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MarcyA
Posts:2
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| 06/20/2008 6:04 PM |
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I am an average-sized and average weight person that flies at least once (if not more) per week all over the country and often overseas. Just for the record I am 5-8" and 148 lbs. I could use more legroom but I definitely don't flop over the sides of the seat arms as MANY of my fellow passengers do.
One of the biggest gripes I have these days concerns the big debate over charging for carryon bags and checked bags but NO ONE seems to be addressing another real problem. How about the disproportionate number of passengers on each flight that could be considered morbidly obese or at least significantly overweight?
If it is my heavy luggage that is causing the plane to fly slower thereby using up more gas, I am willing to pay for it. But I think that the people that cause the plane to be overweight due to their personal weight issues need to be a part of the solution as well.
I typically carry on my items (usually a computer case and a rollaboard bag with my LCD projector and a change of clothes). I normally do not check a bag because of time constraints.
I know that several airlines have some policy about requiring passengers to purchase an extra seat if it appears that they will need the room, but I can say that in all of my travels, I have never seen it happen. I have been squeezed in between more overweight and supersized people than I care to count and it is NOT pleasant or comfortable for any of us. Over the past 3 months I have been seated next to at least 5 people that have raised the arm bar between us because they could not fit in the seat. Why should I have to give up a portion of my already tiny space to accomodate someone else's stomach? Why should I pay extra for their "extra" baggage?
I know this is not politically correct, but darn it, someone needs to speak up. If the planes seem to weigh more and cost more in fuel, I would venture to say it's because our passengers weigh more (especially here in the US and South Texas, specifically!) not our luggage.
By the way, I have nothing against people enjoying their food....just be fair when you start looking at ways to punish all of us!
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roro
Posts:1
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| 09/12/2008 10:33 AM |
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In reply to Marci's insensitive message, I would like to ask Marci if she knows for a fact that everyone of those people overeat and that is the reason for their overhanging fat.
I know that many people have a weight problem due to medical issues.
Also, due to familiar genes. People are built differently and they can try all they can to change the size of their bodies, but, if something is wrong then they cannot do that.
Chastising an overweight person is not your place and it is also called prejudice. The average person in our country is a 12-14 and from the sounds of 148 your not that thin.
Remember, there are other reasons beside eating that people are on the overhanging fat side. You may want to go back to school to take some lessons on sensitivity and how to accept people for what they are,
the size of the seats is the airlines determination and not the person's size.
Your standing up for once, does not make a good impression on me.
Actually they say 148 is overweight. |
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LowMaintenanceDiva
Posts:1
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| 09/12/2008 5:50 PM |
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I am all for keeping a safe amount of weight on flights. Why not weigh the passenger and luggage at the same time? The airline would have to decide what the parameters are per seat and only charge extra if the combined person and luggage tips the scale, as it were.
Or, more fairly, if a family of 4 is flying (with all four paying for a ticket) the 4-seat total could be combined and then have the peeps and the totes weigh in.
Folks going over the max can be charged and if the flight industry actually wanted to encourage business and earn brownie points, folks going under could be given some sort of reward -- extra air miles added, bonus points toward next-purchase savings -- something like that. |
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ellyn
Posts:1
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| 09/23/2008 11:58 PM |
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| Actually, Marcy at 5'8" and 148 lbs you are considered to be overweight. I am 5'9" and 152 and I am also considered to be overweight. Now, we may not "flop over" (so rude) in to someone's space but if the airline start charging extra for people who are over weight both you and I will be giving them extra money. I fly at least 8-12 times a month both domestic and over-seas. I buy an extra seat for comfort...that is my solution. Instead of complaining about over-weight individuals just get an extra seat or take the train or drive (if possible). Also, if you do fly as much as you state you should be writing it off on your taxes so an extra seat should be no big deal. Another idea is for you to take off some of your "extra" weight...the smaller you are the less space you will take up in your seat and the more room you will have. As an MD, I can tell you that there are many individuals who are obese not because of their eating (your comment "I have nothing against people enjoying their food..." was rather mean spirited...what do you enjoy?) habits but because of genetics or disease processes. In any case, the world would be a nicer place if people were just a little more kind and tolerate of each other...I love the saying "I am not perfect but parts of me are excellent." |
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genaquino
Posts:1
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| 10/05/2008 8:21 AM |
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| i agree with marci. this does not mean discrimination against people who are "overweight" (sorry but i do not know the politically-correct term). i definitely hope airlines would have a way of redistributing weight allocation considering body weight. I am so fed up with the ever-decreasing baggage allowance. it's just not fair to always blame the extra charges to fuel costs when airlines get better purchase rates compared to the independent consumers at gas pumps. |
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Eriamjh
Posts:5
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| 10/07/2008 12:59 PM |
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This is why I like Southwest.
