I need some help. I'm about to travel to London, from Atlanta. I'm a small person, and on the airplane, often i am seated next to a passenger that needs their seat, and a bit of mine. I really don't mean to be offensive, but what do you do, if you are seated next to someone that needs more room. I can't stand to sit "leaned" to the side, because that other passenger's arms do not hang near their body, and "kind of stick out".
the one time i complained, the attendant said to "see if another passenger" will change seats with you! yea, right.
any ideas out there?
thanks so much. I really don't mean to be unkind-but it is a problem.
surfingmomma

I think your approach with the flight attendant might need a bit of adjustment...you PAID for an entire seat.

Ask to speak to the "lead flight attendant"...demand it if you have to.

Your responsibility is NOT to go around asking other passengers to exchange seats with you (of course, some will say that isn't a flight attendant's responsibility, either) but now that you've established that the airline has not quite fulfilled its obligation to you.

Of course, you could actually ask the person next to you to lean the other way, or take their whole arm off the armrest.

I'm sure you'll receive a whole raft of constructive comments on this issue.

Just thought of another approach: tell them you are VERY concerned about safety and your ability to get out of the seat next to the walrus...ask to be reseated or you'll do something drastic (of course, this could get you thrown off the plane if that hysterical Jacobsen woman happens to be traveling with her wimp husband on the same flight.

Good luck!

I think the odds are very low that surfingmomma will be placed next to a passenger large enough to be a problem AND that there will be no other empty seats on the plane. I can't believe this happens that often to surfingmomma.

This has happened to me once. The woman seated next to me should have reserved two seats as she was honest to God well over 300 hundred pounds. I didn't complain and just put up with having only half a seat, but that would be miserable on a long international flight (mine was only 1.5 hours). If someone cannot fit into their one seat for whatever reason (very broad shoulders, obesity, who cares), they ought to be forced to purchase 2 seats instead of infringing on the seat of someone else who also paid for one full place.

thanks topman--i like the idea of the "lead flight attendant". I will certainly keep that in the "front" of my mind. at 5'3", 120 pounds, it's easy to get "leaned" on. sorry willtravel.
surfingmomma

this may sound harsh, but I try to board as soon as the row is called and basically stake out my area. I was on one flight when I didn't and the guy next to me took the armrest, part of my seat and snored. When I stood up at the end of the flight, he finally was able to 'spread out' and took well more than half my seat. Both of us were uncomfortable I'm sure during the flight. If you've paid for an entire seat, you're entitled to it.

surfingmomma, hope you don't see my post as a criticism. I'm just saying I wouldn't worry much, because it's very unlikely you'll have the same situation again. Just follow the suggestions here, though, if you do.

Book an aisle seat! Make sure you have seat assignments ahead of time (not as easy as it sounds on some airlines). At least that way you can lean out into that free space a bit.

Give me your flight info and dates - I'll try to deconflict our seat assignments.

That is OK, degas, I am a petite person myself and I will be happy to have you sit beside me.
I must be a very very lucky person, I have never had a problem with someone sitting next to me.

Hasn't this topic been done to death by now?

"Hasn't this topic been done to death by now?"

Scarlett I must agree. We've chewed the fat on this subject way too often.

Oh Tom, you card

I have more of a problem with a certain breed of men who feel the need to hog the arm rest and take up much of my leg space. One good kick usually solves the leg problem, but even my sharp elbows haven't solved the arm rest thing.

I want to thank each of you for the information. I am new to this site, and apparently aren't manuveuring it very well, to not have found the previous posts.
I think this Fodors site is just great.
thanks again,
surfingmomma

Nothing seems to raise the blood pressure like this topic. Ther already a long thread on the same issue; it has something like "big butt" in the topic title.

Incidentally, I've always considered name-calling to be rude--so could we skip stuff like "walrus" please? A little civility goes a long way.