Obese may pay more to fly
Posted on April 15th, 2009 – 10:55 AMBy Kerri Westenberg
A story that appeared on a Chicago radio station’s Web site this morning suggested that United Airlines will be charging obese passengers for two seats if they cannot fit into one. The airline is busy beating down the story, which, it must be said, was based on an unnamed source.
“Those unable to comfortably fasten a safety belt with one extension or sit comfortably with armrests down will be denied boarding unless they purchase an extra seat, even if they can be placed elsewhere in the aircraft next to an empty seat,” read the story by WBBM News Radio.
“That story is wrong,” United spokesman Robin Urbanski Janikowski wrote in an e-mail. Passengers will be accomodated on their flights with no additional charge, she wrote.
The story raises a hot-button issue — for the airline industry and travelers. I heard from one reader who complained about “paying for a whole seat, but getting only a half,” because she was seated next to someone who spilled over into her seat. The Canadian Transportation Agency ruled late last year that its domestic airlines, including Air Canada, must offer a second seat for obese travelers free of charge. Meanwhile, most airlines in the U.S. remain mum about their policy (if they even have one), though Southwest has charged obese passengers for a second seat if none is otherwise available on the airplane.
It’s a touchy subject. No airline ticketing agent wants to call someone out for being fat, and who would want to be on the receiving end of that. On the other hand, no one wants to fly across the country plasted to an overweight stranger, either. So what should U.S. airlines do? Follow the Canadian model or Southwest’s?
44 Responses to "Obese may pay more to fly"
Southwest has it right. If it is a SOLD OUT flight and they could otherwise be making money on that extra seat and you cannot fit into one seat you should be required to pay for two. If there are extra seats available on the flight, then there is no issue and no extra charge.
I have been overweight in the past but now have slimmed down. I think it’s only fair to charge people for a 2nd seat. If they know the requirements ahead of time that should help.
I just had a guy make me check my bag at the gate on Monday that I had carried on last week. He looked at it and saw that it was bigger than the guidelines and caught me out. Probably not as personal an offense as being called overweight, but it is only fair.
It’s real estate. We’re charged for a SEAT (and small at that). It’s not fair if we can’t fly as comfortably as possible because someone else doesn’t fit into their seat.
This is a touchy subject, but as someone who has had to give up half my seat to someone who was drastically overweight, it gets to an issue of fairness. Fairness for those who barely get enough seat from the airlines who are not overweight, and for the overweight folks who don’t fit.
What is fair? To have your seat when you paid for it.
What should they do about drastically overweight people? That is for the smart people at the airlines to figure out.
I agree. if I am the paying passenger sitting next to Mr. Obese and he is spilling over into my seat, do I get a refund? nope, the airline is making money off two seats. If Mr. Obese wants to be comfortable and take up 1.3 seats, he chould pay for that extra capacity, or for a first class seat. I actually sat in First class a couple years ago next to a dude that was hanging over onto my armrest that is a wide body. Biggest blob I had ever seen flying.
Our obsession with keeping our weight a secret, and tiptoeing around the issue of obesity only enables people to get fatter. Make it fair, charge by weight, just like air freight. Airports are full of scales for baggage, start weighing the passengers. People need to start owning up.
This is going to sound cold, but here goes. To be able to afford the convenience of flying, one must pay for it. Anything other than a human(not sure about pets) are weighed accordingly by the shipping company, which takes into account the weight of the item in determining its cost. Whether its legal documents or lobsters, a charge is made by weight. Why cant it be the same for people? No doubt due to the litigation concerns and hurt feelings, policies like these make airlines queasy. Yet another case where being PC is not friendly to the bottom line.
The heavier an airplane is, the more fuel it requires. Therefore, airlines should use a “per-pound” pricing scheme for fares. Even better would be to add a “girth” surcharge.
I have gotten stuck a couple of times, sitting next to an overweight person who spilled over into my seat. What I want is, if you can’t fit in the seat with the armrests down, then you have to buy two seats.
This is a great idea. Make them pay for the real estate that they will be occupying. That will make them think twice before downing another jelly roll at the next stopover.
I think this should be implemented on city buses as well. One time I had to sit next to a jumbo and when the bus took a turn I fell into the aisle since one of my cheeks was unsupported hovering in midair.
Why not? I pay extra to smoke - even if I don’t do it in public and only in my house (so spare me the second hand issue in THIS case).
Not only is obesity a health issue, sitting next to a person that is obese is uncomfortable — BOTH reasons are used to raise cig taxes *constantly*
Hey, lets make money on tall people too. What way to mint tickets, just keep downsizing seating room like we have since the 60’s. Build bigger overhead bins & charge tall people more. With all comforts a sharp pencil can turn a profit. Then we can charge $5 a restroom visit too. Hey what choice do they have once it is industry policy?
