Are you too fat to fly?
Reports of airlines refusing to board some overweight passengers have the more than 1/3 of Americans who are obese wondering, am I too fat to fly?
ABC News reports that the FAA’s only steadfast rulings for obese travelers are that all passengers must be able to properly wear seat belts, a passenger cannot be seated in an emergency exit row seat if a seatbelt extension is required, and no aisle may be blocked by a passenger in case of an emergency.
If you think you may be too big to fly in a standard coach seat, there are a few steps to take to ensure that you, and the person sitting next to you, enjoy a comfortable flight.
- Buy an extra seat: As you may have read here recently, USA Today reports that some passengers will be “fully reimbursed for the second fare in 90% of cases.” Air France, Southwest, JetBlue and American Airlines now promise to reimburse obese fliers the fare of the second airline ticket if the plane isn’t full.
- The first come, first serve advantage: Southwest, EasyJet, and few other European low costs carriers offer early bird benefits for obese travelers. Travelers who show up at the airport early can board first and choose a desirable seat.
- Upgrade: If possible, purchase a business or first class airline ticket. The extra investment in your comfort is the difference between seats that are 17 to 18 inches wide and seats that are up 35 inches wide.
For the latest on airline specific policies regarding overweight passengers and other in-flight policies, read our Airline News page.
Related Posts
New air options get spring breakers to beach faster
This Southern secret’s out of the bag. What was once a regional ...
No liquids. No gels. No guns.
By now you may know about the 65-year-old woman who boarded an ...
Competitive routes: Toronto to New York
Competition’s really ratcheting up on Toronto flights to New York. Three Canadian ...
American, Copa to launch new Latin links
Lots of new Latin American flights these days. The region is doubly ...
Not sure what I think about this – its not fair to than airlines to give a free seat, but the seats are too small…oh well. I always hope I don’t have to sit next to anyone as fat or fatter than me!
Evan, do all airline passengers a service, and conduct a survey in which you ask each airline, “Do you permit a single passenger to purchase two seats?” You will be very surprised at some of your answers. Southwest Airlines’ Conditions of Carriage DO NOT permit a passenger to purchase more than one seat for his/her own comfort and/or the comfort of their seatmates. Only Southwest employees can determine (by looking at you) who is a Customer of Size, and if you can lower the armrest, you are entitled to only one seat. I had an extra seat taken from me — after check in — when Southwest needed the seat in an overbooking situation. Delta has a similar policy; in an overbooking situation, Delta will confiscate an extra seat and will not provide a refund. Airline passengers need to know that buying an extra seat is not always permitted.
I’m with Leslie on this one. Why is the “average” coach seat 17 to 18 inches when the average American behind is 22 or 23 inches? If you’re target market is much larger than your product, why not fix the situation? Today 60 percent of Americans are overweight and 1/3 is obese.
Similarly most Americans are not 5 feet tall and I cringe when I see 6 foot plus men and women crammed into the row that is far too narrow for them to sit comfortably. Raise the ticket prices and fix the seating.