On reading the article it appears the guy was 6ft 5 and solidly built not fat. I would argue that he would have been in a lot more discomfort being wedged into a middle economy seat than the little guy in the window seat! Personally speaking at 6ft 4 my knees are often jammed into the seat in front inconveniencing myself and the passenger in front as they are unable to recline, i feel as bad for them as i do for myself.

It sounds like the crew did try to accommodate the complainant as much as possible. It would have been a smart move to try and reallocate this tall passenger to an aisle seat however i cant see anyone being willing to swap with him for a middle seat on a 13 hour flight...doesn't seem there was much they could do.

Irrespective i personally think that airlines should proactively try to accommodate taller passengers in exit seats.or aisle seats where possible to avoid this ever being an issue. Being tall is not something you have any control over whereas you could argue you have an element of control over how wide you are....

Out of interest can anyone advise how american carriers get around this? I believe there is a policy around purchasing or allocating two seats for larger passengers?