spaces, then they should pay for two spaces.
The most uncomfortable flight I ever had was sitting next to a guy who was way over 6' tall, not fat, but tall. His knee kept bumping my table while I was using my computer and he had his leg laying out in my leg space for most of the flight.
Until the airlines give passengers enough space for their bodies and want to charge fine. But charge this guy too!
How will they decide who is too fat? I've sat by normal sized people who take up too much of the allotted space, so it's not just fat people.
I'm a bigger dude, and I don't mind the extra seat charge, provided it's extra all the way around. I want twice as much at snacktime, I want double the insurance per passenger, I want twice as much luggage capacity, twice as much time to move around the cabin... basically twice as much everything that's otherwise paid for...
If large people are charged for two seats they should receive double the frequent flyer miles. (So far the airlines don't do that.) And the airlines need to train their employees on how to handle passengers with two tickets. And finally, make it possible to pay for the two tickets on the Web site when making the reservation. Many obese people would gladly buy the extra seat - it makes them more comfortable, too! But the hurdles the airlines have making it more difficult that it should be are ridiculous.
Airline tickets are sold PER SEAT, not per flight. If someone needs two seats, for whatever reason, they should pay double. It's very simple.
If you allow this whats next???
One should not have the right to infringe another's paid space.
If someone takes up two seats or cannot fit into one seat they should be charged for the extra space they are using. If you have ever sat next to somebody like that for a long flight, you will definitely agree with that.
But on the other hand the seats in planes are too small even for regular sized people. I am six feet one, one hundred seventy five pounds. And yes I too am uncomfortable particularly on overseas or cross country flights. But a chance to stand up and walk is one of our constitutional rights (or should be).
I had a bulkhead window seat. The lady attempting to occupy the middle seat tried to raise the armrest that separated us. I informed her that bulkhead armrests are stationary. She then proceeded to whip out her seat belt extender and drape half of her butt over the armrest. The flight attendant gave me free drinks. Luckily it was only a 2hr flight.
Obesity is a glandular problem. And that gland is their MOUTH! United should charge for an extra seat. Or have the obese individual pay the passenger next to them for the half of their seat.
From,
Squished lady
If a person is too large to fit into a seat without infringing on the neighbors, they should either buy a second seat or upgrade to First class-and PAY for it!
Also, children under 2 years can be held on a lap,without buying a ticket-TOTALLY unsafe! They can become a missile in an accident. Even a laptop cannot be put int the seat pocket for this reason. Make all passengers, including infants pay for a seat, and put all the kids in the rear of the cabin like they used to do with smokers. And NO KIDS in First Class!
The air lines make money by filling each seat of an aircraft, not catering to special groups. I would like to have two seats for comfort when I fly, but then I would have to pay. How about a child under two years? The mother has to hold that child, should the air lines give them an extra seat for free. Where does it end. Get off the air lines back.
I was one of those people that others dreaded sitting next to on an airplane-too big for one seat. I would have to buy two tickets since I couldn't in good conscience take up some one else's space too. I've lost over 100 pounds and can now travel more comfortably and only buy one ticket! It's just not fair to buy one ticket and take up more than my fair share of the space. Pay up or lose weight!
Airlines are in the business to make money...why is the American public so against anything an airline does to stay IN business...all of the problems they had in the past and the public still does not get it...
So if they are charging obese people to get more money (which I do not think is the case)...more power to them...all of the bleeding hearts that think it is not a good idea...well just sit on a flight beside an obese person ...it is not fun...you will( after the flight ) be on the side of charging for the extra seat..
And babies scream...yes...but they can be silent...overweight people can't be thinner...
And Canadian airlines are really losing money because oth their policy....
Yes! I think that if they are EXTREMLY overweight then they should be charged for 2 seats. If they cant fit in 1 then yes they should be charged!
Hickory NC
Why don't they start charging people who get in and out of their seat 50 times during a two hour flight to go to the bathroom? Obviously it's a medical condition which could be controlled with the proper medication.
A big person is not necesirily fat. there are people that are just big
'Wide-Body' travelers! OK folks, here's the deal. If a 3 seat row is converted to just 2 'wide' seats and the fare for one of these seats is set at 150%, the revenue for the airline is exactly the same, ie... Porky folks get the space they need, regular sized people don't get crushed, and the airline doesn't lose anything. Everybody is happy. Convert as many rows as demand suggests. And for the Bean Pole (tall, long legged creatures) folks...convert 3 rows of of regular seat pitch to '2' rows of extra leg room pitch and, again at 150% fares, everybody wins. I'm going to patent this idea and name it "Porky and the Bean Stalk" air travel.
