SW airkines announces fat people will have to buy 2 seats!
 

How are they going to administer this new policy. They say it is going to be a judgement call by the people at the ticket counter. This has lawsuit written all over it. What do you think?

And just where did you see this? I tried looking for it, and couldn't find it anywhere!<BR><BR>Are you a troll? Do you have something against SW?

Not a troll. It was a report on the news talk radio station in KC this morning. I'm surprised no one else has heard this. I'm sure they were not joking.

No, Lou is not a troll! I just watched probably the same report on Fox News, and that report stated that United is already doing this. <BR><BR>I am 70 lbs overweight myself, and starting to feel the pinch when I fly - know that I crowd my neighbor, and am starting to get looks. I understand the airline's need to do this - if I take up two seats, I will have to pay for two seats. I hate it, but I have only myself to blame! Other airlines will probably eventually follow suit because we Americans are getting fatter by the day ...................what else is an airline to do? The fat person has to take some responsibility in this!

So what about the poor sucker who has to sit next to him/her and can't use all of his seat space he paid for. Maybe he should pay only half fare.

It's about time the airlines did something about this problem. I hope all others follow SW's lead!

Good for SW. Maybe these people can "write if off" on their taxes now that obesity is considered an illness. tee hee

If mothers with small infants must pay for 2 seats because their babies occupy a seat, then fat people should pay for two seats if their flab occupies a seat. I don't see the controversy in this. It is pure common sense. If you need two hotel rooms then you pay for two. If you need two airline seats, then for Gawd sakes pay for two.

People should be weighed at check in and fares should be tied to body weight.<BR>More incentive for people to trim down.<BR>And maybe there'd be fewer of those appalling fake looking monstrous breast implants some women seem to be desirous of.

Not "FAT PEOPLE" anymore, they're now "PEOPLE OF SIZE" as the Southwest Airlines press release states.

I just cain't wait to hit that thang!

Speaking of babies. Why should I have to sit near a screaming baby. I would like to bring my well trained German Shepherd on board and pay for his seat but I can't. He would not bite, bark, scream, take up two seats, have carry-on luggage, complain to the flight attendants, or whine if the plane is late.

Yeah, and what about corpses? My dear old late grannie won't take up any more than one seat and she won't need a meal or the whole can of coke either. She'll need wheelchair assistance at the gate, but hey, that's free anyway.

Corpses has already been done, in an airline seat. It happened last winter. He was brought aboard in a wheel chair and sat there dead. I think the german shepard is better.

Will the fat people who buy two seats also get two meals????

Meals? Southwest? Hahahaha.

it is posted on CNN website, I read the article this morning. So it is true, look it up...

TTT for Lynn

To the person who said "This has lawsuit written all over it!" You are totally and completely wrong!!!!!<BR><BR>It would be discrimination against thin people if you didn't do this! As an average size person myself, it doesn't affect me one way or the other, but if I was thin and didn't take up much room at all and was paying the same price as a Person of Size who got 2 seats you can better believe I would be angry! I would argue that because I'm so thin I should get my seat a HALF PRICE if you are going to get special treatment for your size.<BR><BR>People should NOt however get special treatment because they are thin or overweight in my opinion. If you are large and take up 2 seats then by gosh pay for two or lose some weight!

totally thought this was a troll post until I saw the local news last night. I would think this had law suit written all over it too. Thing is news program I saw said that other major airlines, continental was the only name I remember hearing already have this policy in place. Maybe I misunderstood but this is what I thought I heard.<BR><BR>What bothers me is that it is up to the check in clerk. I say measure the way you would luggage. I also say the airlines should make the seats larger if so many people are falling into this category that they run the risk of alienating future customers why not just widen the seats? I am a size four and I will never give SW business again. I fly at least twice a year which I know is not a lot but I have been flying for about 20 years. My problem is usually with a male that won’t close his legs and thinks its fine to spread over into my seat. I also was told once by flight attendant not to recline because there is a long legged man behind me. No one ever offered me a rebate. <BR>

First of all, I would like to say that I found the article Lou was referring to. I just couldn't find it anywhere yesterday.<BR><BR>Maybe this is totally unrelated, maybe not: Once I was in Busch Gardens in Tampa, waiting in line for Kumba (a roller coaster). There was this lady who just couldn't fit in the seat. They tried closing the safety restrains several times, but they just couldn't do it. This caused delays and embarassement for this lady, her party, and the people working at the loading station.<BR><BR>After that, I've seen that many roller coasters have a "sample seat" outside. If you are overweight, you may want to try that seat and see if you fit.<BR><BR>Couldn't they do something like that? When checking in, if a person looks like they will have trouble fitting in the seat, have them try these "sample seats". If they need two, they should pay two.

