It’s not unreasonable for plus sizers to expect and airlines to offer options enabling travel with dignity, an easy way being to just have a small number of extra room (like 1.5x or even “flex rows” with seat room adjustable by employees) seats that also cost more so folks can choose to either fit between normal armrests or pay for seats with more room.
Making them buy two seats is just not a decent thing to do.
What about people that are really tall? Should they get special seats as well? I feel more sorry for them. Imagine being 7 feet and trying to fit into a regular economy class seat.
They already have extra legroom seats and/or airline staff upon asking often give them front or exit row seats for free, or for a fee if they want them guaranteed.
Anything less than a first class upgrade would be fatphobic. Unfortunately there's no shortage of bigots fighting fat acceptance. People don't choose to be fat, and shaming them for it literally takes lives. Be better.
The number of people who are that large due to thryoid is quite small. I actually do have a thryroid condition, but because I ran a good amount it went undiagnosed for 42 years. I have another friend who had a terrible time with her weight until she had her thryroid removed; now she's skinny. So yeah, it happens, but isn't common at all.
The thing is, the airlines are going to have to address this one way or another because a majority of people are obese, and business is about appeasing customers. Do you see people suddenly getting healthy in the next 10-20 years? It's not happening so businesses like airlines are going to have to figure it out.
It’s not unreasonable for plus sizers to expect and airlines to offer options enabling travel with dignity, an easy way being to just have a small number of extra room (like 1.5x or even “flex rows” with seat room adjustable by employees) seats that also cost more so folks can choose to either fit between normal armrests or pay for seats with more room.
That’s a brilliant idea! What should we call these seats? I like “business class.”
Overweight people should not be hated, stigmatized, etc. People become overweight for different reasons and it's not a character flaw that they've become obese. But whatever the reason that they're overweight their increased size may mean that they require more room. And here are where issues arise. First, overweight people should not receive more rights than anyone else. So, for example, another person who can comfortably fit within the contours of an airplane seat should not have his/her space narrowed due to an obese person edging into her space. Airlines operate on very small margins and while we can all complain that seats in general are too narrow, don't provide enough leg room, etc., the configuration has to make sense in order for them to remain profitable and solvent. No person, whether obese or having some special characteristic, should expect airlines to provide more room at the airline's cost. If an obese person requires the width of two or even three seats they should be able to reserve those seats, at their cost. There are other people, who while not obese, who require extra room (psychological? medical?). That same rule should apply to them- you need more seats, pay for them.
ok Paul Watson, Captain of the Sea Shepherd and Protector of Whales.
How about applying some social pressure towards making people take personal responsibility for their obesity and the enormous costs related to it?
Or would you rather we push the people with actual thyroid issues ahead of us like that other group does with intersex individuals? This disingenuous rhetoric of using true medical abnormalities to legitimize and normalize self-imposed trauma is exhausting.
It’s not unreasonable for plus sizers to expect and airlines to offer options enabling travel with dignity, an easy way being to just have a small number of extra room (like 1.5x or even “flex rows” with seat room adjustable by employees) seats that also cost more so folks can choose to either fit between normal armrests or pay for seats with more room.
That’s a brilliant idea! What should we call these seats? I like “business class.”
If you’ve traveled business class, you should know that it’s more than just coach seats with more room. You can often sleep with legs fully stretched in business class, don’t have physical contact with other passengers, and get meals and alcohol. I’m talking about an option similar to Economy Plus but for width rather than just legroom.
I had to sit next to a woman her size on a flight. Her friend, who was the same size, had the aisle. She had the middle seat and I had the window. I’m not exaggerating, I was pressed against the window. If I was bigger there was no way we were all sitting in the row.
I was pissed. I paid for my seat but yet I didn’t get to fully use it. Instead she was taking up most of it. It is unfair. She should have compensated me.
Airlines should charge by total weight, your weight plus baggage.
Oh no, how could this happen to you? You paid for your seat and didn't get to fully use it? The horror! And to think, all you had to endure was a little bit of discomfort for the duration of the flight. I can only imagine the trauma you must be going through. But hey, at least you came up with a great idea for airlines to charge passengers by weight! Because why should someone's physical size ever be a personal issue when you can just shame them and make them pay more instead? Bravo, truly.
That’s a brilliant idea! What should we call these seats? I like “business class.”
If you’ve traveled business class, you should know that it’s more than just coach seats with more room. You can often sleep with legs fully stretched in business class, don’t have physical contact with other passengers, and get meals and alcohol. I’m talking about an option similar to Economy Plus but for width rather than just legroom.
You are describing Premium Economy on international flights. A class between economy plus and business. And airlines price these seats accordingly.
If airlines want to convert 2 or 3 rows behind domestic first with wider seats and charge more than economy it might make sense. But on short flights of 2 hours or less most flyers would not be willing to pay extra for those seats.
They can get a first class or business class seat. I have no idea what the problem is. All airlines have their seat widths posted on their websites. You don't have to fly with them.
There is always a private jet waiting for you, if you order it.
