Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It looks like it's a connecting flight only with the connecting flight being regional with no first class option. So I will have to suck it up for that.
And that's another issue. There isn't always a first class seat to be upgraded to (or purchase outright). If that regional jet was your only flight, you could just buy a second seat and pay for it out of your own pocket, But it's a connecting flight, and I doubt it's possible to have a single first class seat on one segment and then two economy class seats on the second segment of a single ticket. Even if it is possible (which I doubt), it's gong to take some major time on the phone talking with the airline's reservation desk to arrange it.
"Just buy a second seat!"or "Just buy a first class seat!" isn't the easy fix so many of the people posting on this thread think it is. If the airlines made it easier to actually do that when necessary, it would help. (It's easy on Southwest, but that's because they don't have assigned seating; if you buy two tickets, they give you a "reserved" sign to put in the empty seat beside you, and you preboard so you are guaranteed to get two seats together. The downside is that you can't check in via your smartphone app, you have to do that at the airport.)
There aren’t many opportunities to upgrade these days. Lots of people want to do so, and believe it or not a significant percentage of the people in First today are flying on a paid ticket. There simply aren’t lots of empty seats in the First Class cabin available to give away as upgrades any more. The days when you could buy an Economy ticket and count on an upgrade moving you into First are long gone. Odds are that if you have an Economy ticket, you’re staying in Economy (even if you have lots of miles and and status).
The below quote is exactly what I meant. I just wasn't clear in my post. I do exactly what the poster below does. If I fly. For trips under 10 hours, I either take a bus or train. Just plan ahead to arrive on time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMBGBlueCanary
Mine doesn't either--or at least, they don't pay for it. This is how I do it. I know months in advance when work needs me to fly somewhere (so that helps). I start watching ticket prices months in advance too. When tickets go "on sale" I buy a coach seat on a flight with first class seats open with the company credit card. Then, I immediately call the airline and tell them that I bought a ticket at coach rate and want to upgrade to first class. I pay the difference with my own credit card.
Work doesn't care that I do this. In fact, it saves them money on checked bags and since I am waiting for a sale, I usually end up buying a lower priced ticket than my coworkers (who seem to like to wait last minute to buy tickets).
Because I do this months before I travel, there is almost always a seat to upgrade although there have been a few times when nothing was available. I have a business trip in 8 months and I've started looking for tickets for that. It looks like it's a connecting flight only with the connecting flight being regional with no first class option. So I will have to suck it up for that. The nice thing is, usually those flights don't have center seats and it's easy to get my aisle seat.
The below quote is exactly what I meant. I just wasn't clear in my post. I do exactly what the poster below does. If I fly.
That can work IF your business trip is planned months in advance. But a lot of people who fly for business must do so on fairly short notice. And because of that they're not going to get an upgrade, so if their company demands they fly in Economy, they are stuck there whether they fit the seat or not.
And that's another issue. There isn't always a first class seat to be upgraded to (or purchase outright). If that regional jet was your only flight, you could just buy a second seat and pay for it out of your own pocket, But it's a connecting flight, and I doubt it's possible to have a single first class seat on one segment and then two economy class seats on the second segment of a single ticket. Even if it is possible (which I doubt), it's gong to take some major time on the phone talking with the airline's reservation desk to arrange it.
"Just buy a second seat!"or "Just buy a first class seat!" isn't the easy fix so many of the people posting on this thread think it is. If the airlines made it easier to actually do that when necessary, it would help. (It's easy on Southwest, but that's because they don't have assigned seating; if you buy two tickets, they give you a "reserved" sign to put in the empty seat beside you, and you preboard so you are guaranteed to get two seats together. The downside is that you can't check in via your smartphone app, you have to do that at the airport.)
Only twice have I ever not been able to upgrade to a first class seat (once it was just more than I was willing to pay and the other time there was no option to do so). If I never get the option with this connector flight, this will be time number three. But the flight is months away and things change.
In both cases where I couldn't upgrade to first class, I upgraded to the premium economy instead. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's pretty easy to do. The thing that stinks is the extra cost although I've actually upgraded for as low as $20 more (that was a trip I took a few months ago, I couldn't believe it especially since the checked bag fee was $25 and you get a free checked bag with first class).
I am not saying everyone should just "buy a second seat" or "just buy first class." I am saying if you are that concerned about it being cramped, your only option at this point in time is to pony up and upgrade. You can't make other passengers buy tickets, you can't make airlines make other passengers buy tickets. You can only control yourself and what you do. So that's your option if you want to fly comfortably. If enough people do it, airlines will respond to market demand and start adding bigger seats in (at more money). But as long as the vast majority of people demand cheaper and cheaper seats, the airlines will respond in kind and make seats cheaper, but at the cost of comfort.
