A few days ago, I tweeted the photo below (found on epicwtfs.com, which by the way, is a hilarious site) and posed the following question: “What would you honestly do if you were seated next to this passenger? :-/”
I’m most certainly not trying to poke fun or come off as offensive, but this question really did cross my mind:Â What the heck are you supposed to do?! I’m asking that question from all angles – from the perspective of the passenger of size, the surrounding seat mates, and the airlines themselves.
In fairness, I know that talking about larger passengers on airplanes will always be a touchy subject for all parties involved, and it will continue to be an on-going discussion – definitely a step above, but along the same lines of the “do-passengers-have-the-right-to-recline” debate because at the end of the day, the argument is simply about getting to your destination comfortably. Let’s face it – what it comes down to is this: you and I, and everyone around us are purchasing a seat and we all deserve be comfortable, right?
Going back to the photo above, other questions that I pondered include: Is the above scenario even legal? Did the flight attendant step in and say something? Are they even supposed to? Is the plane in the air?
Ironically, a few days after I tweeted the photo, Kathy @ Will Run For Miles wrote about her recent experience getting compensated 7,500 miles for sitting next to a passenger of size on a Delta flight. Do airlines feel that compensating the ‘inconvenienced’Â passenger after the fact is better than addressing the issue during the flight because it eliminates embarrassing confrontation? I really don’t know, and these are the types things I have been thinking to myself…
So now the big question is: What counts as being “too big?” While there is generally no “weight limit” in place across the board, most airlines judge by whether the arm rest goes down and stays down during the duration of the flight.
Most airlines actually have published policies in their contracts of carriage referring “customers of size”. Some airlines have the armrest rule, some require an extra seat to be purchased, some will give you a spare seat for free if it’s available.
In case you’re curious to see how each airline states that they handle these types of situations, airline “customer of size” Policies can be summed up in this article here. Keep in mind that most of these policies are enforced [or not] on a case-by-case basis.
Now for the discussion – What have you done/would you have done/should you have done? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? If so, how did you handle it? I’d love to hear from all angles – surrounding seat mates, passengers of size, and even airline crew if any happen to have stumbled across this post. I personally have not found myself in a “customer of size” scenario as they call it, but I’d love to hear your thoughts… the floor is yours…
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This one should be even more interesting than my “seat recline” one.
Indeed, I was stuck in the middle seat last month AND they took all the armrest space as well….it was a miserable flt to LGA but I didn’t complain as I knew the plane was full and could not think of anything that would help the situation but time.
Sometimes u just have to roll with it.
@Karen K,
roll with it…. or have airlines force you to buy two tickets. There are weight limits in elevators. Just claim that the seats are built for 300lbs in coach.
I think that guy in the middle seat is…Jamison? :-)
Just a big teddy bear.Warm and cuddly.You. Better hope he doesn’t have gas pains…lol
I would do the polite thing and offer this suffering man my seat as well. That way he can sit comfortably across two seats. Then I would curl up on his Santa belly like a kitten and nap.
The airlines must have a big person policy. We all pay for space on the plane from luggage to seats. A notice on the ticket should say if your body overflows into the aisle or another seat, you must purchase a second seat.
I’d also like to see you a stinky person policy. If your smell makes others wince, you must shower.
And finally, I want an annoying person policy. If a person chats incessantly to strangers even when they show no interest, that person should be forced to wear a sleeping mask around their mouth.
Or better, the last row of each plane should be for all passengers that aggravate us. Super Fat Guy will be delighted to sit next to Man Who Smells Like Curry and Chatty Woman will have someone to talk to the entire flight because Super Fat Guy is not getting up from his seat for any reason.
Somebody make me CEO of an airline! haha
I wasn’t happy sitting between 2 big guys, but they were not a large as the gentleman in this picture…but still, they were , lets say, oversized.
Maybe the airline should charge by the pound with extra large seats in the back!
The guy in the aisle is def. a safety violation.
How does anyone know the picture is legit? First of all, do the arm rests on the aisle side even go up? Second, how would the FA get up and down the aisle. I say it is fake.
I’m a big boy myself,although not that big.I’m always conscious that I don’t encroach on my seat mates space.I prefer aisle seats so I can lean that way,but that does run the risk of getting hit by service trolley/other passengers etc.
Surely the check in agent or gate agent should have stopped this guy boarding the flight?.
I don’t know the outcome,but hopefully he wasn’t allowed to fly like that.Anybody know what happened?.
The plane is on the ground.
@Lawrence, on many planes the armrests do go up on the aisle seat if you push a little button on the underside, but not on all planes. In this picture it looks as if the passenger is sitting on the arm rest, however.
I think about this frequently, because I am a “person of size,” or as I’ll say it, fat. I travel often. I always buy a second seat, for my own comfort and safety, and for others around me. I think everyone will agree the seats are small, so you don’t have to be terribly big to completely fill up a seat.
If you are big, buy two seats. Airlines, give big people full credit for the second seat (most don’t give PQMs). We pay double, and we need to redeem double. Thin people, count your blessings and be empathetic. Big people share your desire and passion to travel. Be glad people don’t look at you like Godzilla is walking down the aisle.
