[No Name]

This is a person not a piece of luggage. Suggestions that we should weight people before flying is rather intrusive not to mention degrading to the individual. It creates a climate of both intolerance and exclusivity for who can fly comfortably and those who will be penalised. The solution, in my opinion, is with the airline. There is a lot more they can do to ensure the comfort of their passengers for all weights and size. And before I hear cries of cost or ROI and profit margins, if airlines can offer extra leg room, baby facilities, hearing loops for the disabled and so forth, then they can come up with some solutions so those disadvantaged by sitting next to someone with a weight issue or the person with extra weight can fly in ‘comfort’ like everyone else. Possibly not a popular opinion, just a humane one.

[Ahmad]

And what if one were forced to fly like this👇

In case anyone is wondering, like I did, whether this is photoshopped, here’s the article.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, GivingupBA

[No Name]

Again a matter for the airline to accommodate. If they can ask upon booking for you to tick a box about items you might be carrying or insurance etc, they can ask if you might need extra room. There is a duty of care for the airlines and also from a business point of view, if they can show they care about the environment externally, then they can also show they care about the environment internally. A good CSR angle from a marketing perspective.

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=930512]so those disadvantaged by sitting next to someone with a weight issue or the person with extra weight can fly in ‘comfort’ like everyone else.[/quote]

Kathy, whilst I agree people are not baggage, but how do you see the airlines accommodating obese passengers and making them more comfortable. Would your answer be to allow obese passengers more cabin real estate for no extra charge. Perhaps seating overweight passengers in business or first?

I agree all passengers should be treated humanely and courteously but currently the system appears to disadvantage passengers who sit and fit nicely into a seat and real estate they have paid for…

May be an unpopular and politically unsuitable statement to make, but factually it’s correct.

5 users thanked author for this post.

Polly, TupeloKid, alanred13, GivingupBA, K1ngston

[K1ngston]

Kathy, A nice thought definitely but as Martyn says actually you will then be penalising the mundane every day passenger who is neither too big or too small etc ….. Ahmad, your picture sums up the whole reason I started the thread in the first place this is how I felt for the whole duration of the flight…..

4 users thanked author for this post.

alanred13, Jacob, GivingupBA, Ahmad

[Ahmad]

[quote quote=930548] Ahmad, your picture sums up the whole reason I started the thread in the first place this is how I felt for the whole duration of the flight…..[/quote]

I bet you were not grinning ear to ear like that!

[GivingupBA]

[quote quote=930512] …..Suggestions that we should weight people before flying is rather intrusive not to mention degrading to the individual…. The solution, in my opinion, is with the airline. There is a lot more they can do to ensure the comfort of their passengers for all weights and size. ….they can come up with some solutions… not a popular opinion, just a humane one.[/quote]

Kathy, I just want my space when I fly economy. Every inch of it. I do not propose weighing passengers. Some passengers will still overflow into my seat, and we cannot rely on such passengers solving the issue themselves e.g. by booking themselves extra space: some will just check in and then board the flight regardless, and THEREFORE in my view EITHER airlines make all economy seats a lot wider (which they will not do, I think you can agree) OR airlines have to filter/ check passengers, especially in economy class, in some way at check in. (And asking passengers to tick a box for requiring extra room on booking, which you suggested later, is also no guarantee at all because some will not tick the box – that is human nature).

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K1ngston, No Name, Polly

[canucklad]

[quote quote=930512]It creates a climate of both intolerance and exclusivity for who can fly comfortably and those who will be penalised.[/quote]

Sadly, and in the main I disagree. These days airlines attempt to penalise just about everyone that flies with them. The degradation of service continues and yet the silent polite majority (I’ll class myself in that category) shrug our shoulders and comply with the ever increasing rules that push us towards their ancillary fees that make will make our journey a bit more bearable.

What doesn’t help in this battle of wits is the role that egotistical selfish people take in the drama.
Internally I might roll my eyes as this loud minority take advantage of the rest of our meekness.

They include ……….
Overhead luggage space hoggers
Armrest creepers
Body odour reekers

And I’m afraid, an overweight person knowing they won’t fit into a Y seat , knowing they’ll probably impose on a fellow passenger falls into the above category.

The quicker we all demand respect from our service providers and fellow passengers who share our common space the better.
Alas I fear I’m just a shrug of the shoulders away from the next annoying intervention.

