IMO, if a heavy person were large enough to cause a problem in an emergency, that person would have been required to buy two seats. I don't think the average, overweight, sneaking-butt-into-your seat passenger would be a problem.

Keep in mind that you could also get an hysterical person, a really stupid person or a frozen-with-fear person in a flight emergency.......... who would be just as much a problem as an extremely overweight person. If I thought about any of those possibilities too much, I probably wouldn't get on the plane.

Keep in mind that the ACLU may have to protect these fat people. They are entitled to the same fare for a seat that the rest of us are. Someone would scream RACISM agaist fattys.

The ACLU would force the airlines to make larger seats to hold the fat ass that would sit in it.

I am overweight but I do fit in the seat and by that I mean ALL of me fits. It isn't enough that someone's rear end fits! I recently had a flight where, at the last minute, a large man took the aisle seat next to me (my husband had the window). Although he could sit in the seat with the arm rests down and could lock the seat belt ... his stomach flopped over the arm rest and pressed against me and his shoulders were huge and took up a good half of my seat. I spent the flight leaning over into my husbands seat, got jno rest, and ended up with a severe back ache and stiff neck. Fitting rear end and hips in the seat w/ the arm rests down should NOT be the only test ... intruding on the seats of others should be the test.

mcqueeeney449's point needs to be repeated. It's not the seat width at the cushion, it's the arm and shoulder space. I sat next to a professional hockey player for 10 hours going to Europe a few years ago, and let me tell you, telling him he was fat and should have bought two seats would have been ill-advised. (He was riding coach because his flight had been canceled so our half-full flight suddenly wasn't.) I'm bigger than average too (i.e, recline into my knees and meet your maker) but it was our shoulders that were colliding, not our bellys or asses.

Please note that if you want to turn this from a bitch session into something constructive, you should pay more attention to your airplane and your airline when you book. There is a big difference in seating space depending on which plane operated by which airline. If you feel this passionate about it, pick a carrier and/or a plane that offers more room, or that offers 2 x 3 seating. This is a travel board, for Pete's sake - be a smart consumer, not a kvetch.

When I recall the "seating" we had to endure in military flights, long 13 hour prop trips over the Atlantic, sitting in what was basically a sling with no armrests or anything else to separate "passengers", I find the complaints almost laughable.

Maybe instead of seats the airlines could provide mummy-sized "cases" that each passenger fit into, never touching, or looking at others. Heck, all cases could be made to tilt back in unison, so passengers/cargo could sleep. Sure would put an end to the armrest/reclining seat arguments, as well as the complaints ("He's on my side of the seat!", "She's looking at me!") I'm more accustomed to hearing from the grandkids.

SW is the only airline I know of requiring OL people to purchase a second seat. There's someone suing them right now for the humiliation...

Maybe airlines can have a seat near the gate, with a sign that says "Your butt must fit within this seat and not spillage alowed." Similar to the bins they have to check your carry on size.

Pardon my ignorance, but am taking my first transatlantic flight in a couple weeks on United, 11 hours total! Obviously this is a larger plane than I'm used to. Should I expect a bit more room, i.e. slightly larger seats?

I'm tiny, so I'm not concerned with invading others', just curious if I'll be as invaded as domestic flights.

Thanks!

I am a skinny fear full flyer, I was seated next to a very large woman and was annoyed. It turns out she was an ex flight attendant and helped me through the flight. I did not complain that she took up some of my seat.

In any mode of transportation taking more than one seat is rude. If I were big I would look for the airline with biggest seats.

gojacks,

While I certainly respect your right to have an opinion on this, it is not proper for you to put "words in the mouth" of the ACLU or belittle the organization.

<Keep in mind that the ACLU may have to protect these fat people. They are entitled to the same fare for a seat that the rest of us are. Someone would scream RACISM agaist fattys.>

Anyone familiar with the ACLU knows that they would not take up this cause. The airlines would not be discriminating by charging fat people more. They would be charging for the extra seat space used. This would not be unlike some men and women having to pay extra for clothing in extra large sizes.

