[Anonymous]

[CallMeIshmael]

Although not a problem in First/Business does economy class flying mean you give up your rights to personal space?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2065094/Passenger-forced-stand-7-hours-US-Airways-flight-400lb-man-sitting-him.html

[BeckyBoop]

Aww thats awful.. for both of them 🙁 They should of off loaded one and sent them on another flight.

I wonder if he have to stand during take off and landing?

I thought the rule was if you are to big for the seat he had to buy two seats or upgrade to business/first?

xx

[ChrisBuda82]

I think larger people do cause you to losse your personal space, but dont think this is just a Americans prob but world wide.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

I wouldn’t accept the armest being raised.

If the cabin crew insisted, I’d ask to speak to the commander.

I would refuse to accept the situation and if they offloaded me (in the EU), I’d instantly claim under EU 261/2004 for denied boarding and let the airline argue why they could not provide a whole seat (i.e. with the armrest down.)

[LeTigre]

Going on lots of United flights is a good way to keep slim!

[BeckyBoop]

Thankfully i never had this problem on a flight, but have on a bus. Worse is people who have bad hygene and break wind..eeewwee!!!

xx

[RogEdwards]

The article was in the Daily Mail which in fairness has a sterling reputation for pin point accurate unbiased reporting – so it is highly likely that this has absolutely been reported properly, and as it happened……..

[travelworld]

Yes- I’d have asked to have the overweight passenger offloaded since he required two seats to fly and he hadn’t bought them- nor were they available. I’m astonished that the captain permitted the aircraft to depart with the complaining passenger unable to do his seat belt up and sit properly in his seat. The compensation offered seems desultory too. All in all the story is so bizarre I suspect the reporting may not be quite accurate…

[Senator]

Hi,

This is a rather delicate situation were deciding what is right or wrong could be hard. I am no medial expert, nor am I obese. I am built tall, with broad shoulders, the image many may have of a Scandinavian (192cm and around 100kg). Hence, finding a comfortable seat for me (and sometimes my fellow pax) can be hard at times. Therefore, I dread the middle seat as much for my neighbours as for myself.

My (amateur) understanding is that obesity can be an illness bordering on disability as well as self-inflicted. My question is then; if this passenger is of the first kind, he/or she is suffering from a severe (not self-inflicted) illness. Whilst I have full sympathy for the passenger next to him/her, isn’t this a situation of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t?”

[jungerns]

Although I’m close to 2.00 metres tall and 115 KGs I’m obliged to travel economy for cost reasons but I make it my pride to ensure none of myself, intrudes on the passenger next to me.
I went to the extent of in 1999 travelling on an Aeroflot 777 with a 29″ seat pitch standing in the toilet area for the entire 8 hour flight bar take off etc.

[Danwolf]

This hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve seen some ‘sandwiched’ slim passengers in between to larger passengers on a US Airways int’l flight some years ago. Have sat next to some overweight slobs on one side in Econ in the past, which has not been the best of experiences. Nowadays, if I’m sat next to a C.O.S., I would ask/insist to be re-seated.

The fact is, USAirways’ ground staff should have identified the larger customer as a C.O.S (Customer of Size – Fat person in un-PC speak…) and not allowed him to board. It sounds like there was a fully booked flight and thus no opportunity for purchasing the additional seat was available.

[Author]

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