Obese man forced to buy two seats

[TOG]

Les Price, a 42 year old man from Wales who weighs 518 pounds had to buy two seats when he traveled by air recently. He could deal with that, since one seat wasn't wide enough anyway. But there was a problem when he actually got on the plane. One of the tickets he had bought was for a window seat, and the other was by the aisle... in a 3 seat row. Someone else had gotten the middle seat. On his way back from Ireland, it got even worse. He had to buy two tickets again, but this time one was in row 17 and the other in row 19.

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The TOG​

 

[Pizzaguy]

This is laughable! So, they have a system in place to make him buy two tickets, but their system is so bad, that it does not assure the two tickets actually accomplish something!

 

[AirDancer]

Talk about inefficient airlines!

 

[reba]

it accomplishes just what they want more money.... I dont think it is wrong to charge a person for 2 seats if they need 2... I do wonder if 2 very skinny persons can share a seat on one ticket... maybe a couple of kids..

 

[Mike S]

Les Price, a 42 year old man from Wales who weighs 518 pounds had to buy two seats when he traveled by air recently. He could deal with that, since one seat wasn't wide enough anyway. But there was a problem when he actually got on the plane. One of the tickets he had bought was for a window seat, and the other was by the aisle... in a 3 seat row. Someone else had gotten the middle seat. On his way back from Ireland, it got even worse. He had to buy two tickets again, but this time one was in row 17 and the other in row 19.

Full story

The TOG​

He probably bought tickets online and didn't check the seating. If he had purchased at the counter, the customer service agent would have gotten it right. My wife is a flight attendant. They just move people around to make it work, but it should not have happened to begin with.

 

[TOG]

it accomplishes just what they want more money.... I dont think it is wrong to charge a person for 2 seats if they need 2... I do wonder if 2 very skinny persons can share a seat on one ticket... maybe a couple of kids..

Maybe a mother could hold her baby on a short flight and they would need only one seat. I doubt the airlines would agree with that.

The TOG​

 

[Mike S]

Maybe a mother could hold her baby on a short flight and they would need only one seat. I doubt the airlines would agree with that.

The TOG​

Most airlines permit children under 2 years old (not occupying a separate seat) to travel free of charge. Reduced rates are common for infants in car seats.

 

[Nick]

He probably bought tickets online and didn't check the seating. If he had purchased at the counter, the customer service agent would have gotten it right. My wife is a flight attendant. They just love people around to make it work, but it should not have happened to begin with.

Yes, this. From my experience of booking online, you can choose all seats. Probably his fault.

 

[Nick]

Maybe a mother could hold her baby on a short flight and they would need only one seat. I doubt the airlines would agree with that.

The TOG​

Airlines would never agree to that. If the plane crashes, that baby will go flying out of the mother's arms.

 

[Claudya]

My wife is a flight attendant. They just move people around to make it work...

I imagine that would be very embarrassing and humilating for the big guy. :-(

 

[Mike S]

I imagine that would be very embarrassing and humilating for the big guy. :-(

It might be, but the flight attendants have to get everyone seated. And, most passengers are understanding about such situations.

 

[Claudya]

It might be, but the flight attendants have to get everyone seated. And, most passengers are understanding about such situations.

Yes of course. The attendants aren't out to embarrass those people. But the whole embarrassment wouldn't happen in the first place if the airlines wouldn't fail to book two adjacent seats for obese people.

 

[Mike S]

Yes of course. The attendants aren't out to embarrass those people. But the whole embarrassment wouldn't happen in the first place if the airlines wouldn't fail to book two adjacent seats for obese people.

If they know that he's buying the tickets for that reason they do. If he just buys online and doesn't specify adjacent seats, the airline has no way of knowing until he shows up at the gate.

