490-Pound Man Forced to Buy Two Seats… Two Rows Apart
Jackie Reddy August 19, 2015
As the fat tax controversy rolls on, one man says his experience as an obese passenger was so traumatizing that he has not flown for two years.
In the U.K., the recent furor over the potential introduction of a fat tax continues. In light of the controversy, a 490-pound British man is criticizing plans to weigh larger travelers before they fly, explaining that it could cause them discomfort and embarrassment.
Les Price, 45, presented his argument on This Morning and shared his personal experience as an obese passenger aboard a flight two years ago. While he did not name the carrier, Price explained that, due to his size, he had been forced to purchase two seats for each leg of his journey.
On the return flight, Price claims his two seats were inexplicably allocated in two separate rows. To further complicate things, when he allegedly brought the issue to attention, the airline’s staff did not seem to understand its policy regarding obese passengers.
Price says the overall experience was so traumatizing that he has not been on a plane since. In his opinion, policies requiring overweight passengers to purchase an additional seat are more for the comfort of adjacent passengers, not the overweight person paying for them.
“The seat is only a certain size. It doesn’t matter whether I pay for two seats or not, I’ve still got to fit in that seat,” said Price. “If I’m paying for a seat I want to be comfortable, whether it means somebody else can’t sit next to me, but give that little bit of extra room.”
Current European airline regulations require passengers to pay for an extra seat if they are unable to fit within a single standard seat. However, travel expert Simon Calder, appearing on the same This Morning segment as Price, pointed out that the policies of individual carriers do need to be refined and standardized.
Globally, only a handful of airlines currently weigh passengers. In 2013, Samoa Air became the first carrier to introduce weight-based fees. Uzbekistan Airways announced earlier this month that it will begin weighing passengers before they’re permitted to board.
[Photo & Video: ITV via MailOnline]
There should be a legal limit on the girth of passengers. Only those who can safely fit through the overwing exit door should be allowed to fly. And, yes, if they spill over into the seat next to them, they should have to buy that seat as well.
I think a measuring tape would help more than a scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, not to mention taking height into account.
I love how he said weighing them would cause embarrassment. Come on man...who cares what the number is. You're going to be embarrassed either way. I also don't really understand his logic, is he saying someone else should have to pay for his 2nd seat because it's for their comfort? I would've hoped the airline could find him 2 seats together to avoid this, but did he also not purchase a 2nd seat in advance? Could've pre-selected then. It CAN'T be a surprise to this guy if they tell him he needs a 2nd seat, so why not just buy 2 to begin with?
I can't even. I totally can't even. But yes, anyone compelled to purchase two seats needs to receive two adjacent (and without aisle in-between) seats.
This is crap! The customer / passenger is OBVIOUSLY a COS / POS Customer/ Passenger of Size. It is THEIR responsibility to buy an additional seat and respect the rest of the flying public. It is not the fault of other passengers that this customer is 490 pounds and will NOT fit in any coach seat. If that passenger was spilling into my space I would demand a reseat!