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

misterspoon · 19 December 2007 at 11:02AM

I'm pretty skinny myself. Should I get a discount on my seat? - as I take up less space and weight, therefor burning less fuel and probably eating less food.
Oh, and I do think I would prefer a big person next to me than a screaming kid. Talk about heart-sinking, a 12 hour flight with some brat kicking the back of your seat and screaming in your ear.
It would be nice to have a few big seats on the plane and a kids area, but of course this would cost.

Ali_UK · 19 December 2007 at 11:12AM

My most recent long haul flight was taken after having lost a chunk of weight and getting my hips down to 40 inches (still a way to go but I'll get there). It still shocks me that the airlines are allowed to make seats so small that even the slimmer me still felt penned in by the arm-rests.

Given that we're in the grip of a national obesity crisis it's something that needs to be addressed by the airlines, although I'm not sure how. The seats are just so small that even if you're sat next to someone with broad shoulders (not necessarily and overweight person) you're in for a very uncomfortable flight!

Needless to say I've given up on window seats now, I'd rather sit across the aisle from my partner than be squashed against the window!

sad_gills_fan · 19 December 2007 at 11:36AM

I had the misfortune of being seated next to a larger than large person on a flight from Tenerife some years ago.

Their party consisted of child, the mum and dad and then a grandparent. Every one of them was overweight by a huge amount, even the child sadly. The mum, child and grandparent had 3 seats together then the dad was with seated with my partner and I opposite.

Now I appreciate that there are medical reasons why people are larger than 'average' but surely if people are so embarrassed about being bigger, they should be helped by the airline to book accordingly (2 seats etc). The airlines can only help of course if the passenger explains the situation and I'm sure some people don't bother. The airlines clearly don't make this easy for people though as their seats are designed for size 6 skinny people ... does anyone actually fit properly?

The big guy next to me was, in a word, horrible. He smelt (hot weather in Tenerife!), he took up the arm rest plus about 3 inches of my seat, couldn't breathe properly as his lungs were crushed and snored even when he was awake. To top off the horrible start to our journey, the staff said we would be stuck on the runway for about an hour and the air conditioning would have to be turned off while we waited!! Stop laughing now, it really was NOT funny!!

Anyway, we didn't say anything to the guy or his family, although I wanted to as I felt he knew there was a problem but ignored it to save himself embarrassment. I asked the staff to move us and luckily there were 2 spare seats elsewhere. If there were not spare seats, I definitely would have made a fuss. A different flight for us or them or my money back for the seat I couldn't sit in.

With babies it's quite different and although I get frustrated if they don't stop crying, I understand that they can't explain their needs or pains. As long as the parent is doing their best to placate them and not ignoring them, then I can live with that. I suffer with my ears on planes so know how painful it is.

The thing that annoys me the most is when the people behind you stand up to move and pull back on your chair, then springboard you forward when they let go!!

sbb1979 · 19 December 2007 at 11:45AM

JayD - I think that you need to read the posts more carefully. Nobody's saying anything about the average build. There's a large gap between a person of the average build, and someone who takes up half of the seat next to them. And yes, the airlines are obliged to give the passengers the space that they have paid for.

Of course it impossible for them to see how large a passenger is when they make the booking. This is where it comes to the larger person taking responsibility for their size and the effect that it would have on someone sitting next to them. They should let the airline know about it. If they do not, then it is they who are being selfish, not the poor person who is being squashed. Again, we are not talking about someone with a little extra weight. We are talking about someone who is taking up the width of 1.5 people. If the larger person fails to mention it when booking, then the next person responsible is the person at check-in who has a chance to sort the whole thing out before anybody gets on the plane and can minimize any embarrassment. If they fail to address the situation there, then it is down to the flight crew to sort it out when they are greeting the passengers. If it makes it to the stage where the passenger who is being squashed has to complain, then there has been a failing by both the larger passenger, and two stages of the airline. At that stage it will cause embarrassment for all of the passengers who witness it, both passengers involved and also the crew. Is this the fault of the person who is innocently sitting there expecting rightly to have a whole seat to themselves?

derx · 19 December 2007 at 12:00PM

On the same basis you are talking about, if I was fat through no fault of my own, would that make a difference, or does it have to be self inflicted fat?

Then we get into the realms of why people with lots of hair pay the same for a haircut as people with very little hair, and why old people who take 3 times as long to board a bus pay the same as fit young people .... dodgy ground!

madeira4u

UKJubilee_2 · 19 December 2007 at 12:03PM

If I was Andy and there was no spare seats I would spend a lot of time in the back of the plane chatting to whoever else happens to be back there. I might say something to the stewardess to a) explain my continued presence at the back of the plane and b) cause they might let me sit in one of the cabin crews seats for a bit instead.

On the money side I don't think he is entitled to a full refund, the airline has taken him to his destination and probably did not know that a larger person was flying. It would be nice if in recompense they upgraded his return flight to the next class up or failing that maybe offered him some compensation dependent on how helpful the cabin crew were in the above point.

Also, perhaps most importantly he should be more aware of the risk of DVT as he will be more squashed which is also another very good reason for him to get out of his seat and wander around the plane.

P.S I have never sat next to a larger person that has bothered me on a plane but did once next to quite an aromatic person which was making me feel ill and thats what I did...just stood at the back and chatted for a long time.

katiekittykat · 19 December 2007 at 12:09PM

This happened to me a flight to Las Vegas, there was a very large lady sat next to me and her thigh and body spilled over onto my seat which made me very uncomfy. (and i shouldn't imagine she was too comfy either)

I wrote a letter to complain, but never got a response.

I think they should be made to buy two seats .. or pay for half of mine!!!

It is unfair that other people should suffer, especially on long haul flights.

aitchbee_2 · 19 December 2007 at 12:35PM

It annoys me intensely that airlines charge us extra for baggage these days, yes we all know taht it's just another ploy to get money out of us but the excuse they use is weight...I am about 9 stone and have to pay the extra fees. On a recent trip back from Corfu i was told to pay about £60 for the extra... i was furious. The family at the side of me were all huge and i would guess the father alone weighed as much as my case. It is wrong that they do this - i dont know if they paid extra fees but if we were weighed with our cases on a person by person basis then they would have been bankrupt.

Thankfully i wasn't sat next to them - it would have been the last straw!!

I thank you!!

-Alex- · 19 December 2007 at 12:42PM

I'd say that this is something the airlines need to start dealing with instead of avoiding the issue. Look at Hannah2 for example, someone who tried to order 2 seats and ended up classed as a tall person. Every airline needs a clear large person policy, even if it means paying for two seats or having planes with a small number larger economy seats to accommodate large passengers.

The problem is that the people who end up suffering when they sit next to a large person has to try and tiptoe around the whole issue as not to cause embarrassment to the person sitting next to them, even if it causes a lot of distress and a very uncomfortable flight.

Yogibear · 19 December 2007 at 1:02PM

I agree Andy should complain,I had the unfortune experience of flying from Glasgow/Iceland/ Boston a few years ago a rather obese lady threw herself down into the seat asking me `do you have enough room`I said no your sitting on me as well as the seat. these people should be put in the hold,[only joking?!!:D I complained at the time and when I got home,never even got a reply. from Icelandair. the seats are bad enough if your tall, I`m 6 feet and 14st.

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

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