Obese have right to two airline seats for price of one

What do you think about this?

I sat next to an overweight (not obese) person on one of the last flights I took, and he had to place his entire arm and shoulder on top of me to fit in his seat. I was torn between being hugely uncomfortable, physically and personal space-wise, and feeling very sorry for him and how embarrassed he must have been.

i doubt that this would ever be done in the U.S.

the aim is to make it as equitable for a disabled person to fly as for an able-bodied person

if one had to pay twice as much to fly because of their disability, presumably, the system of one fare per seat would be discriminatory toward them

in the U.S., we'd either say, well, those are the breaks - you play the hand that life has dealt you OR a person might ask the airline for a discount and the airline might (for PR reasons) agree to not charge them or to give them a nice discount, but they definitely wouldn't be required to

i think canada is trying to be humane in access to transportation, including air travel

i don't have a problem with it

yeah I don't think it would ever happen here either, the airlines are way to profit minded to do something like that.

I can see the good of why they are doing it and I'm sure it will benefit many people.

On the same token I'm also sure it will "P" a lot of folk off too!

As it doesn't effect me I will just leave it alone.

I'm sort of conflicted on this topic.  On one hand I think they should have a right to two seats for the price of one because it's not really fair to discriminate (i.e. make someone pay more) simply because of how they are physically.  On the other hand, I think it could get way out of control where people claim they are obese because they want an extra seat or someone claims it not fair to thin person who deserves as much space for their baggage (or whatever).  Since so many people blame obesity on the person, I doubt it'll ever happen that they get 2-for-1.

I think that if you take up the space in the seat (of a few seats as the case may be) then you should pay for it.

Ok, my two sense cents, I don't care if an airline wants to sell an obese person a seat they fit into. If that requires two seats than so be it. It's not like they will be afforded some kind of luxury, only the right to be as uncomfortable as the rest of the flying masses.

And it makes sense to have these folks seated appropriately so if the plane is full another passenger doesn't have to fly to east puckduck with another human being riding half on their lap.

Look we already let mother's fly with their screaming babies on their laps for free at the complete annoyance of every other paying customer, so WTF.

I think it depends on where they're going.  If they're flying to Houston for a gastric bypass, okay.  If they're flying to Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break, no.

*stands back*

Stands back?

aw com on, step up and take it like you want it.

Kids should have to pay for 12 seats to deter parents from bringing them on planes. How do I get that made into law?

Original Post by emilyd22222:

"People who are "functionally disabled by obesity" deserve to have two seats for one fare."

I believe that means if their obesity is causing them to have problems functioning normally- so they wouldn't necessarily have to be in a wheelchair or have an oxygen tank to qualify. Makes me wonder how they determine whether someone qualifies.

I thought about asking the attendant, but I didn't want to embarrass this poor guy more, and the flight was only about a half hour.

 

 

 Agreed!

Original Post by spirochete:

Kids should have to pay for 12 seats to deter parents from bringing them on planes. How do I get that made into law?

 i agree 100%.  they should have to pay for half the plane or something.  i swear, every single freakin time i fly...there's a small child sitting behind me.  kicking the back of my seat and crying.  or grabbing my hair with the dirty little hands.  or there's one in front of me, peering adorably over the back of their seat, smiling...then throwing stuff at me.  argh.

i like kids, but sometimes, parents, get them to behave please.

Original Post by starlitocean:

Original Post by spirochete:

Kids should have to pay for 12 seats to deter parents from bringing them on planes. How do I get that made into law?

 i agree 100%.  they should have to pay for half the plane or something.  i swear, every single freakin time i fly...there's a small child sitting behind me.  kicking the back of my seat and crying.  or grabbing my hair with the dirty little hands.  or there's one in front of me, peering adorably over the back of their seat, smiling...then throwing stuff at me.  argh.

i like kids, but sometimes, parents, get them to behave please.

 Couldn't there be like, a sky trailer for kids?  A separate compartment towed along behind the plane?  On a longish chain?  Maybe?

This may actually affect me this coming summer...  I am changing my eating in an effort to lose weight for me, but also because I have planned to fly to CA (from SC) to visit family that I haven't seen in 14 years....  I was going to go last year, but I looked up the seat sizes and it's only like 21 inches or something like that... and my a** is definitely bigger than that (esp. when I sit on it...lol)  They've gotten smaller over time, too. 