That can work IF your business trip is planned months in advance. But a lot of people who fly for business must do so on fairly short notice. And because of that they're not going to get an upgrade, so if their company demands they fly in Economy, they are stuck there whether they fit the seat or not.
That is unfortunate and I feel badly for those folks. I guess it's up to us who can plan months in advance to make the demand known.
Oh, and here's another wrinkle when it comes to buying two seats for more space: the airline may not honor the purchase if they don't think you're large enough. You'll get a refund on the cost of the second seat, but you won't get two seats (which is what you wanted). So GeoffD may not even be able to buy two economy class tickets if he wanted to, even though his shoulders are too wide to fit a single economy class seat. His butt fits the seat, which is what the airline uses to decide if someone fits, and especially if the flight is oversold the airline would rather put a second passenger in that other seat than let it go out empty. With flights nearly always 100% full these days, booking a second seat is a gamble unless your girth is clearly enormous. (I've had Southwest give me the hairy eyeball once or twice, although in the end I was allowed to keep my second seat - and I told Southwest I was happy to pay the full price for both seats rather than receive a refund on one as per their "customer of size" policy, so that wasn't the issue. At 5'2" and 240 lbs, I'm too large to fit comfortably in Economy, but not large enough to be seen as clearly needing the second seat. Frankly, it's just easier to buy a First class ticket than to deal with the hassle of booking two seats.)
I am saying if you are that concerned about it being cramped, your only option at this point in time is to pony up and upgrade. You can't make other passengers buy tickets, you can't make airlines make other passengers buy tickets. You can only control yourself and what you do. So that's your option if you want to fly comfortably. If enough people do it, airlines will respond to market demand and start adding bigger seats in (at more money). But as long as the vast majority of people demand cheaper and cheaper seats, the airlines will respond in kind and make seats cheaper, but at the cost of comfort.
And I am in 100% agreement with you! The airlines do have "customer of size" policies, but they are a nightmare for the airlines to actually enforce, so of course they generally don't. Being seriously uncomfortable is simply an unavoidable risk when flying in Economy class. That's why I don't fly in Economy class. I fly domestic First/international Business, or I don't go. (I'm lucky in that I don't have to fly for work. I pity those who do!)
If we don't want to be treated like cattle, we should use our buying power to encourage the airlines to provide better seating. Money is the only thing they respond to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMBGBlueCanary
That is unfortunate and I feel badly for those folks. I guess it's up to us who can plan months in advance to make the demand known.
Yes. Airlines respond to demand. We're starting to see more Premium Economy seats making their way onto planes, because enough people will actually pay for more legroom to make offering it worthwhile. If enough of us start actually ponying up cash for wider seats, the airlines will add more of those, too. But until we do, they won't.
Exactly. The public is getting exactly what they paid for: really cheap tickets. They are not getting what they did not pay for, namely, comfort.
I think the only way to stop the race to the bottom is to mandate increased minimum seat widths and seat pitches. Unfortunately I don't see that happening any time soon.
This is not the answer, this is simply mandating inneficiency and waste.
Most adults can fit in the seats being used today comfortably enough for a flight's duration. Wth should they enlarge all the seats so a few people on each flight can be accomodated? Again, there needs to be some sort of process whereby morbidly obese people like this couple are required to pay for extra seats or 1st class, and this needs to happen during ticket purchase. If they don't like the prices they can find another way to travel.
No matter what people say about how rude this lady was (and she was not fat nor did she have a double chin, that's just made up bs to insult her), she got unfairly bumped from her flight because this couple was being super rude and super cheap.
[quote=luckyram;54298053]Yes...there are two alternating arguments going on in this post.....one is the rudeness or lack of kindness by the woman who complained..
LACK OF KINDNESS? ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Kind to two fat slobs that are crushing you and don't give a s*%t? Four hours of that?
It does nothing of the sort. I would have been similarly peeved.
Is it reasonable to expect that? Sure. Is it guaranteed? No, not at all. Is it reasonable to expect that a restaurant delivers the food hot, in a reasonable amount of time, and that it tastes good? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No. Does it mean you don't have to pay if it isn't? No. I reasonably expect that I won't have to wiat for my food at a McD's drive through. Sometimes, it doesn't happen and I have to pull forward and wait five minutes because they ran out of coffee.
Its 4 hours. Not a week. Not a year.
At no point during any of this was the skinny woman's safety and well being threatened. Comfort? yes. Were the seatmates rude in their seating decisions? Yes.
Define "Comfortably in one seat." Most airlines (Not United) say "If you can't put down the armrest and/or need a belt extender." They appeared to be able to do both.
In ONE seat. They were both OVERFLOWING into the middle seat. So NO they did not follow policy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
