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Old 07-24-2014, 09:43 AM
 
5,570 posts, read 7,251,416 times
Reputation: 16562

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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
It's unfortunate that there are so idiots in the world, but when you say you can put the armrests down--can you do so without spilling over into the seat next to you either in the hips or arms/shoulders? I don't like strangers touching me--on a plane or anywhere else. My prerogative. I would be respectful about it, but if you were spilling over into my seat I would nicely suggest that you speak to the flight attendant about being re-seated, because I don't share the space I've paid for with strangers.
No, I am totally in my seat space, but I definitely fill out my space more than most people. So even though I am totally in my space, I do recognize that people sitting next to me may still feel crowded (which is why I try to seat myself so I can lean slightly away).
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Old 07-24-2014, 10:12 AM
 
3,483 posts, read 9,400,504 times
Reputation: 2737
I am a frequent flyer (a taller than average fairly slim female) and only had an issue with an overweight person next to me one time. He was doing his best to stay out of my seat but it just wasn't happening. He was too large and the seat was too small. It was a short flight (1.5 hours) and I was just planning on sucking it up but the FA quickly swooped in and moved him to a row that happened to be empty. I think most people- the FAs, the overweight person- do their best to make the situation work. If I were as large as the man I sat next to, I would absolutely buy 2 seats. No way would he have been anything near comfortable trying to (unsuccessfully) stay off my lap. The seat dimensions are available online. Passengers should do some quick math before purchasing.
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Old 07-24-2014, 10:15 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,931,227 times
Reputation: 13161
Quote:
Originally Posted by apexgds View Post
No, I am totally in my seat space, but I definitely fill out my space more than most people. So even though I am totally in my space, I do recognize that people sitting next to me may still feel crowded (which is why I try to seat myself so I can lean slightly away).
Then he was doubly an ass.
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Old 07-24-2014, 10:37 AM
 
Location: NYC
16,061 posts, read 26,692,634 times
Reputation: 24848
I am sure the gentleman sitting next to me didn't like it either. However it really is maddening if the arm rest can't go down the person is allowed to have one seat. I could have raised a stink and embarrassed the guy. It wouldn't have accomplished much. The flight was over sold, delayed and honestly what could they have done? Taken the guy or myself off the plane? It just puts everyone in an awkward position.

I would hate to be the flight attendant telling the gentleman he was too large for one seat! People know their girth, they just don't want to pay double fare. That said, it isn't fair to the person sitting next to them to suffer through.
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Old 07-24-2014, 11:05 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,931,227 times
Reputation: 13161
Quote:
Originally Posted by veuvegirl View Post
I am sure the gentleman sitting next to me didn't like it either. However it really is maddening if the arm rest can't go down the person is allowed to have one seat. I could have raised a stink and embarrassed the guy. It wouldn't have accomplished much. The flight was over sold, delayed and honestly what could they have done? Taken the guy or myself off the plane? It just puts everyone in an awkward position.

I would hate to be the flight attendant telling the gentleman he was too large for one seat! People know their girth, they just don't want to pay double fare. That said, it isn't fair to the person sitting next to them to suffer through.
Actually every carrier I'm aware of does require the armrest to go down, and if it can't and there are no other seats, they can and will deplane the large passenger. I don't have any sympathy, they should have purchased the second seat.
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Old 07-24-2014, 11:17 AM
 
16,715 posts, read 19,355,889 times
Reputation: 41482
Quote:
Originally Posted by apexgds View Post
On the flip side ... I'm a plus size woman, but I manage to fit in my seat with the arm rests down. I sit in the aisle seat so I can lean away from the passenger next to me and afford them as much space as possible.

Most of the time, I don't have any issues (I'm a frequent flyer). On a recent trip however, I was seated on a full flight next to a truly horrible human being. He made it very clear to the flight attendant (and everyone sitting nearby) that he did not appreciate having to sit next to "this fat person." Continued to whine all through boarding, even calling someone on his phone to whine more, saying "SHE'S TOUCHING ME!" (which elicited giggles because he sounded just like a whiney little brother in the back seat of the car) Well yes, I was touching him because he was sitting with his legs spread as wide as he could. His leg would have come into contact with even a skinny person sitting like that. I didn't say anything other than to apologize to him, which didn't seem to have any affect.

Unfortunately because the flight was already operating under a delay and they were trying to get boarded and off the ground in a hurry, the flight attendants were very busy and couldn't do much about the situation. But once we reached cruising altitude (and I was thoroughly mortified), the gentleman seated in front of me stood up and said to me "my wife would like it very much if you would take the seat next to her for the remainder of the flight. I can handle sitting next to this *******." God bless that couple.
That is terrible. Thank God for that wonderful man and his wife.

I too am chunky and I always take the aisle because the last thing I want to do is have to crawl over my seat-mates.
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Old 07-24-2014, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
2,218 posts, read 3,445,018 times
Reputation: 6035
Quote:
Originally Posted by njkate View Post
BINGO!! It's bad enough how the airlines nickel and dime everyone to death but they want to squeeze and I do mean squeeze as many people into coach as they can.
The only way to avoid this is flying first class and average people can't afford that...hell they even charge extra for exit row seats because of the leg room and they used to be standard coach prices.

