Will they charge for length ..... (tall people) as well, who have knees that stick in my back. They have to rent the seat in front. LOL.

I think an airliner would make some serious bank if they specifically targeted fat people. You know plus size seats and plus size aisles and bathrooms. Seriously some airline should consider this!

flamegyrl said:
There is no NORMAL... If you think your normal I bet I can find someone who thinks your fat... SO get over yourselfs already! Argh ok off the soapbox... Walking away from this thread... Shaking my head...

Morbid obesity and spilling over into the next person's seat is not normal. Even if it is becoming more common, it is not acceptable or healthy.

Everyone is so afraid of hurting someone else's self esteem or their feelings that they can't say that their revolting condition is unhealthy and infringes/imposes on other people.

The worst is fatties who get handicapped parking spots or special accommodations at work because they are fat, lazy and/or can't control their eating.

BTW: where is the TRAVEL DEAL in this thread?

I think the focus here is wrong regarding fitting into seats.

Depending on a person's weight distribution, a person of a greater weight can fit better into an airline seat than a person weighing less.

The key here is butt size. How often do we see a slim person with enough booty for two, or even three people. Some of these booty challenged slimmer people need a shoehorn to get into their coach seat!

Forget about weight, think butt if you are worried about how much seat a passenger should buy.

Ever have one of those slim, but big bootied passengers in the window seat when you occupy the aisle?

Lots of luck when they try to squeeze by to go the the washroom! I'll take the overweight guy any day!

The suggestion to United is to buy the latest generation of bootyometers. When you take off your shoes for inspection at the airport, you can have your booty inspected, measured and classified. Based on the results of that inspection you will find out if your booty is class A, class B, etc.

Big butts pay more but get to sit in the front rows of the cabin so they don't have to squeeze all the way back.

All of you people who thought you were so slim, take a look in the mirror and see how much junk is in your trunk.

The price of your ticket could be going up next!

Watch for reds here and find out who thought it was OK to dis the overweight people until they turned around and realized that they had all that junk in their own trunk!

aaronsw

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Different Strokes for Different Folks

tedmales said:This hits home for me. I am not what you would call small. I stand 6'6" tall and weigh in at 380 lbs. Size 15 shoe. I hate flying. There is no room for me. Its not the width, but the leg room. I can buckle in without the extension, so I guess I will not get charged extra. But what's next. I know to most it's ok attack fat people, smokers, etc. But what comes next. The airlines need to take a hard look at their business plan. I don’t think this will work out for them in the end.

Well, USAirways charges for soft drinks and jet blue charges for a blanket and a pillow. I think Delta charges for headsets? If you check in online with United, then you know that they try to sell you on double points now. When did exit row seats become First Class seats? If it still doesn't work out, the government will bail them out in the end.

ProfitAfterRebates said:flamegyrl said:
BTW: where is the TRAVEL DEAL in this thread?

Well, if you are going to take more than one seatbelt extender, don't fly United or Southwest. That should save you some money!

How insensitive. Should I expect a discount for being underweight?

lray said:Do they get a second meal too? They might be OK with the extra fee then ...

Free meals? What airline? One tried to charge for drinks, but backed off. Check baggage is sticking. Expensive change fees sticking. Some airlines charge $5 for snack boxes. Real meals? Probably only on long international flights.

tedmales said:DeGlass said:tedmales said:This hits home for me. I am not what you would call small. I stand 6'6" tall and weigh in at 380 lbs. Size 15 shoe. I hate flying. There is no room for me. Its not the width, but the leg room. I can buckle in without the extension, so I guess I will not get charged extra. But what's next. I know to most it's ok attack fat people, smokers, etc. But what comes next. The airlines need to take a hard look at their business plan. I don’t think this will work out for them in the end.
If width is not the problem, then you do fit into the seat, right?

I'm sorry if there isn't enough legroom for you--you can ask the GA for bulk head seat, or even make a request at the time of booking (Special Needs-Others). Economy Plus or FC also works.

You don't force shoe retailers to sell you plus-sized clothes at regular-sized prices, do you?

If they charged by the pound I would gladly pay whatever it took to get where I need to be. In the end flying really sucks. Everyone is cramped and not really happy about the situation. I try to travel with my daughter who is 5. I can invade her space without issue. I would feel sorry for someone who had to sit in between two people my size. It would suck for all involved. I think the airlines need to come up with a business/semi first class layout with a little more room for more money. First class tickets are way out of reach for most people, but a 25% charge for more room would be great. And with less people, they would need less staff, and could carry more cargo and generate income that route.

While I don't like flying United, they offer an Economy plus section on most aircraft, with a bit more room - design for elite passengers and those willing to pay a premium.
Most full service airlines offer cheaper first class upgrades at the gate, to try and fill the seats.

The airline business is VERY competitive; they are all very good at understanding their customer base, and doing what is necessary to keep their business. Despite all of the whining and complaining here, the flying public tends to prefer the inconveniences and hassles of full planes and poor service if it means a cheaper fare. There have been several airlines experimenting with wider seats and much more leg room, but just aren't profitable at the prices people are willing to pay.

Best strategy is to remain loyal to ONE full service carrier that serves your local airport, and best meets your travel needs (in my case, it happens to be American). It is AMAZING how competitive airfares have become, so there should not be a significant expense to do so. Frequent flyers can earn (and sometimes buy in to) Elite status, and free / low cost upgrades to first / business.

For the casual traveler, be thankful that air travel is so affordable and accessible. If you want more amenities, pay the premium price, or go back to Greyhound.

wow... I wonder if they give discount to skinny travelers?
Or maybe they should charge by weight...
some travelers have heavier luggages while some have none... maybe they should price that difference into the ticket, too.

fat people may use public health resources more... maybe that should be priced into taxes;
fat people put more pressures on public road and maybe they should pay more into the cost of repair public road;

Black people and white people tend to be bigger and heavier than Asians - maybe they should charge black people and white people more than Asians.