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Delta passenger gets half of a seat
Overweight airline passengers are a tricky issue. Some airlines stipulate that extra large passengers must pay more, sometimes even the price of two tickets, as they take up additional space. This obviously leads to a mess of questions regarding discrimination and customer service. Recently the Canadian Transport Authority mandated that national carriers were not allowed to institute a "fat surcharge." Yet these kinds of decisions don't do much to quell a complicated situation. Take the recent case of Julie from Henderson, Nevada.
Julie wrote in to MSNBC's Travel Troubleshooter with a complicated query. On a Delta flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Julie was placed next to a very large woman, who was filling up not only her own space, but also half of Julie's. Much to Julie's dismay, there was no extra room in first class or in the rest of the plane. The flight attendant's solution? "Find a cute boy or girl" and sit in their lap.
As ridiculous as that statement probably sounds, Julie's predicament is not uncommon, and when planes are fully booked there are not any simple solutions. When she emailed Delta to complain about paying for a whole seat and only getting half of one, they politely responded by thanking her for the input but that the airline could not do anything about it. I personally would feel pretty frustrated if I paid for a full price ticket and then had to squeeze myself into half of a seat; a lot of people would.
Should Delta be held responsible? What do you think the solution to the complicated question of overweight travelers in the sky is?
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
LindaLeeLee Feb 3rd 2008 6:31PM
If I was Julie, I'd contest my credit card charge for the ticket and have them fight for her.
I'd then contact my home News Stations for air time. Many have Consumer Advocates who try to settle these types of consumer issues. Hope she took a pix of herself squished in 1/2 a seat.
KDS Feb 3rd 2008 10:43PM
I am a frequent flyer, I simply will not share the seat that I have paid for...All you have to do is start squacking (sp) about it being a safety issue and you will have the attention of everyone in charge on that airline, they will offer you a solution, they don't want to get sued if something (God-forbid) did happen on that flight and they jeopardized your safety. Try it, it works
JUDY Feb 4th 2008 3:53PM
While I feel bad for people who are big ,and it doesn;t matter if they are big because they eat too much or if it a medical reason. There is no way that these people do not know that they need 2 seats. I sat by a large man not fat but just a big guy on a very long filled up flight.
He was so crushed in that seat. I took the arm rest out between us and gave him some room. It wasn't a whole lot of room but it helped him and he appreciated it.
I have also sat next to over weight people who not only take up half your seat but the arm rest and have total disregard that you too paid for your seat. When the airlines see at check in that this person needs more room and the flight is full they should ask this person to wait for a different flight or maybe ask a passanger if they would wait for a different flight to accomodate this person and give the guy /gal that switches flight a 50 percent discount on their next flight.
It really is unfair to have someone taking your seat. Also I believe these large people KNOW that they need 2 seats and don't give a hoot about anyones elses comfort.
john Feb 4th 2008 4:31PM
to H*** with special size seats or anything else.a 300 or 400 pound blob wants to fly, make em buy two tickets. overweight is one thing, OBESE, grossly obese people need a lifestyle change seriously. Fat A** americans that feed there face like pigs, certainly eat enough for 3 people..let em but 2 tickets!
DJ Feb 4th 2008 9:29PM
Do you people really believe that heavy people buy airline tickets to fly from one place to another just to get on board the plane and piss you off by sitting next to you and being larger then the extremely small seat that is provided by the airline? Come on now, lets be realistic. While I agree that comfort is an issue in this situation, I strongly feel that the reponsibility falls on the shoulders of the airlines. I disagree that any person should have to pay less or more based on their body build, height, size, weight, or anything else of that nature. It is commonly known that Americans seem to be larger people in general, and airlines which fly in and out of the US should be accomodating to ALL their customers...big AND small.
Even being a smaller person, wouldn't you find it nice to have a bigger seat with more leg room, and not have to worry about your arms being in the way of the food and drink carts that roll down the isle??
Airplanes are not the only means of transportation even where going overseas is concerned. If it is THAT much of an issue to you....find another means of transportation and maybe then the airlines will meet the needs of ALL of their customers in a fair and impartial way.