ellyn, 150 pounds is splitting hairs here. We're talking about the 250-300+ lb behemoths. If you can't fit in one seat, there's no reason why you shouldn't have to buy two. |
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MarcyA
Posts:2
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| 10/07/2008 10:23 PM |
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According to some of you, I am overweight, however I wear a size 8 pant size and have at least 2 inches of extra space on either side of me when seated in a normal airline seat. I am very aware of the extra "sensitivity" it requires to travel frequently with large groups of people on an airline. I go out of my way not to bang on the tray table, talk loudly to my traveling companion, make other passengers let me in and out of the seat constantly, etc. My comment is related to the expectation that others would do the same. If you require additional space (which I do not) then you should have to purchase it. Why should I have to purchase an extra seat to provide myself extra space when I fit perfectly into the space I purchased. Why do the airlines post these requirements then not adhere to them?
The simple fact is this....if a person (for WHATEVER reason...health issues, genetics, overeating, etc.) requires extra room to actually fit into a seat (beyond the space allocated to you by the airline) then THAT person should have to pay for the additional space, not me. I would never be so rude as to raise the dividing bar between myself and a perfect stranger so that my hips, thighs, etc. whatever can be seated comfortably and pressed up against them. It appears from these posts that most of you other travelers seem to think that this is ok....
I would also consider this a safety issue as well. I have literally been squashed between two oversized (width not height) gentlemen on a flight (the flight was fully booked so no other seating arrangement was available) in which each persons' physical being was at least 2-3 inches over the dividing line between the seats (I was in the middle) and I had to sit with my shoulders hunched over as they both raised the seat bars to accomodate their size. If you have ever been in this situation, you will understand what I am describing. This was a 3 hour flight that was absolutely miserable for all of us. Had any kind of emergency occurred, I truly believe there was no way that they would have been able to move out of their seats quickly enough to evacuate the plane.
My post was out of frustration with the ongoing rising costs of airline travel attributed to plane weight issues, specifically the extra costs of luggage. I work for myself, so any additional costs for travel come out of my pocket. Unfortunately, I am not able to charge my customers for business class, first class, etc. I try to keep my costs low and always travel coach. Purchasing an extra seat to accomodate someone elses' physical requirements doesn't make much fiscal sense to me. I would just like the airlines to stick to the policies they post (almost all airlines have some paragraph addressing this issue in their policies).
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queendiva
Posts:2
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| 10/12/2008 1:23 PM |
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I am 5'. I also weigh 200. I fit in an airline seat just fine thank you. I've never thought of raising the bar! And no tall person (anyone over 5' 2" is tall in my opinion) has any idea what it is like to feel claustrophic between a crowd of tall people!
This is all so petty and mean spirited. Obviously, some of you have little else going on in your lives!
The problem is not the people. The problem is not the luggage. The problem is airlines who haven't figured out how to remain profitable (if they are) and become customer service oriented. They squeeze three seats in an area that is meant for two seats (that would better serve their customers). The aisles would also probably be wider. Fewer people would be on a plane, but happier people would probably fly more often (not talking about the business traveler), thereby increasing the airlines' profits.