Ha ha. be real. How many ppl really can afford business class or a private jet. this person and others like her have a real problem. and for some it is a thyroid condition, not from overeating.
but hey, it’s fun to pick on and bully people. so juvenile.
I was flying on a business trip. sitting in my aisle seat during boarding and wouldn’t you know it, the fat guy coming down the aisle had the seat next to me. my first reaction was to be pissed, but the guy immediately introduced himself and apologized for any discomfort. totally neutralized my anger. I won’t say it was a pleasant flight, but it really wasn’t that bad either.
anyway, it’s easy to pick on people with problems, and takes character not too.
I think the issue here is she is demanding free seats and other special treatment; I personally would LOVE to have an extra seat, especially for free! Does she have a thyroid issue, or does she just have a problem keeping the fork away from her mouth? The fact is, it SUCKS to sit next to someone that big, especially on a long flight. I have and it's no fun; like you, I wasn't mean to the guy I sat next to, and he was decent enough but the fact is, I did not have any room or full use of my seat for a 6 hour trip and I paid my money just like he did. The problem I and many people have with someone like this woman is the utter sense of entitlement she has, aside from their feelings about her size.
I had to sit next to a woman her size on a flight. Her friend, who was the same size, had the aisle. She had the middle seat and I had the window. I’m not exaggerating, I was pressed against the window. If I was bigger there was no way we were all sitting in the row.
I was pissed. I paid for my seat but yet I didn’t get to fully use it. Instead she was taking up most of it. It is unfair. She should have compensated me.
Airlines should charge by total weight, your weight plus baggage.
Oh no, how could this happen to you? You paid for your seat and didn't get to fully use it? The horror! And to think, all you had to endure was a little bit of discomfort for the duration of the flight. I can only imagine the trauma you must be going through. But hey, at least you came up with a great idea for airlines to charge passengers by weight! Because why should someone's physical size ever be a personal issue when you can just shame them and make them pay more instead? Bravo, truly.
He paid money for a product, and was not able to fully utilize the product do to the actions and/or condition of another person. This seems like a valid complaint unless of course you want to get all emotional about it, which you seem to be doing. The fact is, airline seats are the size they are, and if I weigh 350 pounds I should be taking the high road and taking that into account when booking seats, not imposing myself on the people around me or expecting airlines to offer me freebies.
Oh no, how could this happen to you? You paid for your seat and didn't get to fully use it? The horror! And to think, all you had to endure was a little bit of discomfort for the duration of the flight. I can only imagine the trauma you must be going through. But hey, at least you came up with a great idea for airlines to charge passengers by weight! Because why should someone's physical size ever be a personal issue when you can just shame them and make them pay more instead? Bravo, truly.
He paid money for a product, and was not able to fully utilize the product do to the actions and/or condition of another person. This seems like a valid complaint unless of course you want to get all emotional about it, which you seem to be doing. The fact is, airline seats are the size they are, and if I weigh 350 pounds I should be taking the high road and taking that into account when booking seats, not imposing myself on the people around me or expecting airlines to offer me freebies.
DUE to the actions... jeezus, f***cking autocorrect. ;-)
That you're magnifying this article from a news organization renowned for its says enough.
People often downvote what they disagree with, not because of the validity of the argument, but because it challenges their preconceived values and beliefs.
My priority would be to restore the children fly free policy. Charging full sticker price for kids makes it very expensive for families to visit the grandparents. Now, if they made seats with adjustable partitions, they could fit more kids in a given seating space (making it less costly for the airlines to offer free seats for the kids, and then more families would travel more often, generating more adult tickets) and then you might also be able to seat passengers who are grossly overweight as well, charging perhaps for the extra space.
That’s a brilliant idea! What should we call these seats? I like “business class.”
If you’ve traveled business class, you should know that it’s more than just coach seats with more room. You can often sleep with legs fully stretched in business class, don’t have physical contact with other passengers, and get meals and alcohol. I’m talking about an option similar to Economy Plus but for width rather than just legroom.
Domestic business/first class (most planes are just two-cabin) on most airlines is similar to what you’re describing. Especially these days when full meal service often isn’t offered. I’m flying first on Delta in 10 days and am not expecting any sort of meal, maybe some enhanced snack options and the choice of an adult beverage. I did have a red-eye last year with the almost fully-reclinable (but not lie-flat) seats on United, but that usually isn’t an option. I’ve flown a lot of transpacific/transatlantic flights with the lie-flat seats, but even a lot of international medium-haul flights don’t have that option.
And there are definitely extra-wide options available that cost less than business class on a lot of international routes (I took Delta Premium Select last year which fits the bill and have had similar options on other airlines). Also, Spirit has the Big Front Seat, which is the only way I’ll fly with them.
My priority would be to restore the children fly free policy. Charging full sticker price for kids makes it very expensive for families to visit the grandparents. Now, if they made seats with adjustable partitions, they could fit more kids in a given seating space (making it less costly for the airlines to offer free seats for the kids, and then more families would travel more often, generating more adult tickets) and then you might also be able to seat passengers who are grossly overweight as well, charging perhaps for the extra space.
Yeah that's all we need - more brats on airplanes.