How Obese is acceptable?

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Viewing 15 posts - 76 through 90 (of 93 total)

  • ViajeroUK
    Participant

    From a practical point of view I cannot imagine any airline installing different size seats specifically for ´persons of size´, what happens when there are no suitable size passengers? do they leave them empty?

    With existing seating a large person could pay a premium for a second seat and merely raise the armrest, seats could return to normal config for the following flight if required.

    The problem is in getting any airline to address the problem, they would seem to prefer to close their eyes to this issue, as most have done with excess and oversize cabin baggage.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    My suggestion was for a seat to be designed where the width could be altered pre boarding. i.e. if there were no obese passengers, the row would remain a 3, but changed to a 2, if the need arises. A both like moving the CW curtain, depending on loadings.

    With regards to charging an extra 50% Kathy, wouldn’t under those circumstances be sensible for the obese passenger to buy a premium economy ticket (if longhaul)…

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    st1969
    Participant

    What about people whose body odour reaches beyond the limits of their chair?

    I sat next to a lovely lady once whose (marvellous) long locks of golden hair sat on my shoulder for much of a flight. What about people like her who are unable to contain their hair to square inches allocated?

    On a recent trip from Kathmandu to Delhi, many of the passengers had found enlightenment and as such their auras were visibly glowing way beyond the confines of the 18″ wide and 32″ deep block they’d been granted.

    Oh, and let’s not even get into those cases of surgical enhancement that push the bounds of economy class to its limits.

    Ultimately, it takes all kinds of fruit make a salad. Sometimes, when you are hoping for a stick of celery, you get a grapefruit. If that happens, be a good fruit and swap seats. Give the grapefruit the aisle seat. You’ll all have a nicer flight.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    No Name
    Participant

    MartynSinclair – the 1.5 cost was my husband’s suggestion for 1.5 seats. Actually, I think I prefer yours, although I’m not sure how it would work in practice.


    Polly
    Participant

    Hi Kathy,

    I think your last suggestion was the first sensible thing you wrote. Exactly why should obese people be accommodated so advantageously, whilst they squeeze into a normal size seat.
    Hope BA read this and other airlines, as that way they would not be losing out on income.
    But surely, at check in or boarding if someone has been dishonest, and NOT ticked the more space section, they frankly they can’t be allowed to board.
    It’s the same as Ryan Air, limiting the number of assistance pax on board each flight. Airlines would probably limit the number of rows of the larger space seats. I can imagine, regular sized folks would be buying them too! Why not. It would be like flying PE in Y. Fab!


    No Name
    Participant

    Hi Polly, I clearly come from a different perspective than other responders, probably due to working with the larger size persons as an advocate/advisor, listening to their challenges. I’m sure they would be hurt and offended by some of the attitudes and comments here. I’m also sure that they don’t like being charged twice for the same trip. Martyn was right – what other businesses do that! That aside, my intention by responding was to change the negative comments to a more constructive dialogue. Martyn Sinclair gallantly responded well after consultation over dinner. I liked his suggestion. While the 6 into 4 seater row might be reasonably feasible, it is the extra charge that bothers me. It covers airline costs, but still, the person pays for 1.5 flights. From a business point of view, it appears unethical, and if airlines are reading this then I hope from a marketing perspective they see it could be a differential marketing strategy. Also knowing how markets operate, at some point competing for cost becomes less of an issue (as you can’t get the fare any lower) and having a more responsible USP can gather better market share.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=931228]While the 6 into 4 seater row might be reasonably feasible[/quote]

    Can I restate, my suggestion was for the airline to install (or consider installing) a spacer seat, which would provide standard 3 in a row seating, but could be adapted to a 2 seat row when required. I was not suggesting a wider standard economy seat for open use that normal sized passengers would in all likelihood be fighting over..

    At the beginning of the thread I was adamant obese people should pay for the extra space, however, considering what other industries/businesses do, perhaps a more conciliatory and adaptable solution could be found.


    GivingupBA
    Participant

    Martyn Sinclair said: “At the beginning of the thread I was adamant obese people should pay for the extra space, however, considering what other industries/businesses do, perhaps a more conciliatory and adaptable solution could be found.”

    I think you’re right, Martin. And as a purely hypothetical example e.g. if I was in a wheelchair and arrived at a club and had to be carried in by bouncers – and was then presented with a bill for them doing that – I would be furious, and I think rightly so.


