71% Support Special Seats & Fares for “Overweight” Passengers

As a frequent flyer who spends a lot of time in long-haul coach, my biggest fear is having a "large' person sit down beside me. It makes that 15 hour flight just that much more painful. I also agree with the logic that passengers are in reality just human cargo, so size and weight should be a key part of the pricing equation.

I like rifle21's idea. I just hope they don't do what UPS does with fuel surcharges.

Notwithstanding the severe cynicism of most respondents, I think there is a market for a wider seat, similar to what airlines used to offer in economy in the "olden days." It is no secret that airlines continue to cram more seats into each row; witness UA cramming 10 across in the 777. While my own belly fits fine between the armrests, my shoulders are 20" wide, which is pretty typical for an adult male human. This means I do not fit comfortably into a standard 17.5" economy seat. On domestic US flights, the Economy+ seats offer a few more inches of pitch, but I think most pax would prefer a couple more inches of width. For international travel, EVA offers "Elite" seating, which is comparable to domestic first class. This seems to strike a nice balance between economy and the absurdly priced business class seats (though EVA's economy also seems to be among the widest available at 18.3"). I would be curious to know how well EVA's Elite seats sell, as opposed to being given away as free upgrades to pax with status, which is the case for most Economy+ seats on domestic flights. For US domestic flights, obviously first class is an option for some people. However, depending on itinerary, the first class seat price can easily be double the economy price, and often more. Furthermore, it includes some perks that some passengers would gladly forego. If airlines replaced a few rows of 3x3 seats with a 2x3 configuration, each seat could be 20% wider, and the incremental price difference should be commensurate, not 100-200% higher. If such seating were available, then many of our rotund brethren would voluntarily choose it; if not, it would be perfectly reasonable to force them to upgrade at the gate, because a reasonable alternative exists. Ask anybody who has to request the seatbelt extender, and I suspect most would rather not be crammed into a tiny seat and intrude onto their neighbor's space. In fact, the seatbelt extender would be a perfect litmus test; if you need the extender, then you must pay extra and upgrade to "Hefty Class." (It's just a working title...Maybe "Ass Class").

This misses the point entirely. Passenger (aka Human Cargo) fares should be calculated with cube space formulas used in logistics. Y fares pay a certain $/lbs, F fares are a different $/lbs, etc. No checked bag fees, no nothing. Bring whatever you want, just pay by the pound.

A waste of time. Since 0% of those surveyed own or manage an airline, it won't happen.