While I sympathize with the plight of people who have disorders that cause them to be obese, I cannot feel bad for the obese person who eats McDonald’s every day and downs 64 oz of soda routinely. Those people are fat because of habits. I don’t think regular sized airline passengers should be penalized for someone else’s bad habits, and I don’t understand the concept of classifying obese people as disabled. Yes, they are maligned and treated unfairly sometimes. However, if I didn’t eat moderate portions, exercise regularly, go out for a little walk after dinner every night, and take the steps instead of the elevator, I would not be 135 pounds - I would be very overweight. I think if people cannot fit into an airline seat without spilling over into their neighbor’s seat, they should be charged for two seats. I don’t know how this could possibly be implemented though, without minor riots breaking out on planes. There a A LOT of obese Americans. Incidentally, if at 5′5″ and 135, I have to practically walk sideways down an airplane aisle to fit, how does a larger person do it? Of course, none of this would be an issue if airlines would stop cramming more and more seats into the same square footage. Even people of regular height and weight feel packed in like sardines.
I have been sat next to obese people, and let me tell you it is quite difficult, and uncomfortable to be shoved up against the window for the duration of the flight. I can’t use the armrest, I can’t sit up straight. I end up with a sore neck and back by the time we land. THAT is not fair. Obese people should be paying for the extra seat they take up, so that small people, like myself, don’t end up with health issues because of them.
[…] and fat people might be paying more to fly. See, that’s not right. Then again, what if they take up more than one seat? Should I have to […]
Sun Country charged me $75 for having a bag that was 7 pounds over the limit. I weigh less than 115 pounds, so my bag and I together were lighter than a lot of people getting on that plane. I think they should weigh passenger and bag together; as someone else said, it’s a question of the cost of the fuel.
The answer is obvious. Airlines major cost is fuel. More weight, more fuel. Weigh in should become the fair way to fairly allocate cost for a ticket. Throw some bigger seats on for the fatties and the just big people. Once those seats are used up, charge for a 2nd required seat. But oh no this is too complicated and some body’s feelings might get hurt.
GOOD! Have you ever been crammed in the middle seat with two fatties on either side of you? UGH. Someone suggested next time they’ll charge tall people more… uhm, most do already if you request an emergency exit row… I’m 6′4″, my legs don’t fit behind the regular coach (cattle) seats, I’m happy to pay $5 more for the room… hell, I’d even pay $25!
Makes perfect sense to me. It’s long overdue.
Pretty sad, everyone who has never been obese obviously does not understand. They think its all about eating junk food and excesing. What about muscle men? Their huge? But they are not obese, yet ocupy simular space as some obese people. I eat normally and excercise and am quite large, but that is because I am 6′7″. Why is it my fault? I have been traveling for more then 30 years on airplanes. At the beginning, there was little issues cause there was enough room for the majority. The airlines have added more and more seats, in addition to charging more and more money, hence, making it less roomy for even the standard size people. So, dont tell me a standard size person rides comfortably. Most dont. Large people have rights too. I guess the per pound charge is ok, but that means they should get a comforable seat for it. If normal people end up paying less, then they sit in smaller seats. I’ll be happy to pay more, and I usually do, but I dont hang over. I am just large. If I end up paying more, then I better get a good seat. In anycase, American Airlines is the only airline with comfortable seating for large people anyway. Thing outside of the box befor you acuse people. One last comment. I have sat next to people with extreme bad breath. Mostly normal size people. Hard to breath…What do I get for that?
I am an overweight woman who is slowly becoming less overweight by skipping the McD’s and the jelly rolls - you’re more likely to see me eating a yogurt on a stopover nowadays. And yes, I can put the armrest down and no, I don’t spill into the next seat, except on turbo props and just about anyone is going to have a hard time fitting into a seat on those flying tin cans… But, I still need to ask for a seat belt extender for those last two inches on certain planes, even in First Class, which had never happened before last week! I would have no problem paying by the pound if I were guaranteed to be spared the embarrassment of having to sometimes ask for an extender because seats and or seatbelts are not standardized. By some of the looks I get, you would think I had asked for a live grenade or a crack pipe…
Those deep folds of flesh could potentially conceal wepons or other dangerous items. These shoul all be inspected. Unparturized cheese is also illegal to transfer.
I agree with the otheres. Everybody should be charged by the pound. This includes the passenger weight and their carry on and checked luggage. Who likes to sit by fat people? They should pay more to fly. It costs more to fly them and it hurts customer satisfaction for the people that have to sit next to them. This would motivate some people to lose some weight.