Travel can be enjoyable if everyone takes extra effort to facilitate an enjoyable flight. Be tolerant of people of age, mobility, people with screaming babies, compulsive talkers, etc. Be good and ethical travelers. Thank you for your consideration…and yes, this is a very sensitive subject. Big people — don’t be afraid to travel, but realize the cost of two seats is probably in your future.
For me it’s a question of safety. If I’m behind this person trying to get to the exit – WTF? Or trying to use an over-wing exit or an emergency slide?
I see this guy headed for a seat between me and the nearest exit (let alone next to me), and I’ll say, “excuse me, I need to use the restroom” – and make a beeline for the flight attendant to get one of us off the plane. How does the FAA even allow this?
I’m not saying this person doesn’t have challenges and doesn’t have rights. I am saying they don’t have the right to endanger me.
I was once seated next to a person of almost that size on a redeye, I was squished against the window, it was completely ridiculous, I was considering taking myself off the flight. Then the FA came and upgraded me! I couldn’t have been happier. The standby they tried to put in what had been my seat declined to take it.
The guy in the photo is exceptionally large. Not just wide, but tall as well.Look at how far above the top of the seat his shoulders are, even if he is sitting on the armrest.
I have a friend who travels a lot, who weighs over 300 lbs. He has some extra pounds but is not fat, let alone obese. He stands 6’4″ and is a mesomorph (naturally muscular body type). He can belt into standard coach seats without an extender, but he cannot help but rub shoulders with seatmates because his shoulders are so broad. He takes window seats whenever he can because he would create a problem in an aisle seat, and center seats would be miserable for both himself and his neighbors.
There *does* need to be some kind of policy for determining when someone would be required to buy a second seat. Damned if I can figure out how to craft it so people like my friend aren’t shafted in the process.
Wow that guy is seating on his butt crack. Ouch that must hurt.
I am surprised the plane took off, I mean that guy requires a a whole new set of landing gear. And I doubt he could fit in a business class seat either.
Being fat is not a disease, it is an option!
I have no idea if the photo is real, but the plane probably wasn’t off the ground at that point given that several overhead bins are open. And at least 2/3 of the row behind the guy appears still empty so I’d think that at the very least they’d have accommodated him there instead of letting him fly sitting on an armrest (ouch!).
Lol Ang….another great post from you!
I see a niche market here in the miles/points sector to promote credit card deals and status for upgrades to first class.
Wow, i was laughing so hard at some of these comments!! Good job guys. I have a few tears from the chuckle. Thats a big guy and no way he should have to sit on the arm rest. Hopefully they were able to get him two seats.
Still loling at the commenter who is questioning if the picture is even real!! I loved that one
I was recently next to a passenger of size. I empathized for the gentleman, but at the same time, I was scrunched up against the window with no arm rest and a sweaty leg pushing against me the whole time.
I wanted to say something on the ground, but did not find a good opportunity during boarding to not make a scene. The flight attendants walked by and looked and saw me scrunched a few times.
I finally said something once we were up in the air, as I was away from the gentleman and did not want to embarass him.
The flight attendant said, “You should have told me on the ground.”
@TravelBloggerBuzz yes it’s me!!!
My test of tolerance is simple: Arm rest down – and stays down for the duration and no other ‘leakage’ permitted. If those tests are met, you can seat an elephant next to me with out complaint. If not, I raise hell, but do so discreetly. Nuff said.
It has to be a major safety issue. Not to mention, everyone shouldn’t have to squeeze by just to walk down the aisle to the bathroom.
If it’s ok for people of size to be out half in the aisle, then is it ok for all other passengers to leave their feet in the aisle?
If you are a person of size, you should be required to fit in the number of seats that you purchase. If you can’t fit in one, then you purchase 2.
Sorry, but if this is not a fake(though it seems likely that it is), this person must buy two seats. As someone else said, being overweight is not an illness, it is an option – and so is flying.
I will never support the pay by the pound argument unless the airlines also enforced pay by height requirements also. I am 6’3 and 230 lbs. My midsection fits easily in a seat but my broad shoulders do sometimes rub up against the person next to me but that is not something I can control, I have a naturally large frame. My problem is my legs. Due to my height, my legs are either in the isle, pushed to the side encroaching into my neighbor’s space or pressed firmly up against the seat in front of me which can prevent the individual in front of me from reclining. Generally this creates problems for the FA, my neighbor next to me or the person in front of me. I always try to pay the few extra dollars for the extra leg room but let’s be honest, that is not always an option.
I will probably create backlash here with those who love their extra leg room but if the airlines were to adopt any sort of policies regarding people of girth, there should also be policies of the opposite effect. There should be minimum height requirements for certain seats on the plane. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing an airline give a seat with extra leg room to an individual half my height when I was willing to pay the same amount as that individual for my comfort and the comfort of those around me. If this is truly about passenger comfort and people truly believe that individuals should have to pay more due to their girth, then the same should be said for short individuals who occupy seats that could be used to create more comfort for tall individuals and those around those individual as well.