What an embarrassment for these people!! And who would want to be in the ticket agent's shoes passing judgment?! How arbitrary. I was trying to think of a just way of making the decision as to who has to buy two seats and could only think of that measuring device they use now for carry-on luggage...something like that for people? Gross. A "sample seat" sounds like a good solution.<BR><BR>I agree this has lawsuit written all over it. I can't imagine how they could get away with it! You know what will come next? ADA will come into play and they will *force* airlines to provide X number of over-sized seats for overweight passengers, which means airlines will fly with fewer seats per plane and we all know what that means.<BR><BR>I agree with xxx...my most uncomfortable flight ever was one seated next to an oblivious normal sized male whose legs were spread eagled into my space, whose elbows hung over both arm rests. I found my size 8 self glued to the side of the plane trying to avoid him. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut the duration of the flight! Now who can legislate consideration for fellow passengers?

THANK YOU--THANK YOU---THANK YOU---SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, HOPEFULLY ALL OTHER CARRIERS WILL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD!!!!!!!!

Why should a lawsuit result from this? In some, few, isolated cases I'm sure that the obesity comes from biological reasons beyond control. In most of them it comes from an inadequate lifestyle. Why should anyone suffer the consequences of someone else's lifestyle decisions?<BR><BR>Nobody sued the airlines when they prohibited smoking. Sitting next to a large person is not only uncomfortable but it may also be a health hazard. Have you heard of DVT? Imagine sitting next to a 300 pound person on a 5 hour flight?<BR><BR>BTW, the science behind this is not as flimsy as the science behind second hand smoke...

What about airline employees who fly for free? My sis works for Cont in reservations. Wonder what will happen to her?

You know what I found to be funny? The local news station here in San Francisco interviewed a number of fliers at SFO about this issue. Every single thin person they interviewed thought it was "totally unfair" - I guess they didn't want to seem like jerks on television because you know that's not what they're thinking inside. I would have liked to have had the airline seat these people next to an obese person, then have the camera crew follow them on the plane and get their reaction when a 300 pound+ individual gets into the middle seat next to them and settles in for the five hour flight. Almost all of the people who were overweight said they thought it was fair. Interesting...

Don't you wish you could correct your heading after it posts? I know I've made typos in mine before too. Since yesterday every time I see that word "airkines" I just crack up.

If you are two fat people can you buy a third seat and share the middle seat for the overlap? That way you could split the cost of the extra space rather than both paying for whole seat. You probably only need a bit more space rather than an entire second seat!

as mentioned above, who the heck would want to be the southwest employee that tells someone they have to pay double cause their fat. while i agree with it, it is a lawsuit waiting to happen. but now a days EVERYTHING is a lawsuit for somebody.

Hey, why not charge parents of bratty children extra for the disturbance they cause other travelers? SW said the reason they were enforcing this rule is because of complaints. Maybe we can get them to have a section of the plane roped off for over-indulgent breeders and their annoying offspring!!<BR>

Oh, Kate!! Kiss me, you intolerant you. I think of SW, I see a combo Greyhound-Super 6 Motel with wings and a tail. And the passengers one would expect. Have you ever gone to an airport and not seen a huge crowd, monster line of just the most unwashed, unholy host in you life, waiting to check in their pillow cases and plastic go-go sacks at curbside, after alighting from a public bus! Can you imagine what a flight that must be!! And now SW has the nerve to administer a weigh-in, as though it's some boxing match. Hey, I got an idea - Mike Tyson may need a job - he could be SW's courtesy greeter, administering the fat test. If Big Mike can't stuff you into one of those baggage thingees, you buy two!

What if you're fat and you're traveling with Jack Sprat and he doesn't mind being "close to you"? You promise that he'll sit in the middle seat shielding the thrid party from the dreaded "overlap", do you still have to buy a second seat?

How cruel can you all be? no compassion for people no matter what size!!!! I am sadden by the remarks

So, if we are attributing SW's decision on the fact that over-breeding white-trash rednecks only fly Southwest we can assume that you only need to avoid flights to Orlando and Branson to make sure you get your fair amount of space!

to the top for sailor!

John, that was a good question - do they get 2 meals paying for 2 seats? <BR><BR>My question is: if somebody pays for 2 seats can they use the bathroom twice as long? Or take unused soap "to go" if they don't wash hands twice?

Sorry people of size. It was inevitable that this would happen.<BR><BR>My advice: Get on the Atkins diet...enjoy lots of red meat, chicken, butter, sour cream, eggs...lots o' protein (you can eat defenseless plants if you want to also) and you will lose the necessary weight so that you won't have to pay two for one.

Yes x, I do indeed wish that I could go back and change the title. In my haste to break this story to the Fodorites, I failed to see the error of my key-strokes. Everytime I see it, though, I whince in angst. &lt; : - (

I sold a first class seat to a great dane named peter. The buyer said the second ticket was his boy "peter smith". Can you believe he was denied boarding!!??

My airline sold a first class seat to a pig. Passenger said the animal was a handi-pig. The FAA did not find it amusing and fined us big time.