I'm appalled at some of the statements here. As an overweight person, I'm constantly trying to take up as little space as I can so as not to make other people uncomfortable. We're flying to California in June and we've booked our tickets so I'll be sitting with my daughter and won't impinge on anyone else. Now you're telling me there's a possibility that they'll make me pay double or get off the plane and leave my husband and children?
I recently travelled 5 hours on a flight where the person next to me had his arm and elbow into my side and his leg against mine. I had to fly twisted like a preztel while unsuccessfully trying to avoid body contact. Airlines sell seats. If you need two, pay for two. On the other hand, airlines should not have overly narrow seating .
Find solution not add to problem
Who or How will they decide who is obese? Is 200# or 205# or will they have a slot you have to stand in to determine if you're too fat.
Will screaming babies be next–Say it's so! Then the loud talker who don't shut up for the entire flight! Please say it's so!
Pick on fat people, they are always easy targets.
Bikers have been forced to buy and wear helmets so that society at large does not have to pay the cost of caring for another brain dead human for years. smokers are hounded everywhere and soon will be taxed to the max. why should it be different for someone who makes the choice to stuff his/her face? i contstantly struggle (on a low income) to maintain my weight and health, as do millions of other americans. let this be one more incentive to the obese to make a change in their life styles. watch The Biggest Loser and see that it CAN be done.
Linda talks about the discrimination of the overweight but what about the discrimination of those who are NOT overweight but have to give up parts of their paid seat for some stranger next to them? It is about time that airlines make sure each passenger gets what they paid for.
If I pay for ONE seat I deserve ONE FULL seat – not just 80% of it thanks to an overweight person next to me.
But lets be clear about this: The "average" American became significantly larger over the past 3 decades. Aircraft seats however didn't change at best or airlines even crampt in more seats.
Even though I am not overweight I have considered several times to purchase two coach seats just for myself – that is still significantly cheaper than a business class ticket but makes international flights much more relaxing.
Solution is to charge the oversize part of the seat and pass the saving the person that dont mind
What if the airlines made the seats smaller on purpose? I've been on many, many flights and while I fit in the seats perfectly well they are not exactly normal sized seats. The airline should be forced to have reasonable seating room for people, and not be allowed to manipulate the spacing in order to find even more people that can be charged "extra".
Of course if they really wanted to make passengers happy they could address an even bigger issue. People with young children should be charged extra- instead of just affecting the people in one row, or the seats closest to them, a child affects the whole plane when they scream and shriek and act like brats.
If obese people get charged for two seats, wouldn't big muscle guys be charged for two seats also? Surely they take up a lot of room too.
I only have one concern, and that is who makes the call? Is it the stressed out steward, the person at the counter, or will they have a scale at the baggage counter? This all seems very nuts to me. Take out the extra seats that you installed to make more money, then devide the difference and charge everyone more.
At 267 lbs. 68 yrs, on a resent trip, I was in the first seat, middle was empty, and a young man at the window seat. Twice he got up to go where ever. No problem. At landing he, in-a-loud voice was complaining of the old fat man. Some people just go out of their way to make fun of and to embarress heavy people. The US should take steps to stop the charging for two seats like Canada has.
I know this is a sensitive subject, however I don't believe obesity is an illness or disability. There may be a few that have a genuine metabolic problem, but most obesity is the cause of eating too much and moving too little.
I have watched many obese people putting down hamburgers, fries, shakes, soda's, chips in large sizes, in multiples and frequently. I like those things as much as they do, but I know if I eat it constantly I'll put on weight. I know if I don't move & exercise I'll feel tired and listless. Airlines sell seats on planes, that's how they generate income, if a person requires two seats, then you need pay for it.
This is not even close, you should pardon the expression. Right on, United!
I had the misfortune to sit next to a overweight man! From honolulu to las angles.it was very uncomfortable.
it's completely fair. if they need more then one seat then they should be charged for more then one seat. its pour logic, if the airline gets more money because of that, its just a side effect.
No question about it–right on, United! I fly almost every week, so I have experienced the obese passenger way too close and personal. As a formerly obese person myself, I categorically refute the notion that obesity is a disability and, thus, is worthy of special consideration. I'm sure it's a publicity nightmare for United and other carriers. But so is getting infringed upon by an obese person on a lengthy flight.