I was stuck between to 350lb+ individuals on a plane from phoenix to Hawaii (6 hrs.) My girlfriend and I politely asked if they would consider multiple seating scenarios to enable each couple to sit next to eachother, but they refused.
I was left with no choice but to complain to the airline to no avail.
Bottom line: Make obese people pay more. I don’t care if it’s buying to seats or buy the lbs. I paid $800 to use one airplane seat. They paid for the same seat, but took up half of mine.
I too sat next to a large person giving up a portion of my seat. I was not happy and showed it during the early part of our flight. As I spoke to the person I found her to be a kind person and I tried to change my attitude towards this person. I always felt kind of bad about my behavior and told myself to be kinder to the larger sized people I might have to sit next to on future flights, although I would encourage them to trim down for their health and well being.
I think airlines should have a box for passengers just like they do for carry on luggage. If you can fit in the box, you get to ride in the cabin. If you can’t… better find yourself a luggage tag!
This has been going on in some form for a long time in the airline industry. I had a relative that was quite overweight who YEARS ago had it suggested by an airline ticket agent that they buy a 2nd seat.
I like Darwin’s post. I don’t think it was fair that I had to pay an extra $75 for my bag when others weighed so much more, but I don’t get why people have to demonize or insult people who have weight problems.
What’s the big deal? State employees in some states pay a larger health insurance premium if they’re BMI is not government approved. (I guess the chickens have come home to roost for all you fatties who are in favor of smoking bans and high cigarette taxes)
Use more than one seat pay for more than one seat. Simple as that.
I had a fat lady flowing over the arm rest on a flight not to long ago. Not only was it uncomfortable it was disgusting. She perspired heavily and left a sweat stain on my shirt.
Don’t worry (or worry) nothing will change this in Minnesota. Everyone in this state is too flipping worried about making someone upset. Walking on eggshells would be won by a Minnesotan if it was an Olympic event. Get some seeds Minnesota!
You pay extra for a toddler (who could by rights sit on their parents) so why not an obese person who also uses two? Bottom line if you take up more than the space allowed you should pay for it.
And amen to the states charging more for BMI’s- this costs us all.
With all due respect, the comments who speak about charging per pound miss the point. If you are in a seat next to someone severely overweight, you simply cannot move. And I am not talking about the fact that most of us are a few pounds overweight.
I have been the unfortunate person sitting next to a severely overweight person. This person sat in the middle seat, had to have both armrests up and had to use 2 seat belt extenders to buckle up. I am not a small person myself, and no exaggeration, I had to sit in less than half my seat. I complained to the flight attendant, who told me my only option was to leave the plane. MY option was to leave the plane…hmmmm….
This person was so large that none of us in the entire row could lower our tray tables, and she was so large that her body mass covered the entire left side of my body.
Every 30 mins or so, I had to ask if she would lift her weight because my arm and leg would go numb from loss of circulation.
I know that most of you are thinking, this dude is making this s&*t up, but it was the God’s honest truth.
When the flight attendant came down the aisle with the coffee cart, she ran into my shoulder because I was leaning into the aisle. She told me I had to sit in my seat or she would report me to the FAA.
Something was severly wrong with the way that whole thing was handled. Every step of the way, I was the one who was wrong. When I wrote the airline after the fact, because I am a platinum flyer, they gave me 10k miles. With a balance of 500k miles, as if that voucher made any difference in the world.
I think that the issue has to be with the indivudal. This woman clearly understood she would not fit into a single seat, yet she was willing to inconvenience the rest of us.
Where has our sense of fair play gone?? The airlines are hand-strung, not wanting to get a class action suit from overweight passengers, and the flying public doesn’t give a s&*T about anyone else other than oneself.
The answer, fly first class.
R Charlie
A lot of heartless responses here. Seems the last socially acceptable prejudice is against the obese, who (contrary to popular opinion) tend to have very little choice about their body size. You all have heard that 95% of diets fail, right?
We’ve all seen how cramped airline seats are, and as the average weight of the general public creeps upward, the seats aren’t getting any bigger. The problem is not overweight people, it’s undersized seats.
Besides which… when another passenger has impinged on my space, it’s usually not an overweight person. It’s usually a blithely inconsiderate man (of whatever weight) who feels entitled to take up BOTH armrests and relax with legs splayed wide, while I scrunch myself up into a little cube in the next seat.
Here’s an idea. Instead of having rows of 3 seats across, why don’t the airlines make a few rows of 2 wide seats and charge 1 + 1/2 price? Of course they would have to balance the load so the plane wouldn’t wobble, but I think it could work. It beats being squeezed next to a big person, and they don’t have to pay double the fare.
