Originally Posted by
dcpatti
It's obvious that the FA's and GA's will take the path of least resistance: hoping that nobody complains about seat encroaching instead of proactively solving the problem. Lots of reasons why: unclear policy that's hard to enforce; the potential for the situation to get out of hand; the push for an on-time departure. Plus weight is a highly personal issue, even if it's completely visible, and people in general are a bit reluctant to confront someone about such issues. All we can do is to avoid becoming that least-resistant path. Don't be a jerk, but know how to tactfully take care of your own best interests and not back down. If your seatbelt was broken you'd feel comfortable asking the FA politely to resolve the problem. No reason the same approach and polite tone can't be used in this situation. I for one have a hard time believing the FA's and/or captain knowingly let the passenger not have a seat belt for take-off/landing. I know it's easy for the FA's to MISS that, though, and the passenger who didn't speak up should take a small bit of the blame too.
The other hidden reason - let's not get our employer sued. While I agree that sensitivity is called for - we must all realize that the airline is NOT going to be our advocate is this situation. As such, I know that when faced with this situation, I'm not going to spend a flight with someone taking up my space. If I'm faced with the decision between 3/4 of an already-too-small coach seat or an IDB, well, one of us is getting IDB'd.
By not addressing the issue, the airline is counting on most of us NOT standing up for ourselves. Yes, it's a legal hornet's nest, but at the same time, not addressing the issue continues to place the rest of us into these situations, so the airline is in a way responsible for the problems that will arise.
Until we take the company to task for not addressing the situation in a responsible manner, we will keep hearing these stories. Let's face it, regardless of the reason the person is oversize, the vast majority of oversize customers are going to make someone else uncomfortable rather than fork over the cash to buy another seat.
The ironic part is that the same company stands with scale and tape measure at the ready to charge us more money for overweight and oversized bags, where the price charged relates to the cost involved - your surfboard takes up more hold space, you pay more, no questions asked. Why exactly is this different - because the bag doesn't have feelings?? No, because there is a written rule that is clear and enforced.