I have really worried and stressed over it and whether I will lose enough weight, if I'll be one of those people that have to prove the seatbelt will go around me or I'll need a belt extender, or if I will even be able to squeeze my cheeks in-between the arm rests....  and is there a person that will be forced to sit next to me that will be incredibly uncomfortable sitting to this big lady and they can't find another seat b/c all the airlines are booking and over-booking the flights these days....

And then there is the whole issue of them asking how much you weigh...

God I hope I lose the weight I need to...

Original Post by splitrail:

Original Post by starlitocean:

Original Post by spirochete:

Kids should have to pay for 12 seats to deter parents from bringing them on planes. How do I get that made into law?

 i agree 100%.  they should have to pay for half the plane or something.  i swear, every single freakin time i fly...there's a small child sitting behind me.  kicking the back of my seat and crying.  or grabbing my hair with the dirty little hands.  or there's one in front of me, peering adorably over the back of their seat, smiling...then throwing stuff at me.  argh.

i like kids, but sometimes, parents, get them to behave please.

 Couldn't there be like, a sky trailer for kids?  A separate compartment towed along behind the plane?  On a longish chain?  Maybe?

 HA!!!  Love it!!  I think this should be true for anyone under the age of, oh, say 15.  LOL

Original Post by splitrail:

Original Post by starlitocean:

Original Post by spirochete:

Kids should have to pay for 12 seats to deter parents from bringing them on planes. How do I get that made into law?

 i agree 100%.  they should have to pay for half the plane or something.  i swear, every single freakin time i fly...there's a small child sitting behind me.  kicking the back of my seat and crying.  or grabbing my hair with the dirty little hands.  or there's one in front of me, peering adorably over the back of their seat, smiling...then throwing stuff at me.  argh.

i like kids, but sometimes, parents, get them to behave please.

 Couldn't there be like, a sky trailer for kids?  A separate compartment towed along behind the plane?  On a longish chain?  Maybe?

 or kid-cages down in cargo?  no?  too cruel?  then a heated compartment...just like you said...a sky trailer, with padded walls and cartoons playing. 

OMG!!!  I just looked up the typical plane that a company like Delta would use.... I was wrong!!!  It's only 18 inches wide!!!!

That's in economy...  Business class, you get an extra .5 inch... lol  Not really worth the money!

such a touchy topic...  no opinion other then it will not help discourage obese people by changing the law.

honestly i dont even remember what the seats are like In coach where they connected with arm rest dividing them or is each seat seperate -(its been 4 yrs since my last flights)- ive always been comfortable except on a flight to london (from NJ) - that flight seemed crammed i think bc i was in a middle seat (i thought there where 3 rows). i thought seats where bigger then 18 inches wide but on the flight to london - they seemed like 18 inches. i remember all other flights being comfortable (includes cross country) and enjoyable- exciting go there at least.,because they where a vaca not business.

Because a person has chosen to lead an unhealthy lifestyle, they then dont have to pay to make comfortable accommodations for themselves because they cant sit in seats for normal sized people? I understand that obesity can cause disabilities-but I cant bring myself to feel bad for people who are in that situation. I take that back- I feel bad for them in the sense that they werent able to look in the mirror when they were only mildly overweight and say "hey ive got to change something here" and also for the fact that they cant lead normal lives. 

I dont want to see people quoting me and calling me cruel. I know that the way I see things is very harsh- but its how I feel, and I have the right to express it. And I am certainly not alone in the way that I see it.. However, I still believe that there are plenty of very nice obese people, and I even have a friend who is in fact overweight..Regardless, it doesnt change the way I see the fact they they put themselves in the situation. **more power to anyone whos doing their best to change it, as everyone on CC is! Its the people that dont do anything to change their habits that I cant feel bad for.

My BF and I came up with a question-  we have to pay an additional fee if our baggage is over 50 pounds (or whatever it is now?), then why dont people who are overweight overweight or obese have to pay an additional fee? Just throwing that one out there...Obviously that would mean that the majority of Americans would be shelling out extra cash and its totally far fetched and improbable-but it kinda makes ya think a little.. That would definitely lead to tickets being purchase on a pay per pound and who would want that? It might make us diet for vacations though!

If the person does not have a thyroid disease than how is not their fault if they are obese?  You dont go to sleep normal and wake-up obese.

If a person loses their legs in a car crash, are we going to need to give them a special type of handicapped placard that denotes whether the accident that disabled them was their fault of that of another driver?

If it was their own fault, they get no special consideration of the fact that they have no legs?

nomo are you attempting to bring common sense and compassion for your fellow man into the debate?

tsk, tsk