I flew last year to NC on Northwest, fearing I’d be overlapping onto other chairs… but I fit in there just fine with room to spare, flying coach class even, and I’m 6′3 405. As my doctor says I’m morbidly obese… then people referred to in the horror stories above must be *mad jabba the hutt style.
Anyone who is overweight and knows he cannot fit into one seat is knowing violating the rights of the person(s) beside him. Someone said it above - they are the ones being inconsiderate.
I was almost forced to sit by a couple who both were overweight, one severely, and fortunately I had a sympathetic flight attendant and vacant seats on the plane. I was moved and given a complaint form, which they encouraged me to fill out because this is a HUGE problem and is only getting worse. We got rid of smoking on flights because of the obvious violation of rights (remember the smoking section LOL).
There are people who have medical issues that put them at a disadvantage, but they are the exception; not the rule. The VAST majority are obese from lifestyle choices; not genetics. There are ways to handle this and frankly all it would take is a little common sense and some cajones to see it through.
What we need is someone to take an airline to court because their rights were violated (or, weren’t given what they paid for - a full seat) and there are a few stories in this thread that are pretty compelling. Next time get someone to take pictures and make sure you get names of passengers who can be witnesses. The airlines can do something about this…they just don’t want to because it’s a nightmare in so many ways.
The problem isn’t always the seat, or what’s sitting in the seat. I’ve sat next to men who would be considered incredibly fit, and whose seats fit in the seat with room to spare, however their muscle-y shoulders were so big they spilled into my shoulder space. Is anyone going to charge them for the extra space they took up, or the discomfort they caused their seat-mate? Of course not, because they are not fat.
I’m 6′5″, and 385 pounds. When I fly, I ALWAYS purchase an extra seat. It’s well worth the extra money. I’m more comfortable, I’m not fighting with another passenger for the armrest, and I can spread my legs far enough apart to avoid leg cramps and bruised knees.
You wouldn’t believe the sense of luxury having that extra seat creates. And it’s much cheaper than a first-class seat. I highly recommend it.
I LOVE Diane’s idea! Why haven’t the airlines thought of that? Several years ago, I was flying with my 12-year old daughter, who wanted the window seat. I sat in the middle, and a portly young woman with a child in her lap was on the aisle. Needless to say, she overflowed into my seat, plus was holding the child the entire flight. There were 2 open seats across the aisle, 1 row ahead of us, and I thought the crew would offer those to the woman with the child. I felt bad for her (and me), esp. when the flight attendant twit asked a good-looking thin man (a couple of rows back) if he would like those 2 seats. Of course, he said yes - I’ll call him a twit too - even though he was already in an aisle seat. If I were smart, I would have lodged a complaint.
Make them pay for two seats. It’s only fair.
Years ago i was traveling with a small child. He was too large to sit in my lap safely and comfortably so I had to pay for their seat. However had the child been small enough he could have sat on my lap the entire flight for free.
and NO, obese people shouldn’t sit on someone elses lap to avoid paying. Nor should their elbows, bellies or other appendages, ewwwww, GROSS!
Get real mini, it’s not about being prejudice against the obese. It’s being prejudice against anyone who willfully violates the rights of others whether that is by smoking in an enclosed area, not buying two seats when you need them, or going to the head of a line rather than the back (see how far you get with that one in a New York train station). Stop trying to make this analogous to racism — it’s not.
Sorry, but there’s nothing mean spirited about requiring someone to pay for two seats when they take up two seats. It isn’t fair, but neither is charging me full price for a haircut when I’m half bald.
To respond to an above comment by Mini…95% of diets fail because they are just that — diets. People need to quit dieting, start changing their lifestyles, and stop making excuses. The last thing obese people need to be told is that they have very little choice. Whatever happened to taking responsibility rather than blaming it on genetics, your upbringing, or the American culture of fast and fatty food? I’m sick of the endless excuses and I’m sick of the sympathy being handed out to people who have complete control over their body, yet choose not to exercise that control. The rest of us end up paying in more ways than one for others’ unhealthy choices — if pointing out that fact makes me “heartless”, then so be it.
Kerri Westenberg has globe-trotted for National Geographic and other magazines. Now she zips around the region, on the lookout for travel news you can use.
Elizabeth Larsen lived in Salzburg, Austria, and has traveled throughout Europe and the Americas. She can say "diaper," "bottle" and "crib" in four languages.
Troy Melhus has heli-skied on glaciers, dived alongside Monk seals and raced for 24 hours on a mountain bike. All this, and he rarely spends more than $500 on a trip.
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