People who are heavy due to medical conditions often cannot AFFORD to pay extra for two seats or first class due to their medical bills, and often times are fortunate to be travelling at all. Have a little compassion and be reminded that you could end up in the 17 inch seat with a medical condition that prevents your butt from being 17 inches.
cyberma777 Feb 4th 2008 9:49PM
All of the seats in economy class are too small. People are squashed like sardines. I cannot understand why people don't rebel against this inhumane treatment. All seats should all be made larger. That would help this problem.
Unwilling traveler Aug 3rd 2008 12:55PM
I COMPLETELY agree. Make the seats 25% larger and charge the approprate fare. I am a larger than average person but don't (usually) take up more than my share. I would likely pay extra to have a seat I know I will be comfortable in and won't have to worry about other passengers. There is a market for this, I am sure. But that would entail re-configuring planes and I am also sure the airlines won't do this. In fact, I am sure the airlines won't be doing anything AT ALL for their passengers' comfort in either the near or distant future. Flying sucks, it always will unless you are rich. End of story.
Marian Feb 5th 2008 12:05AM
As the mother of a grown obese child some of these comments really make me sad. My daughter didn't choose to be fat. She doesn't hold a burger in one hand and a taco in the other. It was not a choice for her to be fat. Dieting and exercise have been regular since childhood. I hope and pray as she goes thru life that she never runs into some of the people on this page. Who by the way are probably the ones with screaming dirty diapered kids. Or hey what about a bath before the flight buddy and lay off the perfume/aftershave. Flying is not a pleasant experience in the first place. There is no solution for any of these problems...quit b****ing.
A VERY tight fit Feb 5th 2008 5:05AM
It has been almost 18 years, yet I can still remember how excrutiating the flight was. I was flying from Dallas back to Northern CA. According to the pilot, the heat on the runway was in excess of 120 degrees. And we were in a line of more than two dozen planes to take off. I was in my 36th week of pregnancy, with the doctors note that I could fly in my handbag. Yes, I had put on some 50 pounds during the pregnancy, but I still fit within my seat. It was the gentleman who sat next to me. He was so large that the arm rest could not be put down. I am sorry, but if you cannot fit within the seat with the armrest down, I believe you should purchase two seats, or fly first class with larger seats. It is not fair to the rest of us who have paid for a seat and do not get what we paid for. The flight attendents were concerned for my wellbeing, but there were no alternative seats. After more than two hours our flight took off. I am ashamed to say the flight reduced me to tears, and I would hate for any other woman in my shoes to go through what I did.
fivestartt Feb 7th 2008 11:56AM
Hello -
I felt I had to respond... our stories are similar (mine was 15 years ago, you can read my post if you like).
I can TRULY empathize with you and am sorry this happened! Can also completely understand how completely miserable you were, and why you remembered the experience so clearly.
Fido Feb 5th 2008 1:33PM
At check-in there should be a rack stating "does your phat ass fit in here?", just the one for carry-on luggage....
This sort of thing has happened to me more than I would like with the only happy person being the phat ass next to me!
I see the need for a new airline called "Phatty Airways" were we cater to the full figured phat asses (aka passenger)!!!
angie Apr 8th 2008 8:41PM
Hey FIDO - here boym here boy - go suck on a bone. I read these things to see how many ignorant and plain stupid people are ain America. WOW - there are tons - and yes there are tons of obese people - not phatt. If you want obese to pay more than I guess you should pay more to attend school or college since you are so ignorant you will need more learning time and so will your kids. Also, with a name like fido you must be a pure ugly dog. I guess that means you should pay extra cause I don't want to be seated next to some butt ugly thing and have to sit and see IT for the entire flight. Oh, 1 more thing I may be FAT, but you are ugly and I can choose to go on a diet and loose weight. Ugliness goes clear to the bone and you can't do a thing about it. You ugliness shows through in you comments. Did your mom have to tie a bone around you neck to make the family dog play with you? When you go to get a drink of water at a water fountain do you have to sneak up on it? Nasty comments can go both ways and now you are the phatt azz who is the butt of the comment. Now, go chase the cat. Have a wonderful day.
wedgeclose Feb 5th 2008 4:59PM
Plain and simple...if you can't fit into one seat and you won't buy two then you can't fly! Sick and tired of hearing all these so called "fat" know it alls crying because they have the right.....Fact: You don't have the right to any part of my seat nor do you have the right to get in my way in God forbid an emergency where you can't get your butt out of the plane quickly. They should have a sample seat in the gate area...any one in question should be forced to sit in the seat with the arm rests down...if you can't fit you ain't riding in my bus.
