22wingit

On this one I disagree a bit. As long as they can manage what they are carrying unaided, I'm going to say that (unlike the armrest thing) those extra items really DO make the rest of us more comfortable. Most of the time those items are things that will clean, contain, comfort or entertain those small children, thereby raising the odds that the kiddies will not get hungry, cranky, bouncy, smelly, etc. and go on a tear that will disturb those around them. In this particular case, the stuff CAN really work to the benefit of the rest of the passengers. I don't think that they should be allowed to go crazy, but one extra "under the seat sized" bag per young child wouldn't rattle my chain. (By "young" I mean too small to be in school, BTW.)

As to the COS issue: I'm actually all for "fat acceptance," in that it really is just good manners to refrain from insulting or teasing others based on how they look, and it doesn't behoove people here to be slinging those kinds of barbs for jollies. This is normally the most civil board I frequent, and I'm disappointed. The reality is that the issue here isn't about about BEING larger than average, this is about accepting that being that large means that there are certain things that one cannot do, or must do differently than those who are smaller in size. (Height applies here, too, not just girth.)

I'm not large enough to be a textbook COS, but I'm not small. I have to say that persons who are outsized in whatever way *know* who they are, and they further know that they should be ponying up for a second seat. They go to movies, they ride busses, they sit in desk chairs -- THEY KNOW they don't fit in conventional armed straight chairs &/or transit seats. *Not* buying that extra seat isn't about size; it's about money and inconvenience.

Honestly, the airlines don't make it easy to buy a second seat, and are thus largely responsible for instances where passenger size becomes a problem on a plane. If you buy two seats in a single name it will be questioned, and you usually cannot do it online. I've tried once or twice to buy an extra seat for myself, just so that I won't feel claustrophobic on long flights, but the airlines have invariably refused to sell it to me. I honestly do not see what the issue is: if you want to occupy two seats for ANY reason, you should be able to just choose to buy two seats at the advertised price, no advance explanations or questions necessary. The airline still makes the same amount of money, and if you'll pardon the irony, we are all more comfortable. Somehow it doesn't work that way -- if you want more space you get the third degree, and are perhaps told that your only option is to fly FC. So helpful, that. If you embarass and overcharge passengers who just want to purchase a little more space, you are in effect encouraging them NOT to buy that space.