Seated next to a really overweight person - what to do?
#376
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#377
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I'm a big dude, 6'3" -280#, but I don't find the 17" seat width that big of a deal. I do find the difference between 31" on an A320, 31" on a B737, and 32" on a B737 to be a really big deal. That 31" on the DL A320 has my knees in pain by the end of a short haul flight, the 31" on a WN 7H4 is tolerable, but not ideal, the 32" on a WN 8H4 or AS 738 is luxurious even for long-haul, and absolutely the perfect configuration for someone my size, seeing that seats any bigger would be a waste of space, although I suppose people a inch or two shorter would argue the same thing about 31".
#378
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Been discussed many times on here. If someone goes to select a seat and there are only middles left, they don't know who are in window/aisle pairs hoping for an empty middle seat. They could pick one between two strangers who won't swap out, not knowing there are many of potential swappers elsewhere on the plane who are just being selfish.
#379
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There are also plenty of couples who are happy to sit apart for a couple hours on a shorter flight, if the middle seat fills up.
#380
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There is nothing worse that 3-3-3 seating or 3-4-3 seating. The 747 supposedly originally had 2-4-3 seating, which kind of provides something for everyone. The old 2-5-2 seating on the 777 was pretty good since it was rare for every single seat to be filled in the middle section.
I always try to fly on 767's when possible, since the configuration is 2-3-2 and a lot more comfortable.
#381
Join Date: Dec 2014
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Been discussed many times on here. If someone goes to select a seat and there are only middles left, they don't know who are in window/aisle pairs hoping for an empty middle seat. They could pick one between two strangers who won't swap out, not knowing there are many of potential swappers elsewhere on the plane who are just being selfish.
Actually, I don't know anyone who would swap to sit in a middle seat just to be beside their traveling partner......they would rather an aisle seat and a few hours of separation (oh, the horror! To not sit next to your spouse or sibling!).
#382
Join Date: May 2013
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How are they being selfish?
Actually, I don't know anyone who would swap to sit in a middle seat just to be beside their traveling partner......they would rather an aisle seat and a few hours of separation (oh, the horror! To not sit next to your spouse or sibling!).
Actually, I don't know anyone who would swap to sit in a middle seat just to be beside their traveling partner......they would rather an aisle seat and a few hours of separation (oh, the horror! To not sit next to your spouse or sibling!).
#383
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
How are they being selfish?
Actually, I don't know anyone who would swap to sit in a middle seat just to be beside their traveling partner......they would rather an aisle seat and a few hours of separation (oh, the horror! To not sit next to your spouse or sibling!).
Actually, I don't know anyone who would swap to sit in a middle seat just to be beside their traveling partner......they would rather an aisle seat and a few hours of separation (oh, the horror! To not sit next to your spouse or sibling!).
#384
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This probably isn't the first FT thread that addresses POS in same way.
Airlines should offer the option to buy a second seat next to yours for the same price. Make it an option you can add during checkout, and even include a diagram illustrating how many inches is available for a particular plane's seating configuration. If you occupy two seats, you should pay for two seats or upgrade to a higher cabin. This option could also be helpful to people with guitars or cellos, or people who simply want a 2nd free seat next to them.
Pax ought to be able to fit between both armrests fully down -- in fact, we should have a model seat to see whether pax can fit, in the same way we have little metal boxes to see whether carry-ons can fit. If the pax can't fit in the model seat at the airport, then said pax should have to pay for a second seat -- not the same price as he paid at time of booking but the cost of a new ticket just prior to departure. That'll incentivize POS to plan ahead.
Airlines should offer the option to buy a second seat next to yours for the same price. Make it an option you can add during checkout, and even include a diagram illustrating how many inches is available for a particular plane's seating configuration. If you occupy two seats, you should pay for two seats or upgrade to a higher cabin. This option could also be helpful to people with guitars or cellos, or people who simply want a 2nd free seat next to them.
Pax ought to be able to fit between both armrests fully down -- in fact, we should have a model seat to see whether pax can fit, in the same way we have little metal boxes to see whether carry-ons can fit. If the pax can't fit in the model seat at the airport, then said pax should have to pay for a second seat -- not the same price as he paid at time of booking but the cost of a new ticket just prior to departure. That'll incentivize POS to plan ahead.