I cant tell you how tired I am of hearing this myth. No airline, at least my (major) company changed seat sizes in over 18 years. That is simply NOT true. People are just getting larger. I have worked the same aircraft for over 17 years and never, not ONCE, have seat sizes changed.

Also, you realize, don't you, that airlines are not non-profits. People are not willing to pay a higher ticket price to accomodate higher fuel prices, so airlines start charging for little stuff. No, I dont like it either...mostly because people complain to me about it and I have ZERO control over what they charge. And yes, seats are filled to the max, that is how profits are made. Sorry you dont like full planes. Airline stock holders do...more seats filled, more profit. The good old days of roomy flying are over.

As for larger passengers, I sympathize with those who have to sit with someone who spills into their space. If I see that and I do have a free seat somewhere else, i will offer it to the person being squeezed. However, if there are no seats, I dont know what people expect flight crew to do. There are seldom extra seats available.
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Old 07-24-2014, 11:46 AM
 
10 posts, read 28,362 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke View Post
The underlying problem is that the airlines keep making the seats smaller and smaller until they are now smaller than the average size of American customers. The only thing that is going to solve space issues is to make the seats bigger and further apart, because they now lack sufficient leg room for people of ordinary height as well as being too narrow for most people.

Buying two seats doesn't work well. I bought two seats once, because I was meeting a friend in Las Vegas and she was flying home with me, and paying for 2 round trip tickets was the only way to get us adjacent seats on the same flight. When boarding I had the attendants try to move someone into my vacant seat 4 different times. I had to vigorously defend the space I had paid for. That extra seat cost me $350. I wasn't about to surrender it because the airline had overbooked and was trying to get an extra passenger on.

Then during the flight, an attendant tried to move another passenger into my spare seat. The fellow next to me tried several times to sprawl all over the extra seat.

After that, I can see why large passengers don't want to pay for two seats and be forced to fight off invaders for the entire flight. Everyone on board thinks that if they can see a few empty inches that they are entitled to take them over.
You should have sold the extra seat back to the airline. They usually announce they will give $250 voucher for some one to go stand by if the flight is overbooked. You would still have the return seat.
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Old 07-24-2014, 11:47 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,931,227 times
Reputation: 13161
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlightAttendant View Post
I cant tell you how tired I am of hearing this myth. No airline, at least my (major) company changed seat sizes in over 18 years. That is simply NOT true. People are just getting larger. I have worked the same aircraft for over 17 years and never, not ONCE, have seat sizes changed.

Also, you realize, don't you, that airlines are not non-profits. People are not willing to pay a higher ticket price to accomodate higher fuel prices, so airlines start charging for little stuff. No, I dont like it either...mostly because people complain to me about it and I have ZERO control over what they charge. And yes, seats are filled to the max, that is how profits are made. Sorry you dont like full planes. Airline stock holders do...more seats filled, more profit. The good old days of roomy flying are over.

As for larger passengers, I sympathize with those who have to sit with someone who spills into their space. If I see that and I do have a free seat somewhere else, i will offer it to the person being squeezed. However, if there are no seats, I dont know what people expect flight crew to do. There are seldom extra seats available.
Deplane the offender. Let it hit the media a few times that a customer of size was deplaned because they were taking up space that they hadn't paid for and there was no place to move them on a full flight, and that problem would quickly fix itself with COS purchasing the two seats they need in advance.

If anything seats have gotten wider. I'm old enough to remember the seats on planes pre-deregulation--they were narrower and had minimal padding. The were about the same as a DASH-8 is today--with 17" seats that are hard as rocks.
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Old 07-24-2014, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Savannah GA/Lk Hopatcong NJ
13,384 posts, read 28,660,475 times
Reputation: 12025
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlightAttendant View Post
I cant tell you how tired I am of hearing this myth. No airline, at least my (major) company changed seat sizes in over 18 years. That is simply NOT true. People are just getting larger. I have worked the same aircraft for over 17 years and never, not ONCE, have seat sizes changed.

Also, you realize, don't you, that airlines are not non-profits. People are not willing to pay a higher ticket price to accomodate higher fuel prices, so airlines start charging for little stuff. No, I dont like it either...mostly because people complain to me about it and I have ZERO control over what they charge. And yes, seats are filled to the max, that is how profits are made. Sorry you dont like full planes. Airline stock holders do...more seats filled, more profit. The good old days of roomy flying are over.

As for larger passengers, I sympathize with those who have to sit with someone who spills into their space. If I see that and I do have a free seat somewhere else, i will offer it to the person being squeezed. However, if there are no seats, I dont know what people expect flight crew to do. There are seldom extra seats available.
I do realize that but also realize as more carriers merge, the competition shrinks and the customer will be the one to pay the price.
I hope that's not the attitude you portray to someone flying on your carrier. Listening to moaning and complaining comes with the territory of customer service and sorry but you are front line in your face customer service just like the kid at Mickey D's who gets screamed at because an order took to long.
Is it right? No, don't think it is but it is what it is.

can't take the heat get out of the kitchen

And an FYI I have no problem complaining to carrier when I've had a lousy flight with cranky flight service people ( and boy some of them just should of stayed home in bed instead of getting up on the wrong side of bed) I will also take the time to email when I've had a great flight with cheerful crew.

I've read many articles where maybe not the girth of the seat has changed on newer planes but the legroom has shrunk.
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