Bowgie

Apple and Oranges. Weight and balance issues are different, and what the pilot says goes. I flew a some HNL-Molokai a long time ago on Cessnas. Forget seat assignments; the pilot just sorted people by weight and sometimes put a pax in the co-pilots seat! (No co-pilot required in those days!)

Past the nostalgia now, RJ's and smaller aircraft can have weight and balance issues. If the fat guy (or tall guy), has to move up front, so be it. It ain't personal.

But moving weight to the back? Perhaps it was necessary. I'm not going to second-guess a pilot on that.

Points Scrounger

Being moved for weight issue wasn't my point! The very tall fellow didn't complain at all, he seemed to survive the hour in a regular seat okay - no grumbling, no legs in the aisle, etc.

BOB W

Yeah, my knees are very tasty, especially when wearing shorts. I do feel for the guy. Unless he has status, the exit rows are blocked and he has no access to them. I have no solution since status has its privileges....

jackal

I had to laugh at this, since AAG seems intent on using tiny, squishy QX (and now OO) aircraft with no F cabin on some pretty darn long routes. It's not very temporary anymore.

olddallas

The airline was wrong. Height comes from one's skeleton, and bone does not easily compress. At the very least they should have offered him exit row on an alternate flight. I have found GA's can often be accommodating, but not always. Perhaps the solution is a thinner FA so the FA can get by a knee or foot in the aisle (which is why many folks prefer aisle seats).

However, there are not enough exit row seats, and few people can afford to fly first class (and it is often not available on Horizon and other puddle jumpers). As a practical matter, I recommend doing whatever it takes to get elite status so that you have a chance at the exit row seats if you are tall. That is what much of this web site is about.

fairviewroad

I believe this offer was made at the time of booking via the airline's booking engine. The passenger apparently did not accept the "offer."

BTW, the thread title is incorrect and misleading. The passenger was not kicked off for being too tall...the passenger was kicked off for blocking the aisle with his legs, which is a safety hazard. If I, as a 5'9" person, blocked the aisle with my legs I too would be liable for removal.

CDKing

Latest update:

Horizon Apologizes To Too-Tall Passenger Booted From Flight

Jack Burton

Indeed!

CZBB

Can you imagine him trying to fit in an old QX Metroliner?

johnp012001

I think an extra seat most certainly can make a tall person more comfortable. You're able to angle a bit, sit in one seat and put your legs under the seat next to you. I can't imagine being as tall as this gentleman and flying the regional planes. I'm only 6', and I'm very uncomfortable in the window seat on these planes. The curvature of the plane just takes up too much space. I'm on a Q400 next week and if I couldn't confirm an aisle seat I probably would have taken a different flight.

seacarl

It would make the Q400's and CR7's more comfortable if AS would put in 4 or 5 rows of Economy Plus seating. They could offer it free to Golds, and as an upsell for everyone else. The Economy Plus on UA's CR7's is quite comfortable, it makes the plane bearable for 2+ hour flights - which is what PDX-ONT is.

That would also have solved this pax's problem and provide more flexibility to AS to accommodate large passengers on these aircraft which have no first class seats.

sbbutler93

The problem is, you can't always get two seats next to each other. Sure, you can ask, but it's never a guarantee. So if he buys two seats, one in row 2, the other in 9, what do you want him to do?

johnp012001

I would expect the airline to handle it exactly as they do today under their person of size policy. Somehow they ensure that people of size get two seats together.

spgaston

Let me chime in as a former AS MVPG and a member of the very tall club (6'8"). First of all, I admit I did not read the linked articles, but if this man did not have MVP status or higher, no pleading, begging, stating your height will EVER get you an exit row at time of booking if you do not have elite status. For all anyone knows the exit rows were just "unavailable" at time of booking as opposed to booked.

Before I joined FT I would arrive at the airport 3 hours before departure to try to get an exit row (once in ANC, I checked in at the airport the night before and went back home for the night). Most of the time it worked, occasionally it did not. When it did not work I was sardined into a normal seat with my knees pressed into the seat back in front of me. Sometimes to ease the pain I would elevate my knees and spread them apart so that I was on my tiptoes and not flat footed. My feet would sometimes go numb.

Now I do my best to either achieve status on some airline or fly an airline that offers extra legroom for pay such as UA, F9, etc. The reality though is that sometimes airlines that offer extra legroom for sale are not available on certain routes such as PDX-ONT. Also, the exit-row secret is now mostly out, and planes are full 100% of the time. Even with status exit rows seats are hard to come by.

What should have been done in this situation to accommodate? The pax should have politely asked the FA to politely ask those in exit rows and bulkheads if there was anyone who might be willing to voluntarily switch with the 6'9" pax. I'm sure someone would have been nice enough to their fellow man to do this.

I have mixed feelings about allowing exit rows and sometimes bulkheads to be pre-reserved for elites. I do go out of my way to achieve status to receive this perk, however I realize it is not realistic to expect all tall people to jump through this hoop, nor is it realistic to expect a person to purchase F just to be able to fly (the very tall often find their knees in the seatback in domestic F too, especially on some AS 737s). Purchasing a second seat is sort of a solution, but trust me that is still not as natural a seating position or as comfortable for the very tall as an exit row or bulkhead. I think a very wide person would be more comfortable in 2 seats than a very tall person.

2TallSeaFlyer

I am a bit surprised that someone can't actually fit. I bet they fit, it was just extraordinarily uncomfortable.

I have the opportunity to fly both AS and Horizon on occasion. My AA status does nothing for me in seat selection, so I resort to the exact tricks that spgaston has used.

On AS flights, checking in 24 hours in advance - exactly - to get a row 6 seat is another knee-saver.

On Horizon, it's tougher. I've done the early airport trip, the AS service desk trip on the outbound (please, is there a legroom seat on the return), and the politely ask thing. I am surprised at how often I am accomodated. I should also say that I never pull the "I have status on a partner airline" bit.

That being said, it doesn't always work. My legs/knees regularly are in the aisle. It's not comfortable. But it's faster than driving...