United to Charge Double

[kryos]

Yes I am a big guy and I do agree with your point 100% that if I was taking the space of the second seat then this would be unfair on the person/s sitting next to me however I would argue that these airlines should take into account there are large people in the world and maybe think about custormers comfort rather then how many small seats can we squeeze into a plane to make more money.

Believe me, I understand what you are saying. However, the fact is that most airlines today are in Chapter 11. They are struggling to stay afloat with the cheap airfares driving their profits down, and now by an economy that has made it a reality that less people are traveling. They need to squeeze as many seats into that cabin so that they can get as many people onto a single flight as they can, and thus eliminate other flights.

 

I don't like the size of coach seats either, but the fact remains that you get what you pay for, and in coach it's a small seat. If you can't comfortably fit into that, then the sad reality is that you have to pay to enjoy more room, whether that be in the form of a first class ticket, or a second coach one. Either way, it's not fair for the person next to you, who also has a very small seat, to have yet an even smaller one because there is a passenger of size sitting next to them.

 

Flying is rough for everyone today, especially in coach. The least the airline can do is make sure that we are each getting all of the room that our money purchased, and if that means some people having to pay for a second seat, then that's just life.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I was on a UA flight last week and sat next to a woman who boarded with her cello. The cello had its own window seat and seat belt extender. The cello's owner paid full price for the extra seat. Some would say, "well that's discrimination! That instrument should have ridden for free, there was no one in that seat anyway!"

No, there was no one assigned to that seat because the cello's owner paid for it. Had she not, then chances are there would have been someone sitting there and the owner's cello would have been traveling in the belly of the plane as baggage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I couldnt agree more!

 

And as for the person who compared the overweight person with the tall person, there IS a difference. A tall person cannot help how tall they are. It is totally out of their control. An overweight person, well, say what you want but there are very few overweight people with legitimate medical issues that cause them to be this way.

And if the tall person cannot pull his knees up to fit into that coach seat, then he too should have to pay for a second one, or better yet a first class seat where there is much more legroom.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[6rugrats]

No, there was no one assigned to that seat because the cello's owner paid for it. Had she not, then chances are there would have been someone sitting there and the owner's cello would have been traveling in the belly of the plane as baggage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

I think the point of this post was missed.

[pms4104]

But ... here's the question I have. What happens if a larger passenger is traveling with a friend or spouse, and they book a row with only two seats. Yes, the larger passenger will spill over into the other passenger's space, but that passenger tells the airline it is fine. I wonder if the large passenger will still be required to buy a second seat? I mean, if you are infringing on the space of a friend or spouse and they have no problem accommodating you, that shouldn't be the same thing as spilling over into the space of a stranger who very well will (and should) have a problem with it.

 

Wonder how that will be handled?

I would think in this case the acid test would apply ... is the POS able to secure himself safely using only one seatbelt extender?

[linda_22003]

I figure all of this will be a mute subject soon anyway when civil rights and civil liberty lobbyists get into the picture.

 

Dianne

 

I think you mean "moot", not "mute". Southwest's policy was challenged and passed through the courts just fine.

[6rugrats]

Believe me, I understand what you are saying. However, the fact is that most airlines today are in Chapter 11.

 

Most? Really?

 

Q. Which major domestic airlines are in Chapter 11 today?

 

A. None

[Palmetto Pilot]

another thing to consider with fuel prices as high as they are many airlines still base their weight and balance around the figure that each passenger is 154 lbs. Hardly realistic today but more weight = more fuel = higher operating cost.

[pms4104]

Most? Really?

 

Q. Which major domestic airlines are in Chapter 11 today?

 

A. None

I think Frontier still may be in bankruptcy ... tho I don't consider them a major player.

[Loves_Dogs]

And if the tall person cannot pull his knees up to fit into that coach seat, then he too should have to pay for a second one, or better yet a first class seat where there is much more legroom.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Yes, you are absolutely right.

