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The increasing size of Americans is a fact, and other industries are having to adapt to it. Hospitals have bigger beds, stretchers, and wheel chairs, for example. A hospital near me has reinforced the older wall model toilets by adding supports under the bottom of the bowl. I guess that was cheaper than re-plumbing for floor mounted toilets.
There should be no reason that someone could not design seats for coach class that could accommodate larger people and be incorporated into any airline's seat configuration. They should cost more (just like exit row and other upgrades do) and they should be reserved for the people who actually need them. Such people could register with airlines ahead of time so their eligibility for those seats would be on record. People who need them would have fewer flight options and would just have to deal with that.
I flew from Atlanta to Syracuse yesterday. There was one very obese male on the flight. He sat in the last row on the side of the plane with no middle seat. His traveling companion, a small woman, sat next to the window. The two of them managed to fit in the two seats, but the man was leaning out into the aisle. It would not have been fair to expect a passenger of normal size who was not traveling with him to sit next to him.
I agree with those who say they should not be expected to cede part of the seat they paid for to a stranger who is too big for the seat he paid for.
And what happens when the large person has a traveling companion and wants to be seated next to them? Or what if those seats are already sold out? Then it opens a can of worms.
There is already a viable solution. The large person buys two seats.
And what happens when the large person has a traveling companion and wants to be seated next to them? Or what if those seats are already sold out? Then it opens a can of worms.
There is already a viable solution. The large person buys two seats.
If they are sold out the large person has to choose another flight. It should not take long for airlines to determine how many such seats to make available.
If the large seats are not taken by a large person and the date of departure nears, the seat can be made available to anyone, at the same price a large person would pay. Traveling companions may not be able to sit with the large person, but by booking well in advance should be able to get close, say across the aisle.
It would be difficult to make it work for a large person who travels often on short notice. That person would have to pony up the money for two seats or first class.
Here is the bottom line, you pay for a finite amount of space on an airline, that is the deal.
This is exactly it. The ticket is for a SEAT not a BODY. The space is finite. If you need more space than one unit of seating, you can purchase it.
Totally agree about movies and stuff. I'm 6'0 myself and at movies my head NEVER sticks up over the top of the seat. Some people are just jackasses who feel the need to sit bolt upright and block out the next 10 rows behind them.
This is exactly it. The ticket is for a SEAT not a BODY. The space is finite. If you need more space than one unit of seating, you can purchase it.
Totally agree about movies and stuff. I'm 6'0 myself and at movies my head NEVER sticks up over the top of the seat. Some people are just jackasses who feel the need to sit bolt upright and block out the next 10 rows behind them.
It is very bad for your back and cervical spine to sit in a slouched or reclined position. I sit upright in my seat with my butt all the way back and my back straight. I am 5'7" and shouldn't block the view of the average person unless they are sitting slouched down in their seat. If I were tall I would sit further back.
There are actually guidelines on seat pitch because an airline needs to show that a plane can be evacuated in X seconds in the event of an emergency. So Spirit probably can't go any lower on that than they already do because of that FAA rule.
Actually one airline has been doing this for a couple years now. I can't recall which, but I think they operate in a group of Pacific Islands.
Samoan Airlines. And in their case it makes sense; they are flying very small planes (12 sweaters, if I recall correctly), and Samoans can be HUGE people. They have to make sure the plane isn't overloaded. And the larger passengers get a bigger seat for their money. So it works out well for everyone.
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