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While i like this idea because it is fair to the people who arent obese - the seats in airplanes are too small. Not saying they have gotten smaller, because they have always been small but they are pretty laughable. I am 6'8'' - but im not overweight and thank god because if i was i wouldnt be able to sit on the plane at all. Right now i struggle with knee room and the like and its only compounded with there i sweaty obese human next to me.
they have gotten smaller and the population has gotten larger
this isn't mutually exclusive - the seats have changed though as well as the configuration of the seats in the plane
it hasn't been drastic, but it's enough to make a big impact to a growing population
even now people who aren't overweight are becoming taller, broader, etc
and yes, even more overweight
it's a combination of all 3 factors and not all of the airlines are the same - there is a wide variation in the type of seats used, configuration and pitch provided
however, i don't feel it unreasonable if you are spilling out of your seat to the degree where you cannot keep the arm rest down or you need a 2nd seat belt extender (I couldn't even guess on the waistline that would make this necessary) that you be required to have a 2nd seat
the only exception I would like to see to that is if they are travelling with someone that would minimize impact to other passengers - for example and obese person with a kid - if obese takes window, kid the middle and i'm not being consumed on the aisle then there is no harm, no foul
Location: Partisanship Is An Intellectual/Emotional Handicap
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cherry251
Finally. I'm not going to share my paid-for-with-good-money seat with some cheap fatty who doesn't fit in their own seat....it's not fair to me!
If you don't even fit in the darn seat, obviously you should have to pay 2 fares for a second seat that your butt fits in!
You see, I'm the most un-PC person you're likely to meet. Can't stand overly-PC nonsense.
But when you're rude and obnoxious simply for the purpose of trying to be "shocking" or un-pc; it's just rude and ignorant.
There's still that ever elusive concept of good manners, respect and being polite. There's really no good reason for you to refer to people as "cheap fatty" ...... in this thread. I know you were trying to be provocative and oh so rebelious. But it just comes off badly.
ihowever, jlawrence brings up another good point. carry-on policies are rarely followed to the letter. I work at O'Hare and see people come in through security w/ massive sized bags and multiple bags (remember one lady w/ a regular sized carry-on, a very large shoulder bag, a large paper bag from a local store filled w/ purchases, and anotner bag of stuff bought in the airport). whenever I fly, I dread beyond in a later boarding group b/c by the time group 3 starts to board, the bins are really filled up and there's always some idiot that puts they bags several rows ahead of where they're actually sitting
Although I live near O'Hare, I must admit that I fly Southwest out of Midway for nearly all my domestic travel. While I am a frequent flyer, I got rather tired of waiting for United and American take nearly 45 minutes loading a plane because some silver medallion platinum level insists on bringing a steamer trunk on the plane.
First of all, on many airlines, seat sizes have NOT been reduced at all.
...
Putting in wider seats would require wider planes. The airlines should also not have to manufacture wider planes because people refuse to slim down.
So they require wider planes. What's your point? JetBlue can do it, why can't the others?
That's a whole different issue - the age of the planes still in use. I was on one Continental flight I swore was going to break in mid air. They need to manufacture larger planes with seats that are reasonably sized. On some of those 3+ hour flights it's just murder on your knees, ankles, back, shoulders, etc. And again, I'm a slender guy and even I have trouble fitting in the seats which is why I opt for the aisle all the time.
If the industry would mandate planes and seats comparable to what JetBlue is offering, on all planes, we probably wouldn't have situations like this where obese people are being priced out of flying. I agree that some people need to stop letting themselves go. But I think the airlines should take some responsibility for doing everything they possibly can to make ample seat and leg room at no extra cost for all fliers. Then, and only then, if people exceed that, I can see these excess requirements as more than warranted.
While I completely agree with the airline policy of making obese people purchase a second seat, I do not agree with all the nasty name-calling on this thread. I think that's far more disgusting than sitting next to an obese person on an airplane.
Seriously people - that's just regurgitated junior high rhetoric.
Obesity angers me, and I do blame the person for allowing themselves to reach such a poor state of health, but they are people - just like you.
Let's channel all the name-calling energy into demanding that restaurants serve lighter fare and reasonable portions, government legislation that gives working-class families "food credits" to purchase fruits, vegetables & lean meats, taking the junk food out of schools and out of kiddo reach at the grocery store, imposing taxes on all foods with a high trans fat content, and ban high fructose corn syrup all together. I'm not saying that will solve the problem, but I am saying that if you want a crack head to say Nope to Dope, don't put the 7-flavor Crack Multi Pack on every store end cap, school vending machine, and family-sized Sam's forklift pallet in the neighborhood.
Obese people don't make wise choices, but our you-must-have-a-minimum-BMI-of-31-to-get-a-Sam's-membership society doesn't make it easy on them (or any of us for that matter).
And for the record - I think airlines should also make anyone visibly sick, sneezing or coughing wear a mask for the duration of the trip. I'm far more concerned about all the germs I'm getting breathing that recycled air than I am about some obese person taking up a little too much room in the seat next to me.
So they require wider planes. What's your point? JetBlue can do it, why can't the others?
What's your point? Jetblue doesn't fly some special plane that no one else uses. Actually, the airline in question, United, flies it too... the Airbus A320. So does Northwest, so does USAirways, so do tons of folks, so it's already being done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revelated
They need to manufacture larger planes with seats that are reasonably sized.
There are very large planes out there... google a 747 or an A380, but that doesn't mean anything, because the manufacturers of the airplanes don't make the seats. Boeing and Airbus make pressurized metal tubes that fly. They are then fitted with seats and interiors that are specified by the customer, so get mad at the airlines, get mad at the seat makers (recaro, etc) if you must.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revelated
If the industry would mandate planes and seats comparable to what JetBlue is offering, on all planes, we probably wouldn't have situations like this where obese people are being priced out of flying.
Again, many airlines use the same stuff Jetblue uses. The airline in question, United, actually has seats that are .2 inches wider than Jetblue on the A320 fleet, and the same pitch (legroom). Yes, the "narrow" 737's seats are an inch narrower and have an inch less pitch, but they aren't buying any more. Spot them some cash, and I'm sure they'd be happy to replace them even faster, seeing as it would streamline their fleet from a logistics perspective. Each A320 is only 55 million dollars a pop. You seem to be cost-sensitive, asking for things for free, so consider that wider = less aerodynamic = more gas. It's all a tradeoff when it comes to physics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by revelated
I think the airlines should take some responsibility for doing everything they possibly can to make ample seat and leg room at no extra cost for all fliers. Then, and only then, if people exceed that, I can see these excess requirements as more than warranted.
Why are you so sure that they aren't already doing what they can? Flying an airplane is massively expensive, and most folks really underestimate this, and overestimate the margins that they run on. It costs X to fly an airplane. Divide by customers. How can the airlines just be expected to eat the cost to make seats bigger, thereby reducing the number of people on board? If you aren't aware, airline pockets aren't too deep right now. They can't afford to eat the cost of your inflight meal, what makes you think they can eat the cost of larger seats for everyone? This isn't a shakedown from the airlines, it's reality of costs.
So, if flying an airplane costs X, and you take 100 people, what are your options? Fly fewer in bigger seats and charge them all more (complaints), or charge the ones that need more room more to keep costs down for the majority that still does fall into a few standard deviations (complaints). There actually is a place that has legroom, width, milk and honey. It's called first class. If flying conditions used to be so great, consider that most of you out there frankly wouldn't have been able to afford it back then.
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