 

My son is tall, well over 6 foot and is all legs. For this reason I always look at the plane and choose a seat where he is sitting next to me alone so I am the only one whose space he is using. More often than not, I book very early and try to get the fire exit row as it offers more leg space.

[Kim4]

I would be opposed to any government intervention in this (i.e. "it should be illegal). However, I think the free market could solve this problem just fine if it is allowed to work. If an airline mandated that people who take up 2 seats must pay for 2 seats, then people that do need 2 seats will find other airlines to fly. If there are enough of these people that need the 2 seats, then some other airline will vie for their business in some way -- whether it is building an airplane with slightly larger seats, or only charging one (slightly larger) fare per person, instead of per seat. I for one would love to pay a little bit more for a slightly larger seat at this new fictional airline :) I'm not sure how the economics of the airlines works, but I'm guessing that those slightly larger seats for more money is commonly called first class.

 

In my opinion, if the government got involved, as in mandating that every airline charge the same per person, not per seat, then we'd all lose. Either that would be with higher airfare for all of us, or an airline that has gone belly up because it couldn't afford to fly with fewer passengers per airplane.

[Sea Hag]

From my point of view, this is a very simple situation. The product that airlines sell is space on airplanes for people to travel in from one point to another. If a person needs more of that product - space - for whatever reason, then he or she should pay extra for more of that product. I can't think of anything else that I buy from anywhere else that a person would be entitled to more of whatever product it was simply because they wanted more or needed more. If I buy a donut for $1 and a 16 year old boy is also buying donuts, does he get two donuts for that dollar because his caloric needs are higher than mine? Nope. A person should get what they pay for - in my case a whole seat on an airplane - and a person should pay for what they get - in the case of some that would be the two airlines seats they need in order to fit. Simple.

[djmutters]

Well I suppose I'm just lucky I'm scared of heights therfore don't fly!!!

I ageee with some posts but not others so I shall agree to disagree :)

[paul929207]

I agree with most of the posters above. It is about time the airlines did this. If someone is going to sit in more than one seat, they need to book an extra.

[BEAV]

Partake of your ship's buffet? Pay double for your flight home post-cruise....

[buckirj1]

I'm a "just over the edge" passenger of size: i.e., I fit into the seat with the armrests down, only need an inch or two of a seatbelt extender, but it can get awfully crowded in those situations. I've never minded buying two seats to accomodate my thankfully, albeit slowly shrinking, bulk. I fly too infrequently to worry about double miles and other perqs, but it frosts me that the airlines make it difficult to book double seats without jumping through hoops. One of these days I'm going to book as *my name* in the first seat and *fat a$$* in the second seat just to see what they'd do. Actually, one of these days airfare will go down low enough that I'll buy the whole dang row!

[alphakitty]

I think it's ok for the airline to charge extra if a person takes up more than one seat. I am a plus sized woman and I fit fine in the seat with no extender. We are not talking about folks who are 30 or even 50 pounds over their ideal weight here. 1 in 3 people are obese, but it has to be a very extreme case to not fit in a seat. As small as the seats are, I've seen very large people in the seats. By UA's definition, "someone who needs more than one seat belt extension" would be very, very large indeed.

[Chat Noir]

I do believe I've heard of large people purchasing two seats only to have one taken away when it was seen to be 'empty' and the flight was oversold. Wonder if the person placed in that empty seat had a conniption fit about having to sit next to the fat person...

 

I'm no bag of bones, but thank goodness I fly with my dear sweet husband who is average sized... and he is always willing to sit touching me. :)

 

Next?

The smoker who smells of his last cigarette (gag)... The perfume bather (double gag)... The squalling toddler (oh, my ears!)... The airsick passenger who 'shares' their lunch (barf)... the laptop user with sharp elbows (ouch!)... The cold and allergy sufferer (achoo)...