As a frequent traveler, it is terribly uncomfortable to be seated next to someone who is too large for a single seat. I have had the displeasure of sitting between two people in this condition where it is impossible to sit comfortably. Airplane seats are not comfortable in any condition, they are impossible with this situation.
I think I will start a new airlines called "Porkers International"
The friendly skies are not so friendly any more. Now we know why Madden took the bus.
I applaud United Airlines for making this decision. This really is no different than requiring parents to pay full fare for their children - if you're using or infringing on a second seat, you should pay for it. That's capitalism at its best. At a minimum, this policy should apply to any cross-country or transoceanic flight where a trip to the rest room is pretty much required.
Since the airlines have over time made the seats smaller to accommodate more people then the airlines (all of them) need to have available a certain number of seats that fit larger, taller people. Every person who purchases a ticket has a right to the space of their seat and only that space. If the only answer right now is for the obese to purchase 2 seats, then so be it.
God Bless America...where it is still perfectly fine to discriminate and publicly humiliate the overweight. The last time I flew I could not fully enjoy the seat I paid for because of the bratty kid behind me that kept kicking my seat and hitting me in the head with various objects. Nobody is insisting on making parents buy the seat in front of their horribly undisciplined children. What a surprise.
I have gotten off two fights because of this. From MN to Hartford I was in a window seat. A man sat in the middle seat and his body could not fit in the middle seat. His fat overlapped the armrest and he crossed his arms to pull it away from me to his left and the other passenger to his right. His bulk literally was on me and I estimated that he took up almost a quarter of my seat. I thought I could bear this for a 2 hour flight. We pulled back and the plane stopped. There was something wrong with the exit row seat. We sat for 20 minutes on the runway and then pulled back to the gate. As they were going about the repair I asked this man if he could please shift and he became agitated. Asking again (with respect) I said " your body is leaning on me, I paid for a seat and your body is leaning on me, could you please shift". At that point he told me literally "suffer". I got up and off the plane. I had to wait 4.5 hours untill my next flight. The captain called as they were rebooking and said that if I ever had a problem again, I should bring it to the attention of the flight attendant and they will take care of it. He even said that the captain would come out and make the call, if necessary.
Over a year went by and I was on a flight from Hartford to Detroit. This time I was in an aisle seat. Full flight, and a huge man sat in the middle seat. As instructed I respectfully spoke to a flight attendant keeping in mind what the captain instructed me over a year prior. Someone walked on the plane and came up to me and asked if he could speak to me on the jetway. I walked out and he said that I could be put on the next flight to my destination or I could stay on this flight. I had a meeting and people picking me up at the airport, so I insisted that he should be the one who should get off the plane. He said they were afraid of discrimination lawsuit. I went back on the plane to get my bag and as I got closer I realized that this was the same guy who sat in the middle seat a year prior. I am all for the airlines charging for an extra seat. The individuals who are obeise should have consideration for others and take personal responsibility. I have a relative who is obese and pays for the second seat. Southwest Airlines refunded the second seat fair because the plane was not full. The policy should include refunds if a vacant seat is available next to that passenger.
Thank you.
I think it is outrageous. Why, instead, don't force the airlines to have more humain seats, imposing a minimum dimension?? Why don't they have a few seats that are a little wider, in positions that are not in the way of flight assistants? This is discrimination and it should be up to airlines to accomodate for customers' needs. You can get all kind of servicees if you are sick and you have to travel, such as the wheel chair etc. Obesity is a sickness, not a choice. They should be ashamed of even considering something like this. I am 6.2, 350 lbs, I won't have much problems: based on how they describe it I should be ok (even though I will never fly US Airlines ever again so, they might have eliminated one of their problems). I was 190 pounds 9 years ago and still, because of my height, I was always uncomfortable in those seat, with no space for my legs, shoulder and arms. It is clear airlines seats are too small. The FAA should impose to airlines to have more room for passengers.
This idea is simply wrong and I hope they are not going to implement it. Although, from the results of the votes, it appears most of the people have not understood, yet, what obesity is. And THAT is a shame too.
Charge them!!
If you take up two seats, pay for them. Why should I be inconvenienced by your lack of willpower? It is one of the most disgusting situations to be trapped in – being squashed beside an obese person. If you are taking up half of my seat, you better be paying for it, or the airline that allows this, should reimburse me...I only sat on half a seat, in much discomfort!!