    K1ngston
    Participant

    Ahmad, I can assure you I wasnt through the whole sorry flight! ……


    K1ngston
    Participant

    [quote quote=930974]What about people whose body odour reaches beyond the limits of their chair?

    I sat next to a lovely lady once whose (marvellous) long locks of golden hair sat on my shoulder for much of a flight. What about people like her who are unable to contain their hair to square inches allocated?

    On a recent trip from Kathmandu to Delhi, many of the passengers had found enlightenment and as such their auras were visibly glowing way beyond the confines of the 18″ wide and 32″ deep block they’d been granted.

    Oh, and let’s not even get into those cases of surgical enhancement that push the bounds of economy class to its limits.

    Ultimately, it takes all kinds of fruit make a salad. Sometimes, when you are hoping for a stick of celery, you get a grapefruit. If that happens, be a good fruit and swap seats. Give the grapefruit the aisle seat. You’ll all have a nicer flight.[/quote]

    st1969, I don’t prescribe to your point of view but that’s healthy debate, and to your analogy of a fruit salad, I would be less that happy if handed a fruit salad someone came and sat down next to me and started picking at it, which is exactly what the gentlemen in my original piece did, he sat down and impinged on my seat and space as if he was stealing the pieces of pineapple directly from my fruit salad!!!

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    Ah,Mr.Bond
    Participant

    It’s simple, airlines are so obsessed with fitting your hand baggage in the size scale to see if it will fit in the overhead bin, that they also should have a mock Y class seat at check in and ask each pax to sit in it to see if they comfortably fit… if not, £££££ Please for additional space!.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I would be less that happy if handed a fruit salad someone came and sat down next to me and started picking at it, which is exactly what the gentlemen in my original piece did, he sat down and impinged on my seat and space as if he was stealing ……. directly from my fruit salad!!!

    I have related in another thread how a Dutch gentleman who sat behind me (I was in a ‘comfort’ seat and he was in normal economy) put his feet onto my armrest and when I asked him to remove them, told me that he also had a right to be comfortable.

    I explained that he had every right to be comfortable within the space he’d paid for, but not within that which I’d paid for. As the discussion went on, I asked him how he’d have felt if I happened to sit next to him in a nice restaurant and help myself to a piece of his fillet steak and a glass of his wine. He said that was ‘different’! He was actually very pleasant but just had an axe to grind as he believed in equality and thought it unfair that some seats on the aircraft were more comfortable and more expensive than others.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    GivingupBA
    Participant

    [quote quote=931292]I have related in another thread how a Dutch gentleman who sat behind me (I was in a ‘comfort’ seat and he was in normal economy) put his feet onto my armrest and when I asked him to remove them, told me that he also had a right to be comfortable. I explained that he had every right to be comfortable within the space he’d paid for, but not within that which I’d paid for…[/quote]

    Very sorry to hear about that unacceptable behaviour.

    I am now sure for myself that the best way forward, just my personal ideas/ plan, is [1] do not let it go; [2] do not speak with the offending passenger – tell the ordinary cabin staff; [3] if they do not resolve the situation, speak with the cabin manager/ the most senior cabin crew supervisor.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    Very sorry to hear about that unacceptable behaviour.

    I am now sure for myself that the best way forward, just my personal ideas/ plan, is [1] do not let it go; [2] do not speak with the offending passenger – tell the cabin staff; [3] if the cabin staff do not resolve the situation, speak with the cabin manager/ the most senior cabin crew supervisor.

    I did as you suggested other than that I spoke to the passenger, but when he told me that the seats were too close together, with which I agreed, I called a FA so that he could address his complaint to the airline’s representative. She dealt with it very well, and told him that he could also have paid a supplement for a premium seat had he so chosen.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    GivingupBA
    Participant

    [quote quote=931302]I did as you suggested other than that I spoke to the passenger, but when he told me that the seats were too close together, with which I agreed, I called a FA so that he could address his complaint to the airline’s representative. She dealt with it very well, and told him that he could also have paid a supplement for a premium seat had he so chosen.[/quote]

    Thanks for your reply, and I’m glad to hear it worked very well when you spoke with a flight attendant. I like the FA comment to the passenger too – “he could also have paid a supplement for a premium seat had he so chosen” – absolutely right and relevant.

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