[Taxguy77]

I KNOW I'd like your friend!;)

[6rugrats]

I'm a "just over the edge" passenger of size: i.e., I fit into the seat with the armrests down, only need an inch or two of a seatbelt extender, but it can get awfully crowded in those situations. I've never minded buying two seats to accomodate my thankfully, albeit slowly shrinking, bulk. I fly too infrequently to worry about double miles and other perqs, but it frosts me that the airlines make it difficult to book double seats without jumping through hoops. One of these days I'm going to book as *my name* in the first seat and *fat a$$* in the second seat just to see what they'd do. Actually, one of these days airfare will go down low enough that I'll buy the whole dang row!

 

Hilarious! The woman I sat next to who had to purchase a seat for her cello had the ticket booked in the name "Cello" and then her last name. There's no reason I can think of that you couldn't actually set up a Mileage Plus account in your suggested name :), and earn miles! I highly doubt a computer would "notice" it. You would have control of the account and could book an award ticket when you got enough!

 

Southwest actually makes it pretty easy to book two seats. Detailed instructions are on their webpage.

[paul929207]

I remember seeing some helicopter excursions on cruises where people weighing over 250 pounds had to pay double.

[6rugrats]

I do believe I've heard of large people purchasing two seats only to have one taken away when it was seen to be 'empty' and the flight was oversold. Wonder if the person placed in that empty seat had a conniption fit about having to sit next to the fat person...

 

 

The airline is aware the passenger purchased two seats. I wonder if it would be considered an involuntarily denied boarding situation if they took away your other seat for your other "body half" (trying not to offend).

 

You certainly would be due a refund and other compensation.

 

Of course the other person, who was probably a standby passenger would complain! Been on a plane lately? Complaints everywhere.

[Petronillus]

Most excessively corpulent persons I've known either are ultra-self-conscious about their outsizedness or have developed a thickness of skin that allows them to meet the stares of the judgmental with a "F*** you!" attitude. In either case, they are in a living hell, and it is almost universally true that for whatever physical or psychological reason they are suffering a condition they are powerless to control.

 

That said, I prefer the policy that United and (even better) Southwest have adopted over the tender-hearted regulation that the Canadian government has instituted. The Canadian airline industry endured a major ordeal in trying to figure out how to implement the regulation. The reg tipped the balance in the passenger's favor, but at least initially it offered no objective standards by which to determine the existence of the "disability" of obesity. For obvious reasons the airlines couldn't allow passengers simply to declare themselves so disabled. Eventually, I believe, it got sorted out, but I for one (who consider Montreal my favorite/favourite city in North America!) am not happy about having to bear, proportionately through the cost of my ticket, the extra cost of covering the special needs of the supersized.

 

Getting back to my initial point, I found the acronym POS puzzling at first, but figured out that it meant either "person of size" or "passenger of size." My previous exposure to the acronym was embedded in WPOS, which sadly stands for "worthless piece of . . . ." Again, it makes me think how sad is the plight of the obese.

[pms4104]

I remember seeing some helicopter excursions on cruises where people weighing over 250 pounds had to pay double.

I've seen that to be the maximum limit per passenger ... anyone appearing to lie about their weight was made to verify poundage by hopping on a floor scale, you know, the kind they use for cargo. In the case of a small helicopter, I would think it has to do with lift and safety of everyone onboard. I'm not so sure about the paying double part ... perhaps denied boarding totally and completely.

[buckirj1]

I do believe I've heard of large people purchasing two seats only to have one taken away when it was seen to be 'empty' and the flight was oversold. Wonder if the person placed in that empty seat had a conniption fit about having to sit next to the fat person...

 

You can bet I'd be pitching a big one if I'd purchased two seats and the airline tried to stick someone in my second seat. It only happened to me once, when some parent tried to sneak its lapbrat into the middle seat. The kid found its way back to the parent's lap real quick once I demanded compensation for MY seat. Always funny how they think their kids are the most precious things in the world until they're expected to pay for 'em