#385
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The 777 and 747 were "engineered" for nine-across seating. The 787 was "engineered" for eight-across seating. The airlines stuffed in an extra seat to squeeze out a little extra revenue, and I'm suggesting that the government should force them, through regulation, to go back to the old configuration.
The extra seat on the wide bodies does add about 11 percent more revenue, but not profit. There are substantial costs involved with serving 11 percent more passengers, so that net revenue gain is much, much less.
At the very least, if airlines are going to be allowed to fly with these super-narrow seats then we need some system that will provide statutory damages to those who suffer seat encroachment from obese flyers. The airlines should be required to provide passengers with a specific procedure to follow when dealing with a seat encroacher, and passengers who are harmed should get automatic and substantial damages of say $10,000 per incident. This will cause the airlines to address the issue.
The extra seat on the wide bodies does add about 11 percent more revenue, but not profit. There are substantial costs involved with serving 11 percent more passengers, so that net revenue gain is much, much less.
At the very least, if airlines are going to be allowed to fly with these super-narrow seats then we need some system that will provide statutory damages to those who suffer seat encroachment from obese flyers. The airlines should be required to provide passengers with a specific procedure to follow when dealing with a seat encroacher, and passengers who are harmed should get automatic and substantial damages of say $10,000 per incident. This will cause the airlines to address the issue.
Hear, hear! A standard Economy Class seat width across all airlines would also make it easier for someone who's heavy (but not 400 lbs) to know in advance if they will actually fit in the seat. With economy class seat widths varying as much as they do, right now for the average person it's a guess (because they don't know about Seat Guru, and because equipment changes are a Thing). I don't want to buy a second seat because I thought the economy class seat on flight 1234 was going to be 16.8" inches wide, only to discover that in fact it's 17.5" or 18" wide and I fit it just fine. I also don't want to squish my fellow passengers because I guessed wrong.
There are two issues; I think plenty of folks agree that large passenger should not be allowed to spill over into another occupied seat, and should be re-seated.
How the airline handles re-seating them -- where, when and whether they charge for it -- really isn't anyone's business but the larger passenger's and the airline's, and I'm not sure the Southwest model is the best one (especially given that other airlines in theory follow it, but enforce it so rarely as to have no predictability for larger passengers.)
How the airline handles re-seating them -- where, when and whether they charge for it -- really isn't anyone's business but the larger passenger's and the airline's, and I'm not sure the Southwest model is the best one (especially given that other airlines in theory follow it, but enforce it so rarely as to have no predictability for larger passengers.)
#386
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Often an airline attempts to "handle" the problems caused by a COS by making the encroached upon customer move to a different and often less desirable seat, for example Y+ to Y- or much further back. Another possibility is to make a parent hold a lap kid that would otherwise occupy a seat and use the kid's deat for the encroached upon passenger. If no seats are available in the same (or lower) cabin, usually the encroached upon customer is told to either accept the encroachment or leave the flight, (probably) to be (costlessly one would hope) rebooked onto the next available flight. If no space is available that day, the victim can pay for his/her own hotel room, meals, etc.
#388
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While I share your sentiment, I can easily understand why in the current environment (at least on US airlines) a passenger will refuse to act in his/her best interests rather than risk angering a FA. I like to believe that I would stand up for myself and insist that I receive the full seat I booked (i.e. arm rest would have to be down) and/or wouldn't accept a "lesser" seat than I booked, but when faced with being removed from a flight, I suspect I would take the lesser seat. I imagine many others feel the same way I do. I don't like it one bit, but that's the way it is.
#389
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While I share your sentiment, I can easily understand why in the current environment (at least on US airlines) a passenger will refuse to act in his/her best interests rather than risk angering a FA. I like to believe that I would stand up for myself and insist that I receive the full seat I booked (i.e. arm rest would have to be down) and/or wouldn't accept a "lesser" seat than I booked, but when faced with being removed from a flight, I suspect I would take the lesser seat. I imagine many others feel the same way I do. I don't like it one bit, but that's the way it is.
#390
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Tin wings on an off-the-rack blazer don't impress me. I don't care how angry an FA or even the flight crew get. I'm not going anywhere voluntarily or meekly. Those who go along with being moved or off-loaded because the airline thinks some POS should be allowed to take up half your seat ensure nothing is going to change.
You are sadly correct in regards to the fact that those of us who have allowed ourselves to be beaten into submission have contributed to the extremely unpleasant flying environment we find ourselves in.