Should obese people who can't fit in 1 seat pay for 2?

KickassAugust

I think that at the same place they have the 'Check your luggage size here box' they should also have a 'Check your *kitten* size here seat' and if you don't fit, you don't fit.

The last time I was in a plane I knew I was making the people around me uncomfortable and I held my breath just about the entire time, although I didn't realize just how damn small those seats are now or I might have bought the second to be comfortable.
(I say that like I could have afforded the second ticket).

KelliH729

I have an additional question (to all those that have said yes to the OPs question).

If you were flying for work, and the airline made you buy two seats, do you think your employer should foot the bill for the extra seat?

No, if you are flying for work then they are paying for the original seat...if you need two seats, you need to cough up the money for the extra seat. It is not your job's fault that you cannot fit in one seat. If I wanted to fly 1st class on a flight, I would have to pay the extra, my job is only going to pay for a "regular" seat.

Sianarella

OH! And one more thing...I'm careful about picking my airline. Some airline seats are smaller than others!

Yep, avoid SleazyJet like the plague if you want a good size seat!

Girlwithnoname77

Honestly, I might get abuse hurled at me here, but I think it's fair to pay for two seats. When I purchase a plane ticket, I am paying for a seat on that plane. The assumption is I will be reasonably comfortable and will get to sit on the seat I paid for. If I didn't get to sit on all of the seat I paid for and spent most of the flight uncomfortable (this is particularly problematic on long haul flights), I wouldn't be happy and I wouldn't feel like I'd gotten my money's worth either.

No abuse necessarily, fairly said and put.

mmuzzatti

No one dies from hurt feelings.

Untrue- tell that to the children who are so hurt by things people say to them they end up killing themselves. :C

Being one of those child that was bullied, and watching my brother being bullied way past the point I could probably have endured, it's not just hurt feelings. And that type of comment is meant to destroy you too, trying everything they can, making stuff up if they need to.

Telling you that "Sorry Sir/Mam, but you are going to have to buy two seats to fly with us" is no where near.

I am going to assume, and you know that's bad, that you did not finish this statement that being asked to pay for an extra seat is no where near being bullied...I hope I'm right on that. Yes you should pay for the extra seat. The rule should be in place when you buy the ticket and yes if your traveling for work then work should pay for it. Sorry but I have been one of the people stuck in the middle and I'm average size and it is very uncomfortable don't even think about getting up to go to the bathroom!

mrpurdy

How about I give up my seat and stand for the flight and fly for half-price?

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

Some of the mindsets, attitudes and remarks on this thread are disgusting...I hope to God you never end up with an illness or some other misfortune that allows you to be judged by your "peers", not sure you could handle it....

And I pray to God to help people like you realize that you're the very reason why you're there where you are right now. STOP USING GOD'S NAME, GEEZ! I have PCOS & also other medical condition, not to mention I was ex-obese but I didn't let those conquer my body & life.

Masterdo

No one dies from hurt feelings.

Untrue- tell that to the children who are so hurt by things people say to them they end up killing themselves. :C

Being one of those child that was bullied, and watching my brother being bullied way past the point I could probably have endured, it's not just hurt feelings. And that type of comment is meant to destroy you too, trying everything they can, making stuff up if they need to.

Telling you that "Sorry Sir/Mam, but you are going to have to buy two seats to fly with us" is no where near.

I am going to assume, and you know that's bad, that you did not finish this statement that being asked to pay for an extra seat is no where near being bullied...I hope I'm right on that. Yes you should pay for the extra seat. The rule should be in place when you buy the ticket and yes if your traveling for work then work should pay for it. Sorry but I have been one of the people stuck in the middle and I'm average size and it is very uncomfortable don't even think about getting up to go to the bathroom!

Yes, sorry about that. English is not my first language, most of the time I think I can hide that fact, but I still slip I guess... I think I fixed it now to better express what I meant.

jaxbeck

Yes! When you pay for a ticket, you are paying for a SEAT! If you need two seats to fit then you need to PAY for it! It's common sense. I know is hurtful to the person but it's the only fair way. As some have said, should another flight passenger have their seat invaded just because this person is so large that they are spilling into the next seat?? No.

Awkward30

I think they should. I have been wedged in a middle seat between 2 VERY large people before and it was utterly ridiculous. One woman lifted the armrest between us and her thigh and arm pushed right on top of me for 4 hours! The other one had her leg extended into my leg area. I got up and asked to move (discreetly) but the flight was full. I was not rude to these women but I was very annoyed.

I paid for my seat, and I should get the whole seat; I didn't get a discount bc she took up 30% of my seat. If someone is going to take up more space than 1 seat, sorry, they gotta pay.

I know it's expensive, but unless they're gonna pay for 30% of the next passenger's seat, they need to suck it up.

This happened to me, once. One of the women actually picked up her leg fat and adjusted it so it was on me. I wasn't small by any stretch of the imagination, so I needed most of my seat and in order to get the woman off me I had to sit at a weird angle.

Aside from the airline having the right to sell all the seats that are occupied, the other passengers have a right to the entire seat that they paid for.

In my case, I was appalled by how someone could think it was okay to adjust themselves so that they are on top of me in my seat. If I was less passive aggressive I would have requested a seat change or something with the stewardess.

dreamshadows

When it comes to fair air fare, we should all be treated like freight.

Everyone should be charged by the pound!