If this is discrimination against the obese person, what do you call what is happening to the average-sized person? Discrimination? The person creating this problem is not the average-sized person, it is the obese person, so the responsibility should lie where???
Every other public mode of transportation should make this their policy – you USE more than one seat, you PAY for more than one seat!!
If airlines are going to charge a passenger who cannot fit a seat, standards must be set. Airlines change seat sizes, seat pitch, and number of rows to make money. This cannot be arbitrary and up to each carrier, it must be standardized and not up to arbitrary changes.
Charging morbidly obese people for an extra seat if they need and an extra seat is not discrimination. I have had to sit next to someone for three hours, trapped in my window seat, who not only spilled over the arm rest but actually pushed it up and sat part of the way on my seat. I was 14. My parents had to pay extra for me to fly alone because I was an unaccompanied minor and then I didn't even get my own seat. I didn't even know there was another woman sitting in the aisle seat until we landed and she stood up on the other side of this man. Airlines sell seats. It's their version of real estate. They are not in the business of giving seats away for free. Obesity is an epidemic in this country and people who have become morbidly obese do not need to be rewarded with extra room for their "condition." I have been both a personal trainer and a Complaint Resolutions Officer for an air line. A complaint resolutions officer's main if not only job is to insure the safety and comfort of passengers with disabilities. Obesity is a form of disability but it is a self inflicted disability. Why should airlines and other passengers pay for something these people have done to themselves? No one held them down and made them eat. Not to mention the fact that airlines factor each passenger at 185 lbs and that's including the 25-30 pounds allotted for each person's carry-on bag. These people weigh in excess of 250 pounds. A three hundred pound man weighs equal to two average women. Unless I get to bring my friend free when I fly why should they get a free seat?
It is about time that there are consequences for improper behavioral choices. I believe that the PC treatment of obesity actually has increased it's occurrence. Treating obesity as a disability provides no encouragement for corrective actions/lifestyles. Let's face it, obesity is caused by an intake of more calories than are burned. Over-eating for whatever the reason is why people are obese, and they are causing the same/similar impacts on society as alcoholism and smoking. Help them get treatment – yes, but let's call it what it is and stop making excuses for it.
I have had the displeasure, on multiple occasions, of having extremely overweight people sit next to me where I have to turn in my seat, or hang out in the aisle. I buy one seat and sit in it....all the way in it....shoulders, waist line, upper arms and thighs. If you cannot fit properly in one seat to the point you infringe on people next to you, causing them to compromise their comfort, you should have to buy two seats. It is not my fault people are grossly overweight, nor is it the fault of other non-overweight passengers and it is not the airline's fault. It is the fault of the person that consumes way too many calories.
As we are on the topic of airline travel, I’ll take this opportunity to recommend that cell phone use is never allowed while in-flight. With the complete lack of manners exhibited on land in close quarters such as restaurants, airport lounges, elevators and hotel eating areas, I could see people shouting down at loud-mouthed cell phone idiots at 35,000 feet (and you loud-mouthed cell phone idiots know who you are). Practice ‘safe flying’…..keep the cell phones off and let the loud mouthed cell phone idiots wait until they are not in a close- quarters tube at 35,000 feet. I am a businessman who uses a cell phone…my calls are important as anyone’s, however, I know good manners and practice them. I do not take calls in areas that would disturb others. I get up, move to location that will not disturb others, and then make my call at normal speaking volume while aware of others around me. It is not too much to ask. Civility.
This is just a money grab on the part of the airlines. For years, the airlines have been trying to cram more sardines in the cans by making seats smaller. For all of you that make the argument about "extra cargo weight" and such, you need to realize that it's not that clear-cut. First off, THAT IS A HUMAN BEING THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO. Have some compassion, people.
I have had to sit with a very fat person overflowing into my seat on such a flight. So YES, charge them double! Make them buy 2 seats. I have the right to sit in my seat in comfort.
Diet and exercise will solve an overweight problem. Being fat is not a disease, it is a bad habit.
Just like the old saying "When Pigs Fly"
I pay for a whole seat, and I want a whole seat. many times I , or my family have been seated next to an obese person. I have asked to get moved. it is not right that we should suffer because someone else is too fat. they were not born obese. why should the people that take care of their health have to pay for the undisciplined , unhealthy people.
it is simply not fair that we should have to subsidize, accommodate fat people. that's socialism!
