Easy, if you're charged for the express seat and aren't accommodated they refund the seat charge.

If an FA/GA forces someone to move because of a POS, they should expect more.

agreed. I would also assume that status plays some (unpublished) role as well. If the POS is an EXP and the non-POS has no status, I'm guessing the FA/GA would try really hard to move the non-POS, contrary to the official policy.

Customers Requiring Two Seats
 

From FAs manual, Customer Policies, Boarding - 3.5

Special assistance may be required when a customer cannot fit within the confines of one seat with armrest lowered in the ticketed cabin, i.e.:

• Unable to fit into a single set in their ticketed cabin and/or
• Unable to properly buckle their seatbelt using a single seatbelt extension (available upon request from a FA) and/or
• Unable to lower both armrests without encroaching upon the adjacent seating space or another customer.

Customers are encouraged to address their seating needs when booking their original reservation. However, issues may not arise until they are at the airport or in the cabin. For the comfort and safety of all customers:

Please remember that during boarding, FAs do not have the ability to look at a seatmap to know where an open seat may be available. The only time we know is when the door is closed and boarding has completely stopped. Only the agents have the ability to reseat a customer as they can look at the computer to move a person.

When on smaller planes, often times there is only minimum crew on board. FAs cannot get off the plane to rectify any situations like this, this is why we will often require the pax to go back out to the agent to be reseated...as they can look where there are empty seats (if there are)

Regarding Exit Seats

Per FAR121.585, all persons in an exit seat must be able to operate the emergency exit and take the additional actions needed to ensure safe use of the exit in an emergency situation.

FAA Regulated Exit Seat Selection Criteria
Age (as long as the person is at least 15 years old) and/or size alone will NOT disqualify a customer from sitting in an exit seat providing they meet all of the selection criteria. Customers who require a seatbelt extension are not restricted from exit seats.


Hope this helps a little to give you a little inside of what the FAs responsibilities are regarding those who may be a POS. It's a difficult situation on all fronts, sorry the OP had a rough trip!

Thank you for sharing that, sluggoaafa!

Looks like part of what they are saying is "try to leave bad enough alone"... ;)

Can someone clarify what the last 2 lines of the policy mean?

"Customer affected may request any service recovery means based on the situation. (please refer to agent or Customer Relations by completing form)"

Does this mean that the guy who meekly puts up with a POS encroaching into their seat for 4 hours can seek "service recovery" whatever that is.

in defense of the FA policy:

the non-POS may be a friend/spouse of the POS, and may be willing to share their space. Proactively asking the non-POS if they are uncomfortable would only disrupt this situation.

That is a very interesting point.

Agreed; good point.

Interesting conversation and a couple of thoughts:

My DH is a big, tall guy and when we travel we make sure to be seated next to one another so he can comfortably share some of my seat and I always sit in the middle.

My BIL is morbidly obese and requires 2 seats which he knows and pays for in advance (or flies in F/J).

I was on a flight this week from MIA->LGA and the woman in the window seat was very large. She couldn't even get her stuff under the seat because her legs were too big. Needless to say, the armrest couldn't go all the way down and I was VERY uncomfortable. I kept scooching (for lack of a better word) towards the aisle seat and was sort of sitting a little sideways.

I didn't say anything because the flight was sold out and I really didn't want to cause a scene. I know I'll never see the person again, but still. I am just so non-confrontational.

Curious to hear what the OP's response from AA is.

There is also an FAA rule about blocking egress for other passengers. For example, an infant car seat can not be in an aisle or center seat if it blocks the inner passengers from exiting.

If the POS is in a aisle or center seat and can't easily move from their seat and you can not get past them to exit in an emergency, then that is a safety violation of the above rule. In this case the POS should be moved to the window seat

Yes, I have no doubt - and if I felt I were going to be blocked by a POS in middle or aisle seat in the (albeit very small) case of an emergency, I would be assertive in the reseating. (Unfortunately, I can not post the reg because rgl.faa.gov is down!)

)

I think AA should post non-binding "suggested guidelines" of at what measurements pax might be "safer and more comfortable" purchasing two seats. They can post all dimensions of one coach seat, as well as how much added room one will get in all areas if purchasing two seats. In fact, I'd be all for them rewarding proactive POS by offering a discount on the second (non-refundable if in discount bucket) seat (after all, they're only consuming one of everything else).

IMO, part of the problem isn't POS being in denial of their size, it's POS who haven't flown in maybe 5 years and 100lbs who just don't know what to expect. Doing this would also mean that all the info is available, and nobody can use the "well I didn't know how little room there would be" on the day of travel, since all the information is there. They'd also be assured of having two seats reserved together, with a movable armrest between.

Would there be legal implications of doing this?

Southwest does offer the ability for a POS to purchase two seats, and will refund the cost of that 2nd seat as long as the flight is not oversold. I think this is a fair way of running the show.

Which seems to be a much better policy than presuming the person being squashed by a person in denial about their size does not mind it. If I were a GA or FA I'd take the path of least resistance too, which is why policy has to be to confront the obvious issue at the door.