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Interesting thread....I don't think this should be based off weight. As someone who was considered obese, I just lost over 100 pounds naturally in about a year. I now fit in the seats, don't need an extender anymore and don't spill over! WOOHOO!
Someone mentioned volume...all of us are shaped differently!
There is a right way to address this issue and Southwest should have told her discreetly. I have seen people who have purchased two seats before and it hasn't been a big deal. I have sat next to people who were large but perhaps I'm the type where too much stuff doesn't bother me. When I was heavier, I sat next to a heavy person and there was a mutual agreement that we would just lift up the armrest..I was ok with that.
For those that keep saying the person should go on a diet or whatever....the lady has lost almost 150 pounds already and from looking at people, you have no idea where they are on their journey. It's so easy to recommend diet and exercise when it's apparent, this is already taking place.
I commend you for taking control of your body shape. If this woman lost 150 lbs and still doesn't fit in the seat it doesn't change anything. It is no different from a person who just gained 50 lbs to reach that size. Until she reaches the appropriate size she needs to pay for the 2nd seat on SW Airlines.
I disagree. The airlines are not selling seats. They are selling the transportation of a person, regardless of size, from point A to point B. If they cannot make money accommodating, preferably with suitably sized seats, everyone that buys a ticket, then they need to revise their fares. I do not understand why so many posters are more concerned with a business they will probably never own than with their own comfort and the comfort of other passengers. Why is the business success more important than the customers?
I am an infrequent flier without an expense account so prices are important to me. The only reason I and my wife would fly to Albuquerque is to save limited vacation time. Driving my Buick sedan and staying in cheap hotels actually costs less than a round trip for two on Southwest. If they charged me for three seats (2 for me and 1 for my wife) the cost would be completely out of our range.
Please note: I am way overweight now but I have, even when a very healthy 180 lbs, been wider than airline seats. My shoulders are wide enough over hang over on both sides. This is why I sit next to a window. The extra couple of inches help and I like the view.
Your statement clearly is at odds with reality. Maybe that is you want it to be. They are selling seats of a fixed size. They aren't selling virtual seats, dynamic seats, or infinite seats.
I do not see how you could have been too big to fit in a seat at 180 lbs unless you are 5 ft tall. I weigh 180 now, have broad shoulders, and fit coach seats fine.
As I said before - air travel has never been a low cost way to travel. You pay more to get there fast.
Why should an airline change fares so they can accomodate a few oversize people? I absolutely resent the idea of paying more for my fare to accomodate your special needs (and which you have complete control over). If flying to Albuqurque by air is too expensive, then drive. Southwest has no obligation to make that trip affordable for you.
There is clearly a market for air travel that accommodates extra large people. If it is profitable, as with the airline for pets, then a savvy businessman will fill the need. It's called capitalism.
As several people have already pointed out, most airlines provide larger seats for a higher price at the front of the plane.
At least if you have to purchase two seats, you get two meals.
The biggest concern I have is the safety issue. How in the world can the flight attendants handle an emergency if one person is taking up so much room that the plane cannot be evacuated quickly?
There is clearly a market for air travel that accommodates extra large people. If it is profitable, as with the airline for pets, then a savvy businessman will fill the need. It's called capitalism.
You mean make seats larger and sell them for the same price as two seats on Southwest Airlines?
You don't get it. They don't want to pay for more than one seat. They can already accomodate themselves by paying for 2 seats but they don't want to do that. So what makes you think they will want to pay higher fares for an extra large seat.
Related question. If Southwest is the only airline making a profit in this market why are the others still operating? If I cannot spend more then my income I go broke. Why don't they?
Good question, but your assumption is wrong. They are not the only ones making a profit in the airline business.
You would let a business selling a service or product to everyone set different prices for different people? You would let a coffee shop sell a coffee to white people for a dollar and charge Blacks or Orientals five dollars? Businesses selling to the general public must charge the same price for the same service or rampant discrimination would soon be normal.
People are not cargo and charging by any way but by the person is simply discrimination.
I didn't say that, did I.
The business defines their product, not you. If I have an airline and want to charge a dollar per pound for each passenger, so be it. That's not discrimination. Clothing companies do it all the time. They charge more for extra large shirts.
If I have a coffee shop, I can charge a different price for different sizes of coffee.
And people are cargo. They just get treated better.
Coach seats are not narrower today. The 737s, 757s, MD80s, etc. have the same number of seats per row in coach as they did 20 years ago. The aisles are the same width.
Leg room varies widely by carrier. And they fiddle with it to see how many passengers they can get on a plane before they switch to another airline or complain.
The seats are the same, it's the people who have gotten bigger.
At least if you have to purchase two seats, you get two meals.
There is something pathetically ironic about that......
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