Rupert_Baehr Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Are you suggesting that people should have to pay twice for the same seat? It'd be fair only if I got two seats for my money. Then I could stretch out and not have some random smelly stranger next to me .... what bliss! That would be fair, imo.... The seats in Business class /First class are wider ... but they cost more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6671018/Obese-air-passenger-in-economy-seat-has-picture-taken.html Obese air passenger in economy seat has picture taken An image of an obese passenger squeezed into an economy airline seat has reopened a debate about how airlines deal with growing numbers of oversized passengers. The picture, posted on an aviation blog, was reportedly taken by a flight attendant to illustrate to airline managers the difficulty of dealing with passengers who cannot fit into seats. It is unclear if the man was aware his picture was being taken or whether the flight, on US carrier American Airlines, took off with the passenger spilling out of his seat. Airlines already offer extended seatbelts to larger passengers to comply with safety rules but a number of carriers now insist obese customers buy an extra seat. US domestic no-frills airline Southwest has a “customer of size” policy that insists passengers who cannot lower both armrests buy a second ticket which is reimbursed if the flight is not full. American Airlines does not have such a requirement but urges passengers to “recognize ahead of time that they may need to purchase two seats”. The image, apparently taken on a Boeing 757, was sent to writer Kieran Daly and posted on his blog at aviation news website, Flightglobal. It is not clear if the image has been altered but Mr Daly wrote: “This is sent to me with the absolute assurance that it's a genuine picture taken by a flight attendant at American Airlines. The F/A took it to show her manager what was happening on the aircraft (757???) and why she was unhappy about it. Seems the guy paid for only one seat and the gate staff let him board.” Comments below the blog entry illustrate the debate over how to deal sensitively with obese passengers while ensuring others have enough room. In a statement, American Airlines said: "At this time American Airlines is unable to confirm whether or not the image referred to was taken by a member of flight crew but will investigate the situation internally to determine if any of the airline's strict policies were not correctly applied. "American Airlines’ primary concern is for the safety and comfort of its passengers and crews and consequently passengers are advised to book two seats if they are concerned that they will require them. If a flight is not full, however, passengers' needs would be accommodated without charge wherever possible." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I understand that airline seats have widened over the last 30 years ago - I'm wider than I was 30 years ago, but the seats seem to be more roomy nowadays than they were then. Perhaps some people have widened at a greater rate? A (much earlier) poster asked whether passengers should be weighed to ensure that the aircraft isn't over-loaded. Some operators (flying small aircraft) certainly did that. When Glos-Air (and subsequently Aurigny Air Services) were operating Britten-Norman Islanders they weighed the passengers and the check-in clerk filled in a load sheet which allowed him to allocate the passengers to the right seats (to keep the A/C trim within limits.) - Nobody was charged extra for being heavy, but if you had a lot of heavy baggage in the rear of the aircraft, you didn't want very heavy passengers aft of the Centre of Gravity. Airlines are in business to make money - If they're lucky;). No doubt they will cut out frills and treat passengers as shabbily as they can get away with doing, but it's a competitive business. - Any airline which charges similar prices to the rest of the pack and which gets a reputation for treating passengers poorly will lose trade. The loss of one customer is no big deal, but if a few thousand customers desert an airline, that could mean the difference between operating at a small profit and making a loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 It must be an increasing danger that a plane cannot get off the ground because of the weight of the passengerst. On what evidence do you base this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phawley Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I used to do a lot of work at Gamston (Retford) Airport and was amazed to find out that the weight of a plane is so critical that when one was repainted it had to be weighed and recertified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pem123 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 On what evidence do you base this? Wouldn't be the first time it's happened. As a poster said earlier on, there's an episode of Air Crash Investigation where a plane dropped out of the sky after take-off because it was too heavy. You have to pay for leg-room and for luggage that's over by a kilo or 2, so fatties should also pay a supplement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 It's a nonsense argument. Yes aeroplanes do have strict weight and balance limits and there is a financial cost to carrying more weight. However this is never going to be enough of an operating factor that becomes a commercial factor on airliners. A few hundred kilos on a +75 tonne a/c is so much of an irrelevance that choice of diversion destinations and the weight of diversion fuel is calculated carefully but precise passenger load factors are simply averaged per person. All this thread is about is a few silly people fretting that somebody might somehow be getting something that they aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pem123 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 All this thread is about is a few silly people fretting that somebody might somehow be getting something that they aren't. Like two seats? If you choose to have kids you have to pay for the second seat. so likewise if you choose to eat so much that you require two you should also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 In extreme examples where somebody needs two seats then I absolutely agree with you. Those two seats are also then calculated as two pax. It's not a difficult situation and it is exactly what happens at the moment. Is that a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pem123 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 In extreme examples where somebody needs two seats then I absolutely agree with you. Those two seats are also then calculated as two pax. It's not a difficult situation and it is exactly what happens at the moment. Is that a problem? Are they charged for two seats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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