Chicgal, SW gate people are the ones who assess OL people and require a second seat when necessary.

Dick,

If an obese individual felt they were discriminated against,and contacted the ACLU, they would follow up on it. It doesn't mean anything would come of it.

Funny now how pre-9/11, profiling was bad. Now it is common and the ACLU can't do a thing. Profiling saves lives in this case. I guess you can see I am not a card carrying member of the ACLU.

Someone posted a while back that they knew of a case where a large person had purchased two seats. The flight was overbooked so the airline "bumped" the extra seat and stuffed someone into it anyway.

I couldn't find the post through searching (surprise, surprise ). Does anyone remember which airline it was?

So now that you've all tossed this issue about, would anyone like to take on the screaming baby or "Jeffrey's" (per Bill Cosby) who run around invading everyone's space?

Do you think airlines should charge extra for those inconveniences as well?
And how would that be charged - would that be an after-departure charge based upon how much noise these babies/children make, on a sliding scale?

If you can't tolerate inconvenience, charter a plane and fly alone. That's why it's called MASS transit.

Leona, I can tolerate inconvenience. I know my flight will not last forever. But: as a consumer I have the right to get what I've paid for, in this case a FULL seat on a plane without anybody physically intruding into my paid space. This is not about overweight people, it's about ME. A crying child stays in his seat. A fat person is there, next to me, pushing me out of my seat.

And I'm with GoJacks on this issue.

I also propose a "family section" on planes. Put them in the back, with some sort of divider, like between first class and coach.

Faina is right. It's about the others, not the OL person. We have a right to a full seat and at least the attempt at a comfortable flight.

Austin,

Why should a family be put in the Back? Sounds a bit like what they did to a certain race on buses. Would they not bother the people in front of them in the back?

Has nothing to do with race.

Put families in back because they are closer to the bathrooms. They also have a ton of stuff with them and it takes them longer to gather it and get off the plane. The rear usually departs last.

As for large people, I was on a flight and a gentleman was spilling over into my seat. Since it was a cross country flight (and I'm fairly skinny) I politely pointed this out to the gentleman and told him I was going to speak to the FA since I was more uncomfortable than usual.

The coach was full so they upgraded the large gentleman to FC. I held no grudge as it was a better fit for him and he held no grudge as he was upgraded.

Melissa: I well remember your previous thread and how it was pulled - I also got heat for my comments but I think they need to be said.

In most cases, you cannot choose your ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation and you should never be penalized for such.

However, also in most cases, you can choose to be in reasonable shape and not inconvenience others on planes, buses, etc. Flying is not an inalienable right. If you are grossly overweight and choose to fly then you should have to buy another seat so as not to physically invade another person's space.

I don't think overweight people should be scapegoated for the airline industry's failure to provide a comfortable environment for its paying clientele. I'm petite and I have a horrible time in those seats regardless of the size of the person next to me. I flew on a $500 ticket from SF to Denver yesterday, coach, a two and 1/2 hour flight, and wanted to cut my legs off halfway through it.

Re: civil rights (ACLU) issues.

It is not "discrimination" to charge extra for someone who clearly takes up too much space. Like charging more for big/tall clothing, charging for an extra seat for those clearly obese, is not discrimination. You are still providing a service.

I Googled this particular issue and came across a "Low Carb" forum that made me laugh because it was a bunch of OL people complaining it was a violation of civil rights, etc, and saying that if all airlines adopted this policy, they would be out of business real quick.

However, my 100K+ traveling friend specifically chooses to fly United or Southwest BECAUSE they have a two-seat policy in place. Having experienced the horror of a middle seat next to an OL person on a previous flight, he will not fly another airline unless he knows they it has a specific policy. Since the vast majority of the population (though decreasing)is not obese, it seems to me this would be a DRAW rather than a handicap for business.