Not only is it the only true fair way, but it would incite America to lose weight!

:bigsmile:

^^^^ This!

tig_ol_bitties

I was just on a flight recently where I had an obese person on both sides of me. *I* was the one who got yelled at by the flight attendants when the armrests were up, even though the attendants could very well see that there was no possible way to put them down. I was completely smashed, and was being looked at by the two I was between like I was the one causing the problem. I'm sorry, but when I pay for A SEAT, I expect to have A SEAT. Not 20% of a seat. If that's as much seat as I'm going to get, then I feel I should only have to pay for 20% of my ticket. If you can't fit, you should absolutely pay for two seats. Some airlines do this. My uncle is very large, and he has been paying for two seats for years when he travels, because he doesn't feel as uncomfortable that way.

StephanieDJL

I agree that if a person needs two seats then they should pay for two seats but I don't think passengers should be weighed like cargo; you can lose weight but you can't lose height & I'm not paying extra for being tall, it's bad enough having to suffer the crappy leg room.

monkeymomof3

Yes, if you take up more than one seat you should pay for two. I flew from Columbus to Seattle with my 18 month old child a while back - within policy to fly as a lap child - and I bought a second seat. I was travelling with more crap. Even though I knew she would want to be up my butt the whole flight, I bought a second seat. I had snacks and activities, blanket, lovey, etc....TWO carryons (two tickets) gate checked my stroller, etc.....we took up more than one seat, we bought two. I am NOT well off (with money) but it was the RIGHT thing to do. And no, the seats aren't HUGE, but they aren't THAT small...Just out of curiosity, why is ok to be told you CAN'T get on a roller coaster at an amusement park but you can't be told to buy a second ticket for the very same reason??

RhonndaJ

I have an additional question (to all those that have said yes to the OPs question).

If you were flying for work, and the airline made you buy two seats, do you think your employer should foot the bill for the extra seat?

Heck, when I first started to answer it seemed straight forward to me, after some thought now, not so much.

I would have to say that if I was that obese at the time of hiring and flying was part of the job, then yes it would be the employers responsibility to pay. However, if I'd gained the weight that made a second seat necessary after being hired into the job, then no, it would be my responsibility.

BBoros

It seems to me that it could be carried over to other areas of society. It can be like a cigarette tax.

To big for one seat, pay for two.

Can't fit in XL clothing or smaller, pay more.

etc.

At some Stores it is already like that, if they have a shirt on sale for 10.00 (sizes : Sm to XL) if you take a 2XL or larger you pay 2.00 more.

KelliH729

Just out of curiosity, why is ok to be told you CAN'T get on a roller coaster at an amusement park but you can't be told to buy a second ticket for the very same reason??

YES YES!!! I was thinking the same thing!

Eaglesfanintn

I agree that you should pay for two. I was going to fly my parents out at Christmas and I was ready to reserve three seats for the two of them - both my dad and stepmom are pretty large and I just knew that they'd be more comfortable that way.

Some are saying that you should "check your *kitten* size at the gate" and, if necessary, buy another ticket. Logistically that doesn't work at all. Airlines have cut down on the size of their planes as well as the number of flights in order to save on costs so, I know in my own travel experiences lately, flights have been overbooked. So, a full flight already and a backside that won't fit into one seat means another person would get bumped because someone is now buying another seat. They would either have to purchase the second seat ahead of time or the overweight person would automatically get bumped.

Kirsty_UK

I have an additional question (to all those that have said yes to the OPs question).

If you were flying for work, and the airline made you buy two seats, do you think your employer should foot the bill for the extra seat?

Heck, when I first started to answer it seemed straight forward to me, after some thought now, not so much.

I would have to say that if I was that obese at the time of hiring and flying was part of the job, then yes it would be the employers responsibility to pay. However, if I'd gained the weight that made a second seat necessary after being hired into the job, then no, it would be my responsibility.

I don't see any easy answer to this either, which is why I wondered what other people thought about it.

What if the job didn't originally involve flying and now it does, AND I wasn't originally obese, but I now am? what then? tough one!

slavaheroyam

As someone who works in the airline industry, it sucks, but I think it's rather fair. I've had instances where I've gotten on flights and the only seat open was next to somebody who's elbow was jerked into my ribs for an hour and a half flight. Obviously, he was hoping that seat was going to be open anyway so it was awkward for everyone.

At my particular airport, most "people of size", already know that they're going to be too big for the seat and have already prepurchased another seat. If not, we actually do try to shift people around to a seat that's empty next to them and block it off, but only if they ask. The only time we're technically supposed to tell someone they're too big for the seat is if the flight attendant says something which by the book means where you extend 1" over the seat. If there's any way to avoid embarrassment, we'll try. At least where I work.

But I sort of think it's fair not only for the comfort of the people next to you, but for weight and balance, too. Flight attendants count how many adults/children/lapchildren are in different zones of the cabin which that weight is then looked against the weight of the bags. So if you take up two seats then you... sort of count as the weight of two people...? Why very small adults are considered children in response, I'm not sure.

I mean, the whole situation is really uncomfortable and as far as I know, you can't sell a ticket without the fees involved because A) You're messing with the feds and It can be very easy to abuse. Even if you could, the base fare changes every day at each time. If this person was going up and buying for another seat, that base fare might be the same price they paid for a whole ticket on Orbitz or Expedia.