Quote:
Originally Posted by miami_fan
You shouldn't. The problem is you are asking the passenger to pay for your discomfort that the airlines created for you by shrinking the size of the seats and not providing space for everyone to seat comfortably for the price of the ticket. The solution if enforced consistently and equally across the board ultimately means either there is a size standard for passengers similar to the carry on luggage standard to fly or once it is normalized that bigger passengers have to pay for the extra seat, there will consistently one less seat for the "average" passenger for each passenger who does not fit into the ever shrinking seat. Given the increasing size of the average American, that number is going to get larger as well.
I am sure I have sat next to passengers who have extended “more than 1 inch beyond the outermost edge of the armrest and a seat belt extension is needed”. Were these morbidly obese people? Absolutely not. One was a Division I college running back who was only about 225 but had no chance staying exclusively in his own seating space with his tree trunks he called thighs. We rubbed legs for the flight from Atlanta to Miami and went off on our merry way when we landed. If he is purchasing an extra seat, me or someone else on that flight does not make that flight.
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To start I totally agree that the airlines are largely at fault.
I think your point is a bit flawed however. You assume that everyone who would be required to buy an extra seat would do it and still fly. I think a large number of people, or at least a not so insignificant number of people, would either not take the trip or chose another method of travel. Plane tickets are expensive and having to buy 2 would be a deal breaker for a lot of people, not to mention birds of a feather and all that it could potentially be 4-6-8 seats etc...
I also think there may be some people who lose the weight to fly. If they travel frequently of have a trip planned a year from now maybe they say, hey, I'm not buying 2 seats, I'll work to drop the weight. I don't know.
I also wonder if a middle ground would be give people the ability to purchase a row. So an overweight couple, siblings, etc...could buy the row in essence buying 1/2 a seat per person.
I think we all get flying is uncomfortable to an extent, especially in a middle seat, but when you have a very large person literally taking up 1/3 of your already small space I think you have a legitimate gripe.