Hypothetical Situation: An Extremely Obese Passenger in Your Row
Feb 22, 2016, 12:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Programs: No single airline or hotel chain is of much use to me anymore.
Posts: 3,279
Hypothetical Situation: An Extremely Obese Passenger in Your Row
I was recently on a flight where a nearby row had an extremely obese passenger in the middle seat who was severely imposing on the other two passengers. The English language doesn't have the words to describe the facial expression of the man who spent the entire flight crushed against the wall. The woman in the aisle seat got up repeatedly just to pace around.
If I had been in that row I would have asked to get off the plane as soon as the obese passenger boarded. What would have happened in that situation?
Would I have been accommodated on a later flight or just forfeited my fare?
If I had been in that row I would have asked to get off the plane as soon as the obese passenger boarded. What would have happened in that situation?
Would I have been accommodated on a later flight or just forfeited my fare?
Feb 25, 2016, 5:30 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: YYZ/YUL
Programs: UA 1K, AC nadda, DL, WS-Nadda
Posts: 1,476
I was recently on a flight where a nearby row had an extremely obese passenger in the middle seat who was severely imposing on the other two passengers. The English language doesn't have the words to describe the facial expression of the man who spent the entire flight crushed against the wall. The woman in the aisle seat got up repeatedly just to pace around.
If I had been in that row I would have asked to get off the plane as soon as the obese passenger boarded. What would have happened in that situation?
Would I have been accommodated on a later flight or just forfeited my fare?
If I had been in that row I would have asked to get off the plane as soon as the obese passenger boarded. What would have happened in that situation?
Would I have been accommodated on a later flight or just forfeited my fare?
Feb 26, 2016, 11:55 am
#3
Company Representative: WestJet
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Programs: WestJet Rewards
Posts: 292
Error 601,
With a system-wide average load factor of 80%, chances are you wouldn't need to take another flight - but just move to a different seat. Our crew would be more than happy to help.
The crew will not, however, approach a guest to ask if they want to move seats - as they do not know whether or not two guests are travelling together. (Specifically, we don't know whether or not two guests on separate bookings are travelling together.) So in this hypothetical situation maybe just escape to the washroom and chat to the crew in the galley.
In the unlikely event that this happens on a full flight, I'm sure that our airport team would be happy to accommodate you onto a different flight.
Cheers,
Darren
With a system-wide average load factor of 80%, chances are you wouldn't need to take another flight - but just move to a different seat. Our crew would be more than happy to help.
The crew will not, however, approach a guest to ask if they want to move seats - as they do not know whether or not two guests are travelling together. (Specifically, we don't know whether or not two guests on separate bookings are travelling together.) So in this hypothetical situation maybe just escape to the washroom and chat to the crew in the galley.
In the unlikely event that this happens on a full flight, I'm sure that our airport team would be happy to accommodate you onto a different flight.
Cheers,
Darren
Feb 26, 2016, 5:42 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 5,210
Too bad more airlines don't have the same Customer of Size policy as Southwest. Although I have to admit I was shocked at theirs and can understand why more don't. It's definitely a tough situation when you are faced with it, which is why I don't fly more (being the customer of size)
Feb 26, 2016, 7:00 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,444
Too bad more airlines don't have the same Customer of Size policy as Southwest. Although I have to admit I was shocked at theirs and can understand why more don't. It's definitely a tough situation when you are faced with it, which is why I don't fly more (being the customer of size)
https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/conten...olicy-decision
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/trav...e-person.shtml
Feb 26, 2016, 8:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: YYC
Posts: 4,035
In Canada there are rules that must be followed by airlines that allow two seats for one fare, if needed and if a person makes prior arrangements, commonly known as the "one person, one fare" ruling, what SouthWest does is not allowed in Canada for domestic travel:
https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/conten...olicy-decision
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/trav...e-person.shtml
https://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/conten...olicy-decision
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/trav...e-person.shtml
See: https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...ce/extra-seat/
Canadian airlines require you to apply, prove you are disabled by your size with medical records, and then always book via the call centre. Not exactly easy...
Feb 26, 2016, 9:02 pm
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950
As a former "customer of size" myself (still big, but no longer big enough to cause issues) I can see both sides of the argument. When I was that size I was more than aware of the impact it had on seat mates and tried to mitigate that as much as possible. My strategy was to request an aisle seat with a moveable aisle-side arm rest, to try to avoid impinging on other passengers. Maybe you could have offered the guy a seat switch? Customers of size in middle seats are a bad idea.
Feb 27, 2016, 3:22 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 5,210
Southwest is actually more accommodating than Canadian airlines as they allow any person of size to have an extra seat for free. You can do so either by buying an extra seat in advance (which is refunded after you fly) or asking the agent at the airport who will give it to you for free. The advance purchase option exists to allow people who don't want to have a conversation about their size with agents to still be accommodated.
See: https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...ce/extra-seat/
Canadian airlines require you to apply, prove you are disabled by your size with medical records, and then always book via the call centre. Not exactly easy...
See: https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...ce/extra-seat/
Canadian airlines require you to apply, prove you are disabled by your size with medical records, and then always book via the call centre. Not exactly easy...
Mar 4, 2016, 9:57 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 3
I flew last year with a gentleman of size on the same row. It was very fortunate that our WS FA was able to relocate the lady in the middle seat, he was windows and I was aisle. First time I have ever seen seat belt extensions at work. The gentleman was extremely polite when asking for extension and even asked the FAs, as soon as he boarded, whether the middle pax can be relocated.
Editorial, I would like to see every airline simply charge a little more and provide a more humane flying environment for everyone, some day, I question whether a 30in pitch, 17 in. width is humane for flight of any length.
Editorial, I would like to see every airline simply charge a little more and provide a more humane flying environment for everyone, some day, I question whether a 30in pitch, 17 in. width is humane for flight of any length.
Mar 4, 2016, 11:29 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,875
I flew last year with a gentleman of size on the same row. It was very fortunate that our WS FA was able to relocate the lady in the middle seat, he was windows and I was aisle. First time I have ever seen seat belt extensions at work. The gentleman was extremely polite when asking for extension and even asked the FAs, as soon as he boarded, whether the middle pax can be relocated.
Editorial, I would like to see every airline simply charge a little more and provide a more humane flying environment for everyone, some day, I question whether a 30in pitch, 17 in. width is humane for flight of any length.
Editorial, I would like to see every airline simply charge a little more and provide a more humane flying environment for everyone, some day, I question whether a 30in pitch, 17 in. width is humane for flight of any length.
The problem with that is the majority of people don't want to pay more.