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

I'm sorry that you are disabled but if you are a UK citizen then you will be in receipt of disability benefits. There are lots of things that are out of people's control, like being old and too stiff to sit with normal legroom, having a temporary knee injury, being too tall, (for which benefits are not payable). It wouldn't be fair for you to have a bigger seat for no extra payment without all those people having one too

Can you explain why you expect people's fellow passengers to contribute to paying for the seats of everyone who can't sit in a standard seat?

They are sold as " cheaper" options at airport because price point is too high beforehand. About 3x economy And I'm not suggesting the wider seats get better meals etc

I see Air France and Delta are also prepared to deny boarding to those who haven't booked an extra seat if the aircraft is full, though if there are spare seats they can be obliged to buy one at check in

So the idea seems to be speading, and it's probably no bad thing

Without being unkind I put my arm rest down as I don't like being encroached on by strangers it makes me extremely uncomfortable and anxious. I would have no issue asking them to move off my seat so I can put the arm down as I deserve to feel comfortable and safe too

Edited to add that, as mentioned upthread, I find it better not to raise the armrest in the first place, @Dancingintherain09. Any suggestion from a fellow traveller that "they can't fit with it down" brings a suggestion to take it up with the staff and maybe a reminder that they have to be down for takeoff and landing anyway

That’s not really how it works. The model exists on long haul with the various premium economy options. There are people who always book them but they are often sold as cheaper upgrades closer to the time, even at the airport. No matter what individuals think, the statistics show the majority are primarily cost conscious when they book flights.

It is possible to not hate/judge fat people or actually be sympathetic and generally a decent person AND want to be comfortable with full use of the service paid for. I am baffled by people saying otherwise.

I have long term skeletal issues following pregnancy and if I weren’t able to use my seat fully I would be in significant pain for days. Thankfully the kids are still small
enough to be buffers!

Aren't there weight/ size limits on the seats? Surely that needs to be taken into account. They're so strict on luggage it must matter. It should be flagged at booking, tick this box if over xx lb and then that's the taken Into account. As back up staff at check in and again on the gates should flag it. I don't agree that someone who needs two seats should have to pay for two. The airline should take the hit, they can afford it, but there should be a way to recognise more space is required and adjust accordingly.

I see Air France and Delta are also prepared to deny boarding to those who haven't booked an extra seat if the aircraft is full, though if there are spare seats they can be obliged to buy one at check in

So the idea seems to be speading, and it's probably no bad thing

Up until recently airlines were generally making sub 10 €/£/$ per average passenger over the year, so there's not as much profit to dent as many people make out...

And given current events any of those profits banked will soon be spent trying to keep airlines afloat during the coming downturn.

I'm not hearing much laughing from the airlines or their current employees ATM.

So, I had this discussion with a friend of mine (she admits she's a 'bigger' person, and needs to squeeze into seats) She said sometimes sits at an angle to not be on other's seat. We both think that like tall people who have to pay for seats with extra leg room there should be higher priced seats with two per row instead of the three which cost 50% more for the 50% more room. Without being unkind I put my arm rest down as I don't like being encroached on by strangers it makes me extremely uncomfortable and anxious. I would have no issue asking them to move off my seat so I can put the arm down as I deserve to feel comfortable and safe too.

That must have been a pleasant experience for you.......not.
It's made me feel slightly sick!

Excellent point.

The man who sat beside me was running sweat the entire flight, beads of it on his skin, wet clothes. He couldn't put his arms by his side, he had them propped on top of his belly so they were just under his chin. And his armpit was therefore right on my shoulder.

The judgemental person on this thread is you. The rest of us are simply describing our unpleasant experiences.

Completely agree.

How the airlines must laugh. Customers that expect such a low level of service.
And of course, they wouldn’t ever dream of denting their profits for their customers comfort. People are right, any changes would hike up the prices.

But people are not going to get shorter, thinner or less bigger built anytime soon.

If you don’t expect positive change by a company, it won’t happen. So we are all lumbered with hard smallish seats and little leg room. And I believe some have, despite people saying otherwise, reduced their seating sizes over the years.

Oh well. Cramped it is.

Had a long flight back from San Diego back end of last year. I had a window seat, a very large woman asked if id swap with her middle seat, which i declined. She then insisted the arm rest was up, presumably so she could spill over into my seat. I declined also.
She called the cabin crew, who explained it was an almost full flight and no spare seats and the arm rest was to stay down for take off and landing, but up after if we both agree...I didn't.

If you're that big buy 2xseats/better clas with bigger seats, don't expect to share someone else's seat

I fly a lot with my children and have never had a “cheaper” seat for them. They’re booked as a child certainly but the seat price is identical to the price paid for an adult seat on the same flight.

Even if all plus sized people were plus sized because they ate pies all day while stapled to the sofa, it wouldn't matter. Airlines aren't there to moralise or police bodies and lifestyles. Ticket prices aren't a reward and punishment system for how you eat and exercise.

I'm inclined to agree that if you need more space than the allocated seat provides, the best solution is to purchase a second one, and perhaps the airline can refund one if it's not full (I think some domestic American airlines do this). I just can't think of any other solution that ensures people can have full and proper use of their own space, as they're entitled to.

I'm sure we can discuss and implement this without being rude, cruel and nasty about the people it affects.

Well said!

It would surely need to be less expensive than two full standard seats.

Some of us are 'larger' and it's not because we're greedy pigs, it can be genetic or due to a health condition, some of us are disabled.
Being disabled costs us approximately £10k more every year than being able-bodied, so why should we incur even more costs for something that's not a lifestyle choice but totally out of our control?

The bottom line is that having a strangers body encroaching on your personal space and touching you for 4+ hours is AWFUL.

it must depend on what planes each airline is using - we’ve almost always been on easyJet for short haul but I think always some sort of Airbus and the configuration is always 2x3, one aisle and has been for years. They can’t, and haven’t, squeezed in a whole extra seat into narrow bodied planes.

Put yourself in the airline's position: seats means revenues. Wider seats means fewer seats means lower revenues. Which puts up fares for all passengers.

The fairest policy is not to provide wider seats, but to insist that oversized people must buy two seats.

As of 2026, Southwest Airlines enforces a policy requiring customers of size to purchase an extra seat if they cannot fit within the armrests. Many international carriers, including Emirates, United Airlines, and Jetstar, also require passengers to book a second seat if they cannot safely fit, buckle their seatbelt, or if they encroach on the adjacent space.

Nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday...

@SerafinasGoose

markets dictate business models and at present what customers most prioritise is cheaper tickets. That's regardless of the conditions in which they're expected to fly.

Yep.