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Girth Surcharge: Should Overweight People Pay More to Fly?
While boarding a Southwest flight on Sunday, I found myself in the back of the airplane looking at the two remaining seats--both of which were middle seats. One, however, was next to a particularly overweight woman whose girth spilled over into the free seat. Can you guess which seat I ended up choosing? That's a no-brainer.
Fellow passengers who infringe on another person's sitting area tend to be particularly despised. And yet, there is only one American carrier who has done anything about it; Southwest.
A fascinating article in Sunday's New York Times tackles the issue of overweight passengers taking up too much space on planes. Southwest, Charles Passy writes, solves the problem by simply forcing obese passengers to buy a second seat onto which their fat may spill.
And what constitutes obese? A person who cannot lower the armrest while sitting down.
Naturally, the airline was sued for discrimination. Southwest, however, surprisingly won. Perhaps this was due to another lawsuit in which a passenger on Delta successfully sued the airline after sitting next to a 450 pound man who encroached well into the plaintiff's seat. The plaintiff sued under the pretext that he had paid for a full seat and did not receive one.
So, what to do? From a purely selfish standpoint, I agree with Southwest; an overweight person should purchase a second seat so as not to squish their fellow passengers. On the other hand, I understand the discrimination at play here.
I suppose things could be worse for the grossly obese: they could be charged for their weight. On most airlines they pay the same cost as I do, but are allowed to board with a few hundred pounds of excess baggage. And yet, if my personal luggage weighs more than 50 pounds, I have to pay $50 in excess fees. Does this mean that I'm subsidizing someone else's chocolate milk shake that went straight to their hips?
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
a person Oct 16th 2006 2:35PM
As a deaf person, I subsidise / pay for your audio entertainment on board, your right to hear passenger announcements.
All people are different, and boxing people into a norm (by virtue of the services you provide, in this case the size of a seat), then you start to run into problems. If airlines had bigger seats in the first place / leg room, then there wouldn't be an issue.
a person Oct 16th 2006 2:19PM
As a deaf person, I subsidise / pay for your audio entertainment on board, your right to hear passenger announcements.
All people are different, and boxing people into a norm (by virtue of the services you provide, in this case the size of a seat), then you start to run into problems. If airlines had bigger seats in the first place / leg room, then there wouldn't be an issue.
Valerie Oct 17th 2006 12:25PM
When the researchers actually find useable cures for exercise induced asthma, hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (look it up!), and ways to counteract the various genes and hormones that directly influence weight gain, then you and everyone else are welcome to discriminate against those who actually choose to be fat all you want.
In the meantime, your comment about a milkshake going directly to someone's hips is deeply offensive to me and to many others for whom their weight is a constant battle--I wonder when you last drank a milkshake? I haven't been able to drink one in several years!
Lillian Alston Oct 16th 2006 3:05PM
We all know that the size of the seats on airplanes and the distance allowed between rows of seats are engineered to get the maximum number of seats on each plane for reasons of profit. Airline seating is not designed for passenger comfort! If you want comfort on a flight, you have to pay for first-class seating! It all boils down to the bottom line for the airline--PROFIT. So when an airline requires a large person to purchase two seats, once again, the end result is PROFIT for the airline. Going forward, airline should be required to install larger seats and allow more leg room for all classes of seating on all newly ordered aircraft.
Trent Oct 16th 2006 3:06PM
Bravo, Southwest!
isabel Oct 16th 2006 3:22PM
Flying these days is a miserable experience under the best of conditions.
I have been seated next to grossly overweight people who used part of my seat. I have also been seated next to drunks, fidgets, crying babies, armrest thugs, people with serious halitosis, knuckle-crackers and gum-snappers.
I do agree that, if a passenger cannot make him or herself comfortable within the parameters of their assigned seat, they should purchase an additional seat for their own comfort. This also goes for parents that travel with a child too big or too restless to sit quietly on their lap.
ed mark Oct 16th 2006 3:29PM
I suffer from chronic back pain -Does that give me the right to strech over into your seat -ans,,,a big FAT NO!!..many surveys have been done on the size of airline seats...If you dont fit into the seat, purchase two...Have you ever wondered how a overweight person can safely get out of a plane in a emergency? put them in a window seat[i want the aisle]
Susan Oct 16th 2006 3:50PM
As a previous flight attendant, and an avis airline traveler myself, I applaud Southwest!
I so agree with their stand. I do feel badly for the MINORITY of obese that have a medical condition and cannot help their size, but for the vast MAJORITY of obese, lay off the ding dongs and you won't have to buy 2 seats.
Paula Oct 16th 2006 3:50PM
I completely agree that anyone that can not fit into an airplane seat should have to purchase an additional ticket. There is no reason that another passenger should have to sit uncomfortably during a flight because someone else's fat is encroaching on their space. Not only is it gross but it makes for a miserable flight. Isn't this sort of a no-brainer? It certainly isn't discrimanatory since the person is unquestionably taking up part of the other person's seat. I hope all the airlines follow suit!
Iz Oct 16th 2006 4:06PM
This is a hard topic to express an opinion on as my intent is not to judgemental or critical of a persons size. It is uncomfortable to be a regular sized person flying coach. I can only imagine the discomfort of an obese person trying to do the same. The obese person should consider thier own comfort as well as the passenger that sits next to them and either fly 1st class or purchase 2 seats. I have experienced several flights where a large person had violated my precious few inches of personal space. Why should I have to put up with the fat arms and fat legs of a stranger touching me during the flight as I am skished to the far end of my seat, sitting on the uneven contour portion. After all it is the space I payed for.
