CalFlyGAL

I am so sorry about your ordeal. POS should be made to bye 2 seats if they are going to take up so much space. As for the FA requesting you to put up the armrest, that is terrible. When I have seen Large Passengers raising the armrest, I always request that it is put down before take off. If they are traveling with the others in the row, they can do as they please. But if they are not, too bad, keep your fat in your own space.

When I see passengers squished together because of a large passenger, try to make find 2 empty seats so i can move the larger one out as discreetly as possible. But sometimes it is impossible to do. SORRY.

I once had a FAT family of 3 in 1 row. The mother was demanding that they be moved so they could have more room. Sorry, full flight. Why should others suffer? They had the armrests up. Even the one on the aisle. The Son took up 3/4 of the aisle. We could hardly get the cart past him.

sllevin

I agree that the OP got a bad deal.

Realistically, I think the only approach is to write a letter and take this from the point of "future policy" because of not having room, safety, etc.

I am not small by any means, and I sympathize...but anyone who can't unbuckle their own seatbelt -- that's just wrong.

Steve

entropy

CO, like all the majors needs to have a sensible, consistent and enforced POS policy, buy 2 or 3 seats, whatever you need, and, if the flight is not full, you get a refund on the extra seat(s).

in any event, people ought to keep in better shape, I work out 3 hours a day so I can eat whatever I want...there's more to life than potato chips.

SPN Lifer

Actions on personnel matters are not communicated to third parties, at least if the employer has competent legal counsel.

Tod E Tosser

Rather than a thrashing I think you can expect to hear from a very contrite representative. In my view the poster who referred to each passenger as "renting a cube of airspace" has it right. If there is one empty seat on a flight, the airline would not sell tix to two passengers right before takeoff (unless of course they were going to bump someone). The same rule should apply to one passenger who cannot fit into the space of one seat.

dthernandez

I think this thread has gotten a little out-of-hand. I see the legitimate issue here, but now it seems to be a celebration of idiocy. I suppose even the excerebrose need to have fun, but I'd vote for this thread to be closed.

channa

I disagree. This is a legitimate concern and it affects the comfort and safety during air travel on CO.

Elite Nomore

You just did. Now let's get back to the fat people.

climbermom

vincom

EXCUSE ME?!?!

Maybe you should take your insensative and baised attitude and SHOVE IT. I am 20 and a bit over weight (I am 5'9" and like 160ish). I have a thyroid problem (under active) an it causes me to have serious issues trying to loose weight. To further the situation I am diabetic. Let me tell you I eat decently healthy (everyone goes to McD one and a while, esp when you rin a hurry) and I exercise (early morning jogging) 4 times a week. Just to keep where I am. While i may not be 400 pounds, I still am considered over weight (by most standards) and could stand to lose a few pounds... BUT as dearly as I try it's extremely difficult.

Maybe I'm a minor case, but in High School I had a teacher who had a much more bad case of the thyroid issue and he was like 400 pounds.. Nice guy - ate the right proportions of food, ate "healthy" food, and tried to exercise as much as he could. Yet he could only stand to lose a few pound. He tried to do what you seem to think would make him loose weight, IT DIDN"T WORK. I come from a family of lots of doctors and nurses... Some people are just damn lazy but don't sterotype because there are people out there who try and try and try and would kill to loose weight but just CANT.


-Vincent

BumpMe!

I think we should buy square footage when we buy a ticket.

...I would have CERTAINLY taken a photo.
That's the ONLY way to demonstrate this.

cadet93

I had the same situation on a (short) flight. DC to Newark. Two of us were traveling and did not get the upgrade on the way back even being gold. No matter, short flight. Well I am in the aisle, my partner is in the center hopeing no one is coming along to force us into an uncomfortable flight. Well, along comes the sideway walker down the aisle. I never understood that. How do they think that they are going to fit in a seat if they cant walk down the isle facing forward? He jams himself into the window seat. This causes my partner to squeeze into my seat, and me to lean into the aisle.
As we are getting ready to take off the FA comes up the aisle looking and was about to say something to me as she approached, saw the seating arrangements and turned around and walked back up front and sat down. I didnt blame her. The flight felt like a flight to California. Not a get up, get down flight.
We finally land, and as we get to the gate, the heavyset gentleman gets up and starts to push towards the aisle. That was the last straw. We dealt with him taking up 2 seats, breathing on us like he just did a marathon, asking for 2 sodas (not diet) and 3 pretzel bags, and squirming around like he was the one uncomfortable. As he pushed to the aisle, my partner looked square in the face and said" thats is it, You took up my seat got food on me, and now you are pushing me out of the way. SIT DOWN and wait your turn. You will get out after the rest of us and then you walk down the aisle like a crab all you want !!!!" I almost fell over laughing. I am sure we looked like snobs to others, but they didnt live thru and hour of sweat and wheezing with us.
I sympathize having to to do a trans atlantic crossing in that type of arrangement.

Tod E Tosser

vincom: we're not talking about someone who is 5, 10, or even 60 pounds overweight. And frankly I have no problem with someone who weighs 500 pounds and sits on a couch eating bon bons all day. I don't tell others how to live their lives. What is galling is the attitude of the FAs that the OP was in the wrong for objecting to their treatment of him. We are all responsible for our own lives. There are ramifications to weighing this much and they should not be borne by someone who is not responsible (even if the passenger was one of those rare cases who absolutely cannot lose any weight). CO should be free to charge her for two seats, or let her use two for the price of one. But they shouldn't inflict this abuse on another customer then scold him when he objects. It's political correctness run amock.

softwaresorcerer

Just want to confirm something here - the FA was demanding that the armrest be raised? On every single flight I've been on, the FAs always want 'seat backs upright and armrests down' for all T/O and Landings... Suggesting that this is a safety regulation.

From what I've read in this thread, they are now willingly flouting this 'rule' to suit themselves? Surely not...

The solution has to be quite simple - as someone else has already said, if you can't fit in one seat, you need to buy two. Live with it - if you are too big for the seat, then you have no right to free use of another person's space, which they have paid for. It's a simple commercial transaction.

BenjaminNYC

LawFlyer, what did CO say?!?!?