 

[Mike S]

Claudya,

A further bit of information on airline policies. I talked with my wife yesterday - she's travelling around the country on her normal several days away from home schedule - about this issue of overweight people needing two seats. She reminded me that her airline doesn't assign seats in the first place - passengers board in groups and take whatever available seat they choose - and that they don't charge for the second seat. The overweight person just needs to let the service agents know at the time of purchaseing tickets that they need a second seat, so that the plane doesn't get over-booked.

 

[Claudya]

Thank you for the information!
It's interesting your wife's airline doesn't asign seats. Because whenever I traveled by airplane I always had seat numbers printed on my tickets, even when I bought them months ahead of the flight.

But it's pretty awesome of them not to charge big people for their second seat. Many normal weight people (including myself sometimes ) judge obese people unfairly, assuming that they are too lazy to work out and that they have poor, unhealthy and debaucherous eating habits, and that their overweight is their own fault. But that's not neccessarily true. There may be mental or physical health problems contributing to their weight, or medication side effects, or life circumstances. Things that the obese person isn't guilty or in control of. And many of them are desperately trying to lose weight but with no lasting success. So it's way more fair and friendly to consider obesity like a physical disability and thus not to charge them for the second seat they'll need in public transportation. You wouldn't charge a paraplegic person for their wheel chair needing additional space on the plane.

 

[Mike S]

Thank you for the information!
It's interesting your wife's airline doesn't asign seats. Because whenever I traveled by airplane I always had seat numbers printed on my tickets, even when I bought them months ahead of the flight.

But it's pretty awesome of them not to charge big people for their second seat. Many normal weight people (including myself sometimes ) judge obese people unfairly, assuming that they are too lazy to work out and that they have poor, unhealthy and debaucherous eating habits, and that their overweight is their own fault. But that's not neccessarily true. There may be mental or physical health problems contributing to their weight, or medication side effects, or life circumstances. Things that the obese person isn't guilty or in control of. And many of them are desperately trying to lose weight but with no lasting success. So it's way more fair and friendly to consider obesity like a physical disability and thus not to charge them for the second seat they'll need in public transportation. You wouldn't charge a paraplegic person for their wheel chair needing additional space on the plane.

Until recently the policy had been that an overweight passenger requiring two seats would pay for both seats, and if the plane took off with empty seats the passenger would be reimbursed for the second seat. No the policy is that when two seats are required the passenger just has to tell the customer service agent and there is no charge for the second seat. Providing two seats makes it more comfortable for other passengers as well as the overweight person.

When a plane pulls to the gate, the boarding procedure is as follows:

1. Passengers continuing on to further destinations remain on board and take whatever seat they want, after the other passengers have deplaned and flight attendants verify the number of those continuing on.
2. Passengers accompanied by infants and very young children.
3. Passengers in wheelchairs and those needing assitance.
4. Military
5. Boarding group A (first third of tickets sold)
6. Boarding group B (second third of tickets sold)
7. Boarding group C (final third of tickets sold)

 

[jasoncran]

Until recently the policy had been that an overweight passenger requiring two seats would pay for both seats, and if the plane took off with empty seats the passenger would be reimbursed for the second seat. No the policy is that when two seats are required the passenger just has to tell the customer service agent and there is no charge for the second seat. Providing two seats makes it more comfortable for other passengers as well as the overweight person.

When a plane pulls to the gate, the boarding procedure is as follows:

1. Passengers continuing on to further destinations remain on board and take whatever seat they want, after the other passengers have deplaned and flight attendants verify the number of those continuing on.
2. Passengers accompanied by infants and very young children.
3. Passengers in wheelchairs and those needing assitance.
4. Military
5. Boarding group A (first third of tickets sold)
6. Boarding group B (second third of tickets sold)
. Boarding group C (final third of tickets sold)

that is wrong. I was sent on flights to knox. we didn't have any military before group a.

 

[King James]

Yes of course. The attendants aren't out to embarrass those people. But the whole embarrassment wouldn't happen in the first place if the airlines wouldn't fail to book two adjacent seats for obese people.

It's probably always embarrassing for this guy to be like this on or off the airplane.