Also the weight of cargo, human or otherwise directly effects fuel consumption. This is one reason airlines now have restictions on quanity and weight of checked luggage, and charge extra to cover the added cost of fuel. I wonder how airlines calculate combined passenger weight? I wonder if a flight may be in danger of crashing or running out of fuel if by freak fate carried to many obese passengers?
Big people buy big sturdy furniture, big people buy big clothes. In the case of an airline they should buy 2 seats.
Elise Oct 16th 2006 5:31PM
Will skinny people and children get fare reductions for taking up less space? The seats are really tight and uncomfortable for most adults of average size. The average size woman is Size 14 and the seats are too tight for them. Larger seats and more leg room should be demanded by everybody. All plus size people and supporters for common sense should boycott Southwest
ANne Oct 16th 2006 9:56PM
I agree that when you purchase a seat you should receive your rented amount of real estate. I am very claustrophobic and flying just makes it worse. Having to be under a person that I don't know for hours on an over night flight overseas or foot the bill to first class is a nightmare. The trick is to book in advance, and tell the airlines of your condition. Get a two row seat for you and your companion and take the isle seat. If traveling alone Tell them in advance that you have this condition and the will have to place you in a comfortable seat. I have been taken to a hospital because of this.
The obese lady actually insisted on raising the armrest because it hurt her and filled half my seat. And she knitted, Constand elbows! ( I am a tall sized 9 female.) After 3 hours I ended up with chest pains and on a connection in Atlanta DELTA had to take me to the ER. They were very nice though.
So there are more problems that only discomfort.
Elizabeth Oct 16th 2006 4:22PM
Of course obese people should have to purchase an additional ticket. That goes without saying in my opinion and the airlines should enforce it. I know when I fly if I run into that situation, I have voiced my objection and been reassigned to another seat and even bumped to first class. I paid for a seat to so I am entitled to a full seat. I am tired of the word discrimination, there feeings get hurt because of their own lack of will power. The amount of peopl who genuinly have a medical condition causing obesety is so small that is is not applicable to this discusion. But even those who have a medical condition can surely understand that I don't want to share my seat. How is it fair that regardles of what caused their condition I have to sit uncomfortably in my seat?
Richard Barber Oct 16th 2006 4:28PM
There is also another problem. Tall people with long legs. On a recent trip my wife was seated in the middle seat and had a very tall man on the isle seat. Having no place to put his legs he chose to spread them into the middle seat space making her most uncomfortable. Now what? Two seats for tall people?
Toni Oct 16th 2006 5:07PM
All these people who have commented about how uncomfortable it is to sit with an obese person have never had the problem of battling weight. Obese people are not all lazy slobs as some of you seem to think. Believe me, they do not want to be squished any more than you do. The airlines should make seats larger and more comfortable for all of their passengers.
Danyel Oct 17th 2006 10:18AM
I think that if you are really obese and need two seats then by all means you should be charged for the extra seat/seats that you require. We charge extra for everything in this country......so why should over weight people be off limits?
tiffany Oct 16th 2006 5:27PM
i must say that i am sincerly dissapointed with how comfortable people have become with insulting fat/obese people. I think that, as a large woman, if i can sit in a seat with my armrest down and my legs in front of me that i should only need to pay for one seat. For those people out there that look at overweight people, even those who do NOT have a medical condition, and feel that it is okay to be unnescesarily mean, i hope that you one day find out what it feels like to be trapped. I do believe that it is my personal responsibility to keep myself healthy, but it is not your responsibility, duty, perogative, right, or place to cause someone emotional pain because of a physical attribute. We already pay more for food, clothes, medication, larger cars, and therapy because of the evil and mean-ness that people like you put in to this world; so consider flying next to someone whos "fat is encroaching on your seat" payback for all of that. Besides, blind people pay full price for concerts even though they can't see, and deaf people pay full price for movies even though they can't hear, and when fat people go to theme parks we have to pay for a full price ticket even though we can't ride the rides. Consider givng me a discount for my disney tickets, or a pay raise and tuition reduction in winter since my fat keeps me warm so that i am not "using up" as much central heating as my fellow "thin" co-workers and students. Maybe then i will consider buying an extra airline seat. Oh, and one more thing, may i suggest that you offer a stipend to all of the christians that you know, since they must be, undoubtably, praying for your soul.
JW Oct 16th 2006 5:50PM
Once again we have a problem that shouldn't be 'personal' but gets made so by both sides. We buy a ticket for a whole seat and are entitled to it. When we go to a movie or concert is it just accepted that we can fill the seat of the person next to us? Of course not. What ever the reason, genetic or doughnut, the thing that matters is the SPACE. Not why the space is filled. It is not descrimimation, it's phyisics. Two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Anyone remember that?
There is no reason to make personal attacks on the ones that are to big to fit in the seats. It is the airlines duty to make sure we are all given the goods (in this case a whole seat) we purchase. I think everyone agrees that planes are uncomfortable and guess what we all get to vote, with our money.
Alyce Holleman Oct 17th 2006 10:04AM
True story - My husband worked for Hughes Airwest in the '70's. When the hugely obese woman was required to purchase two seats she was highly angry and insulted.
When the ticket agent wrote F A T across the top of her ticket folder, she was enraged.
As it turned out, however, she was flying to Fresno, and F A T is the station letters, such as LAX is LA international, and DEN is Denver ...
Just a little anectdote...
gwen Oct 16th 2006 6:14PM
Was glad to see this article. Stop with the discrimination crap. In this day and age there is help out there for those who want it. I fly every week and yes I had to sit next to someone who also sat in my seat more than once. As soon as they check in and the ticket agent see them at the counter they should be making sure no one has to sit next to them. It is not fair that someone has to have the other person constantly rubbing on them. Digusting