Money Moral Dilemma: Should Andy complain about the Big Bob on his flight?

MSE_Jenny

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:

Should Andy complain about the Big Bob on his flight?

Average Andy is on a 14 hour flight from London to Miami. He is just settling into his window seat ready for take off, when Big Bob, a very large, tall passenger comes and sits next to him (either he's an extreme body builder or seriously obese – you decide). Big Bob is literally spilling over into Andy’s seat, hogging the arm rest, depriving him of space and making him very squashed and uncomfortable. The flight’s full, so there’s nowhere for Andy to move. Should Andy ask for some money back or grin and bear it?

Click reply to have your say

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MothballsWallet

Personally speaking, I'd grin and bear it until I got home, then write a letter to the airline explaining the situation and asking for a partial refund or some other compensation (but not vouchers as they're usually time-limited).

It does depend on the airline's policy - if Bob effectively needs 2 seats, then he should have had to pay for 2 seats, but aircraft tend to be designed to pack as many people into Economy as possible to make money for the airline). If Bob technically occupies just 1 seat, then Andy may just have to grin and bear it and not go with that airline again.

Last time I was on a Korean Air 747-400, I was in the row behind an emergency exit row and I still had plenty of leg room to be comfortable, and I'm nearly 6 feet tall...

OddjobKIA

avaerage andy should have gone a few years ago on concord done the flight in 3 hours and big bob wouldnt have physicaly got on the plane.




grin and bear it its over get on with life

ddudgeon

I think some airlines will make larger passengers buy two seats for fly during less busy flights. It's awkward to ask, but I think it is at least worth bringing it up with the flight attendant at the time. Otherwise, the airline can later say that you didn't attempt to rectify the situation. (Plus, how can you prove the person next to you was oversized?)

reehsetin

why not just ask a stewardess on the flight if they could move?

so3003

I'd complain discreetly, and ask to be moved to another seat. I've thankfully not had quite the same experience as that, though I did fly 8 hours from Washington to Heathrow with a guy who sniffed constantly throughout the flight. That was annoying - and I did get some extra food and drink from the cabin crew in sympathy.

photome

Fat people should be weighed and charged accordingly, either for excess weight or for two seats.

Yes Andy should complain

King_Drax_I

ddudgeon wrote: »

I think some airlines will make larger passengers buy two seats for fly during less busy flights. It's awkward to ask, but I think it is at least worth bringing it up with the flight attendant at the time. Otherwise, the airline can later say that you didn't attempt to rectify the situation. (Plus, how can you prove the person next to you was oversized?)

Definitely. And if a person takes up more than one seat, they should pay for more than one seat. If I wanted two Mars bars, I'd expect to pay for two Mars bars. It should be the same for airline, bus, train, whatever seats.

However it follows from this that you can't pay for 1.25 seats or whatever, so if a person's bulk makes the adjacent seat unuseable and therefore unchargeable, then the 1.25 needs to be rounded up to twice the price.

sweetcheeks

Yes Andy should complain,i have been in the same situation from newcastle airport to orlando - 2 passengers who quite frankly should have paid for 4 they were so obese!!!
passengers of the larger variety need to have 2 seats for themselves - pay twice for the comfort!!!

garyrjb

graemecarter wrote: »

I had a situation once where I had a beast of a woman next to me on a flight from Malaga to Heathrow. And she really stank too. She really encroached on my seat, and when I asked her to move sideways a bit, she physically couldn't. I was left with 2 choices
1) Tell the air stewardess to get her moved
2) Move myself

I had a quiet word with the air stewardess, and she sympathised with my plight and got me moved to a spare seat (not business class unfortunately). I thouhgt this was fairer than getting her moved and the humiliation it would have caused her.
The BA staff said they would tag her name in future and would tell her she would have to in the future either
a) buy business/first class seats
b) lose weight
c) buy 2 economy seats.

If I was in that situation where they couldn't have moved me, I would have definitely have kicked up a massive fuss and demanded a refund. I would have got someone to take pictures on my camera too so there would be no dispute.
I see that as my right - I have paid good money for that seat, and want to use it all

I had this exact problem coming back from Slovakia. I am 6' 4" and about 17 stone myself but I was between a man mountain and a rather small lady. the only way I could sit in the seat if I leant across the lady,which was totally unacceptable to me what made it worse is that the departure lounge was like a green house and the man was actually wet to the touch! believe me this bloke DID sweat much for a fat lad.

Any way I complained discreetly to the stewardesses and they let me sit on the crew seats apart from the landing.

What really did p!$s me off was that when going through the arrivals lounge I realised the man and lady and another passenger were all together (business relationship I presume) and deliberately booked seats apart so as not to be uncomfortable themselves.

I say Complain but it is embarrasing.

tallgirld

Oh yeah he should definetly complain!!! He should ask for half his fare back:D