Is it unreasonable for airlines not to provide wider seats for obese passengers?

Im also wondering, based on people's descriptions of how they're scrunched up and cant sit properly, and Ive seen this as well, if someone sustained pain or injury from being in such a strange position for a long time whether there would be any come back on the company?

I remember (which isnt similar but sort of is) a case from many years ago about a woman who had gone to the hairdresser and as usual had been asked to sit back at the basin, tipped her head back but it had pressed on some sort of nerve or tendon or whatever (not really remembering the full details here) and later she found she had been really injured from it, perhaps she was paralysed from it, not sure if Ive got that wrong. That then apparently changed the law in terms of how hairdresser basins are set, the height and angle or something.

So if you were sitting for 10 hours in pain, arm scrunched round you, leaning to one side and caught a nerve or tendon and sustained long term problems from it I wonder if you would have come back to say that you have been injured by the situation?

Yes but you could say that about most things. The wider seats in economy would cost 1.5 rate of a regular economy seat. So where is the airline losing out. That's one less meal and luggage allowance per row with the same amount incoming

And less seats mean less FA required

I was on a 14 hour flight. The lady next to me was enormous. I made a point of sitting right up to the edge of my seat on her side she complained that she was uncomfortable…I paid for a full seat.. if you want half of my seat, pay for it!!!

People were smaller 75 years ago (as you picked that length of time)

How do you not know this?

Because people who are too fat to fit in their own seats won't pay extra and prefer to invade other people's space instead. They're freeloaders.

It's horrible. I think they should do rows with 2 larger seats instead of 3 thin ones and charge the people who want the wider seats 50% more. People would pay it as well. My partner is very tall and pays extra to sit in a seat with extra leg room so why can't people who require extra wide seats pay more?

The difference is marginal. They are presented more appealingly but the cost difference to BA is minimal. It’s part of the model.

Post-Flight Recourse

• Submit a formal complaint: If the airline failed to provide the full seat space you paid for, you can write to their customer service. In some documented cases, passengers have received compensation or vouchers for significant space encroachment that was not addressed by the crew

Know exactly what you mean. I'm 5' and 8.5 stone. I get so cross seeing people carrying double my weight and more jamming themselves and me on a plane. More worryingly, is how quickly they could move down the aisle in an emergency. Plus, how the hell do some manage in the tiny toilets?
Dint be afraid to complain to flight attendant that you are being forced to sit in an unnatural position. Get the attendant's name. Take a selfie of the position you are in. Complain to the company.

It's a wonder, one of those awful money grabbing companies like Ryanair.Have not jumped on charging larger people a higher fare. For their excess weight

I think bigger seats that are more expensive than standard seats will soon become the norm.

I don't fly but I am obese and as such, if I ever fly, I would pay for two seats. I didn't choose to be this big, but my health issues are no ones' fault, and it would be extremely rude of me to encroach on someone elses private space - plus it's not fun for the big person either. Two seats is the answer - or fly first class :)

Its not right id hate it , especially if it was a stranger
Luckily we prebook our jet 2 seats in a row of 3 so we definitely will not be in this situation
I do feel for you it sounds awful

Me and partner are over weight, we booked 3 seats in a 3 seat row for comfort of us and for other people.
People shouldnt suffer because they are sitting next to a larger person

The meals are definitely better in PE on BA

Someone has a chip on their shoulder......

OP is perfectly valid in her comments and she doesn't appear to be fat shaming, she's making an observation. Clearly she paid for a whole seat but only got half of one. Yes, some people are overweight through no fault of their own, whilst others are overweight because of poor health choices.
In the US its quite common for larger people to buy 2 seats.
In fact airlines should bring in a rule requiring people over a certain size/weight to buy 2 seats. We pay extra for excess baggage, we should be doing the same with passengers.

Premium economy don’t get better meals. Premium economy is actually very lucrative for airlines as the percentage increase in costs are much lower than the percentage increase in the price. That difference would be used on the aircraft to set pricing overall so subsiding cheapest tickets to ensure the plane travels as full as possible. If they enough demand they would increase the cabin size.

The economics of airlines are really interesting. Regardless of what people think of flying costs, the profit margins are tiny.

I haven’t read the full thread but had to say that much younger and slimmer DH and I did a lot of long haul . DH is a skinny 6Ft plus. I was a skinny not quite 6Ft. We always went economy but DH sitting is shorter than I am. He is all legs so my leg space was always encroached by him. Too young and in love to complain. Two memorable long haul flights,one to India in a group of 4 seats. Very very large Sikh gentleman and tiny wife ,both very friendly and charming,next to me. DH on the aisle seat but including himself on my leg space as well. Sikh gentleman thigh to thigh with me ,shoulder and arm touching. At one point sweet little wife put her bare feet on my arm rest across him. He told me I should hold my nose. I think he was joking .as I said I liked their company and they seemed to enjoy mine but not their flesh. I asked DH if he would exchange which he did after a while and later I explained that I couldn’t stand the touch of so much stranger flesh. He was really surprised saying that no part of his or their anatomy touched. The second flight was to Canada long haul with an enormous German gentleman .not fat but solid and well over 6 ft . DH on the other side of me. I had no leg space or elbow room. I’m always slightly surprised I survived these flights. I now refuse to fly anything less than business but the last flight I had to make was jet2 in an emergency and I have become ruthless in my old age refusing to allow anyone to encroach. I will only now fly if I have to .

Airlines should provide several bariatric seats on all planes as standard. I was literally having this discussion with my husband last week. Why should people be shamed for their weight and forced to squeeze into seats too small for them.

That is a very seasonal figure. The airline made profit over the full year. A 9% increase and pre tax of £665 million.

The shareholders did okay.

This.
I have done a version of it when sat next to someone encroaching into my seat (not necessarily fat, manspreaders for ex): I would be sat on one side of the seat with a tall handbag next to me on the other side so that the space was occupied up to the seat limit without having physical contact with the person next to me.

Total sympathy for you OP. I always book an aisle seat as it's the safest option. I have arthritis and if someone is crushing me with their excess size it is physically painful.

Easyjet lost nearly £400m in the first half of 2025. How do you think they will respond to a request to increase seat size without increases in ticket price?

Seat sizes are driven by what customers in an extremely competitive market will pay.

I wish there was some sort of barrier available to stop other people's body parts touching me. In any other circumstances, a leg pressed against mine would be assault.

They do alright. Else they would not bother doing at all. They are not some sort of voluntary service. They are there to make profit. Nothing wrong with that. And do. Lots of it. Even if the margins are not high. It is still profit.

They will be quite happy that customers are compliant and accept being uncomfortable and turn on each other than having to find a solution.