It's about time! Traveling on an airliner is not a right, it is a privilege, and if you can't fit safely into the seat, it's your problem, not the airline's and certainly not other customers'. There is a safety issue involved here as well - if you're too fat and/or too big to get out an emergency window exit, and the aircraft has to be evacuated in a hurry, you may either get stuck or delay other passengers from getting out, and get them killed in the process. Does your body size give you the right to expose me to such a risk? Drive. Take a bus. Take a train. Pay for a larger seat near an exit door. Stay on that diet. Get surgery. The list goes on and on.
Airplanes transport physical objects. Freight has always been
charged by volume & weight. Except for cabin comforts, I fail to see
how Cabin vs Cargo Hold should be priced differently. A larger object
should cost more to transport.
For both, the airframe & operating costs are the same!
It was intolerable to fly 6 hours with some stranger's fleshy body resting all over my own. I felt dirty and violated with their thigh half covering mine, their belly resting over my lap. I had sweat stains on my shirt that were not my own.
These people should care about their fellow citizens and buy the extra seat on their own, it should not come to the airline forcing them to do the right thing.
Everyone deserves a flight where they are not forced to cuddle some obese stranger.
I am in full agreement with the policy. I have had several trips across the country where a very large person has been seated next to me. Even though I am a small man I had to sit forward in my seat because our shoulders would not all fit side by side. The person was very apologetic about the inconvience but it didn't make the 5-hour trip any more comfortable.
Rather than say people should buy two seats, we should have a couple of sets on planes that are bigger than the usual seats so that big can sit in for a little fee.
I shouldn't have to suffer because someone else is flowing over into my seat. I have a right to be comfortable just like anyone else. If you're as large as two people, then you should have to pay for two people.
Obese people should also be charged higher premiums for healthcare. America is the only country where people routinely eat their way to obesity and would rather outright lie and say, "Big is beautiful" rather than work to stay fit. There are no statues from ancient times of fat people. Big is not beautiful. It never was nor will it ever be.
Let's look at how United defines overweight
– Can’t fit into a single seat
– Can’t properly buckle the seat belt using an extender
– Can’t put the seat’s armrests down when seated
I fail to see how anyone can think this is unfair, especially to the other customers who do mind their weight. Again, look at how United defines overweight and ONLY how it is defined with this business.
I am 5'2" and weigh close to 100 pounds. I fly all the time and have to fight over the hand rest and space infringement on some planes with folks who are a size 8! Should I call that person 'fat' and stare at them until you move your hand because you have spilled.
This US AIR policy is offensive and very callous and a horrible indication of the direction our society is moving in. Airplane's have downsized even for the folks who are a size 2.
We are our brother's (and sister's keepers). It is an inhumane decision. Our conscience if we are not selfish should be screaming "This is wrong! and let's defend our brothers and sisters". One way to look at this is to think about yourself getting some kind of sickness where you gain unexpected weight because of the side effects of medication and have now become one of the over weight that can be so easily picked on. Corporations have no heart. Profit is their bottom line. But, oh we humans, we can move mountains, work to change wrong to right, fight for downtrodden and great causes. We humans, we change the world.
A few years ago, I had a dreadful flight to the UK during which I had to stand in the kitchen area for more than 6 hours. For take-off and landing I had to cram myself sideways into the few available inches of my seat, pressed along the length of my body, shoulder to feet, against a gigantic man (at least 400lb) in the window seat in a two seat section. It was outrageous. The armrest could not be lowered, his legs and feet took up all the leg room, safety rules precluded my using a jump seat, there was no empty seat available in any class. (Stand-by passengers had been seated, despite check-in and gate staff having seen this huge person.) It was utterly miserable and I've never flown that airline since – I threw away the pitiful $75 coupon they gave me as an apology.
Discrimination, in this case, was against me – a normal-sized person who had paid for my space on board. I heartily approve of the new regulations.
I agree with the airline. Why should they provide free extra space for obese person, do they provide free alcohol for the alcoholic?
Absolutely! Failure of a individual to regulate their appitite should not impact a fellow traveler.
Riding beside a passenger who is overflowing into your personal space is disregarding the comfort of other paying customers. Why should the comfort of the obese passenger be more important than everyone elses? You can blame it on the airline all day long, however less seats on the plane would only mean higher costs to fly, wouldn't it?