William Feb 6th 2008 1:50PM
In New Zealand, I remember reading about a passenger who threatened to take Air New Zealand to the Small Disputes Tribunal for compensation after a similar situation and a similar response from the airline... and a full refund was forthcoming.
I'm surprised in a litigious country like the US that noone has tried to sue... on the other hand, Americans do seem to be quite content to let themselves be done-over by their airlines...
Greg Feb 6th 2008 1:54PM
People of a certain "GIRTH" should have to fly first class to accommodate their blubberbutts. Hey, do conjoined twins have to pay for two seats if they are not as wide as blubberbutt?
Mark Feb 6th 2008 10:03PM
I made a trip to Vietnam last year. On my return every time I changed planes the people got bigger and bigger. By the time I left Houston there were two people who requested a seatbelt extender as soon as they got to their seat. These two people could not sit in the same row with each other and the plane was a small turboprop that was fully booked. Why can't the airlines set some rules that state that if you are overweight and do not book two seats then you will be put on the next flight that has enough room for you and the wheelbarrow that you use to haul your fat rear?
Mom Feb 7th 2008 2:45AM
I have been on planes when the passenger in front of mewas in half a seat due to a large man that needed 2 seats....needless to say the man without a full seat was very upset....
Jen Feb 7th 2008 3:37AM
I have been situated next to an "oversized" person many times, but have always been fortunate enough to be able to move to another seat. I feel for the people who are larger than the seat, but I think it is LESS fair to have someone large taking up part of your seat than to ask someone large to pay for two seats. It sucks to be forced to pay more just because you are large, but it sucks worse to have someone's body spilling over onto your seat! It's not discrimination to require a person whose body consumes two seats pay for those two seats.
Prince of Paradise Feb 7th 2008 6:30AM
If I had to be squeezed into HALF a seat, I would be singing on the entire flight... ever hear of the song "FAT BOTTOM GIRLS" ?..... I am sure there are other appropriate songs as well. First of all, as far as I know... ALL airlines have armrests for EACH passenger. WHY did this lady complaining about the FAT lady just simply not put the armrest down ???? SIMPLE SOLUTION !!!
fivestartt Feb 7th 2008 11:37AM
15 years ago I had a nasty experience with an airline seatmate.
I was in my center seat and the window seat was also occupied. The aisle seat was empty until about 10 minutes prior to departure, when a VERY large woman filled it.
She didn't raise the armrest between us, but it wouldn't have mattered. Once she got settled into her seat, no one could have located the armrest. This woman literally bulged out, over, under, and around BOTH armrests and a full 1/3 of the way into my seat, and fell the same distance on the other side into the aisle around THAT armrest. Honestly, the flight attendants could not get the cart past her without her physically lifting part of herself out of the way with her left hand - and even then the cart became WEDGED one time!! Besides the obvious safety issues (there was no way she was leaving her seat with less than a five-minute lead time), there were two other problems...
1. While we were taxiing out the runway, she began perspiring. Heavily. She perspired straight through her clothing all along where she was JAMMED up against my left side, and THROUGH MY CLOTHING within an hour of takeoff. It was disgusting. (I felt badly for her but there were no other seats available. I didn't feel badly enough, though, to avoid being extremely angry that she hadn't purchased an extra seat!) I didn't know the person in the window seat and he was adamant that I not raise the armrest between us or touch him in any way. My clothes were quite wet and less than halfway into the five hour flight I was reduced to being wedged, silently weeping, sideways in my center seat. I could not even hold a book.
2. When the meal/snack was served, this woman COULD NOT LOWER HER TRAY TABLE - seriously, it would not drop more than 8 inches down from the seatback. She requested an extra meal and ate both with the containers propped on her chest and belly. Food fell to both sides and I wore what she couldn't catch.
After landing, she asked me to help her get up...
The airline was apologetic but would not refund any of my ticket price. I have never flown them again.