I would be more than happy to pay a higher fare for a "normal" seat in a plane that has wider aisles and happier, less stressed attendants.
So, let's not blame people about who we've made visual judgments that are both unfair and unintelligient--especially when we may be calling the kettle white when we are the kettle!
I detest flying southwest because of their judgemental attendants. Once an attendant looked at me like she was going to approach me about something, but she changed her mind when she saw me sit in the sit without problem from the other person. While I filled the seat, the other person, who happened to be a man, overflowed. So not only did I think she was going to dsicrimnate because of my weight but because of my gender.
So people worry about yourselves first, your family and friends second, strangers not at all. |
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Eriamjh
Posts:5
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| 10/15/2008 1:44 PM |
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[quote]Posted By queendiva on 10/12/2008 1:23 PM
I am 5'. I also weigh 200. I fit in an airline seat just fine thank you. I've never thought of raising the bar! [/quote]
Good. Then there's no problem.
[quote]
And no tall person (anyone over 5' 2" is tall in my opinion) has any idea what it is like to feel claustrophic between a crowd of tall people!
[/quote]
Irrelevant. Sit on the aisle seat, then. The point is that tall people fit in the seat.
[quote]
This is all so petty and mean spirited. Obviously, some of you have little else going on in your lives!
[/quote]
Rather, the opposite is true; it is a true testament to how awful it is to fly with people too wide for the seat.
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The problem is not the people.
[/quote]
Wrong.
[quote]
The problem is not the luggage.
[/quote]
Correct, unless someone has put their cello next to you and has raised the armrest.
[quote]
The problem is airlines who haven't figured out how to remain profitable (if they are) and become customer service oriented.
[/quote]
According to their accountants, it's either one or the other right now. Frankly, the "normal-girth" consumers like myself appreciate that I will not get stuck next to someone who tries to share my seat.
[quote]
They squeeze three seats in an area that is meant for two seats (that would better serve their customers).
[/quote]
If that were true, First Class would be in huge demand. Myself, I think people would rather fly cheap. Your suggestion would result in at least a flat 33% increase, but likely more as overall flight capacity might not be able to meet demand.
[quote]
The aisles would also probably be wider. Fewer people would be on a plane, but happier people would probably fly more often (not talking about the business traveler), thereby increasing the airlines' profits.
[/quote]
Do you understand economics?
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I would be more than happy to pay a higher fare for a "normal" seat in a plane that has wider aisles and happier, less stressed attendants.
[/quote]
Then why are you on this website? Just buy a first-class ticket, and all of your dreams will come true.
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So, let's not blame people about who we've made visual judgments
[/quote]
I didn't say that ugly people bothered me, I said that people too fat to fit in a single seat and spilled over bothered me. This is not a visual perception, it's a physical reality.
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I detest flying southwest because of their judgemental attendants.
[/quote]
They've always seemed about as pleasant as attendants on competing airlines.
[quote]
Once an attendant looked at me like she was going to approach me about something, but she changed her mind when she saw me sit in the sit without problem from the other person. While I filled the seat, the other person, who happened to be a man, overflowed. So not only did I think she was going to dsicrimnate because of my weight but because of my gender.
[/quote]
You had better duck. I hear the black helicopters are flying low today.
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So people worry about yourselves first, your family and friends second, strangers not at all.[/quote]
Unfortunately, strangers tend to be the 'squeaky wheel' - I would never fly in a seat if I spilled over onto someone else, but others tend to be more than happy to do this. When they're endangering my safety and flopping their extra sweaty mass onto my lap, it becomes my problem.
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Jill Gott
Posts:303
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| 10/17/2008 8:49 PM |
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| Anyone wonder why I have not commented on this one???? Well....at 5'2" and 102 lbs YOU don't want to hear from me....!!!! (and NO, I'm not the least bit offended if you ask for a seat belt extender............:) |
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