[ViajeroUK]

Weighing pax might help, but can’t imagine how it could be done in practise, unless at the boarding gate, as a good number of pax do not see any airline or ground staff until boarding commences. I took a holiday flight yesterday in Y, my wife and I usually select aisle seats on the same row and have been fortunate so far to not have any ‘persons of size’ sat next to us. On yesterdays flight the person in the aisle seat directly in front of me was very Large, so much so that his shoulders extended past the seat sides, and I could see his lower body splayed both sides. He did actually squeeze between the armrests, but overflowed both under and above them.

After take off it became apparent that his partner, rather than sit with him, had chosen to sit two rows in front of him, she was quite slim but it seemed that she wanted someone else to suffer her partners excessive girth.

It does seem that the problem of oversize people is increasing but airlines in general seem reluctant to tackle the problem of inconvenience caused to other passengers. The idea of a tick box during the booking process could help, as long as the airline took action and allocated an empty seat next to the large person, who would presumably need to pay a surcharge for this, similar to the charge levied for excess baggage. Relying on people being honest with their size would probably be asking too much, maybe a few cases of denying boarding to oversize pax would help?

Whatever is done will be controversial, in the meantime the silent majority will probably have to continue suffering, hopefully not s much in silence, but with more complaints to airline staff

[No Name]

Asking them to tick a box in return for the benefit of being able to have adequate room, surely should be one incentive in itself.

There is no answer to this, with the exception of the airlines have a couple more spacious seats allocated for such purposes.

The trouble is that rather than see a solution, we put up barriers or obstacles and just speak about the obvious. Yes, it is uncomfortable for all, so it’s time to place pressure on the airlines to make it more comfortable for all.

Like I mentioned, if they can supply seats with extra legroom, then why not design the aircraft seating to accommodate the larger person.

PS you don’t need to weigh people to see they aren’t going to fit into a tiny seat and it’s nonsense to suggest we should all be inconvenienced by it.

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=930680]Like I mentioned, if they can supply seats with extra legroom, then why not design the aircraft seating to accommodate the larger person.[/quote]

Kathy – airlines already provide up to 3 additional options for larger seats, premium economy, business and first. I think what you may be suggesting are larger seats in economy for obese (or larger) sized passengers for no extra cost. I would like some of that too….

I wonder if larger passengers are sympathetic to passengers being squeezed out… it does work both ways….

Interested to hear what the solution could be…

[No Name]

Martin Sinclair – I’m sure that larger people don’t maliciously or intentionally want to squeeze others out, merely that because of their circumstances they are less able to fit into the small space provided. I don’t see it as them and us, and nor do I see I need to have a special hearing loop just because others do. Can we point the blame at the airlines and not at those who are either larger or smaller? This would make the conversation more comfortable for many of us. I would be perfectly comfortable with the airline using a row for larger sized seats in economy, particularly on a long haul flight. I would find that less of an inconvenience, wouldn’t you? I’m on the small size so appreciate that others shouldn’t also take my seat space, however, I would prefer not to discriminate against those of a larger size than myself.

[MartynSinclair]

Up until this point, I was adamant about people paying for the “real estate” they use. However, there would also be an equal argument that says adults afflicted by growth (i.e. midgets), should be able to claim child fares as they may only need a similar amount of space to children.

Speaking to a dinner guest this evening, who works in fashion, I was told there is no difference to the price of a fashion line, whether you are a size 6 or 20. Someone needing 3 times the amount of cloth still pays the same price.

Perhaps a solution could be the airlines designing a ‘spacer’ style seat for obese / overweight people. A section of economy where the seat width can be widened so an obese person can be safely accommodated, without infringing on the space of standard sized people.

2 users thanked author for this post.

K1ngston, No Name

[capetonianm]

Weight is not necessarily directly related to volume.

I am small and weigh about 66 kg. I have a friend who is the same size as I am but heavily and strongly built and very muscular, and weighs just over 80 kgs.

2 users thanked author for this post.

No Name, Ahmad

[No Name]

MartynSinclair – Yes that might be a solution. My husband suggested making a 6 seater row into a 4 seater row, but charging only 1.5 times the cost. Again we’re back at the cost, but at least a better fit for all parties.

[Author]

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