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

The seats should have dividers between them, if you don’t fit in one then you pay for two and can remove it. If your luggage is too big then you pay for the extra weight.. same for passengers!

I'd rather some of them simply did that and made flying less uncomfortable. I would at least have thought there would be a market for people willing to pay for that. But 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.

Now even the standard, non-budget airlines have adopted the awful menu-pricing model used by the budge airlines, despite the fact that the base rate for ticketing is far more expensive.

It's all a huge con. I once loved flying but now it's a really uncomfortable experience - as a woman who has just made it back within the healthy BMI range but am fairly broad-shouldered and nearly 6 feet tall, no matter how much I dieted, I'd still find the seating uncomfortable. I've just watched some footage of a flight going back to the 1980s - and oh the space and the comfortable-looking seats! I felt really envious.

There are more and more obese people, for reasons that are complicated and not as simple as blaming individuals. So
for that reason I think airlines should have a few bigger seats on offer on planes. And if those are sold out, the person should have the option of buying an extra seat. In fact, it should be stated somewhere when booking that people over a certain weight would be strongly advised to book another seat for their comfort. It would cost them more, but I’m not sure what the alternative is. They can’t make every seat big enough for obese people- or could they? Maybe seats are just too small anyway and companies are just trying to squeeze as many people as possible in to save money. In fact I know that’s the case.
Maybe airlines could do some research into this- how many people on average who book a flight would feel more comfortable in a larger seat because of their weight? Confidental answers of course, but it would allow airlines to scope out how many larger seats they are likely to need per plane and see if it’s sustainable.

I think it’s gross that someone should have to be squashed up close with a stranger who’s spilling out everywhere. I agree that larger people should be obliged to pay extra for larger, or two seats. I’ve had this issue before myself both on flights and in concerts and absolutely hated it. It’s simply unpleasant and uncomfortable - and there’s the issue of picking up viruses too when you have to be that close. If ObviousCoalmine thinks it’s unfair on larger people, what about the comfort of other, smaller people and tall ones (who actually often pay more for extra legroom?)

Can you point out which part of the post was rude because I must have missed it? It IS on the individual person to make it known they are larger than 'standard seat size' in the same way it's up to people to advise the airline if they have any allergies or disabilities which need taking into account. You say most people don't choose to be larger but as overeating is the prime cause of obesity then it absolutely is their choice and saying otherwise is ridiculous.

Most businesses have to deliver quality or they lose customers. And customers surely have the right for a provider to - as a minimum - give you what you have paid for. So is it not logical that if the airline falls short by reducing the space you have paid for, to take some responsibility for that? The seat you booked is only 2 thirds of a seat or whatever. Imagine booking a table in a restaurant and having someone from another group join your table … very unlikely as the reviews and future business would be affected. The restaurant would likely offer you a reduced price meal or something as a gesture for having fallen short of expectations.

Problem is the airlines don’t seem to have to work very hard for people to book and so unless people stop booking, as a PP said, nothing will be done. Few people can afford business or premium economy and really why should they when they have paid fairly for a seat on the plane they should receive what they paid for.

It’s especially annoying when these days you have to pay more (often a lot more) to be able to choose seats so you can sit either your family or travel companion.

OP was very respectful actually

I sat on a flight and not only could I not have any access to my arm rest, the persons upper arm were impeding the back of my seat so had to curl my shoulder in and keep my arm in front if me at all times as well as part of their thigh on my seat under the arm rest.

Not only was around 20% of my own seat THAT I PAID FOR unavailable to me. I was stuck in a rigid position all flight not able to move.

That is hardly fair is it?

When are people who've never run a business in their lives going to realise that this isn't about denting the airline's profits a little bit, it's about every other passenger on every plane paying more for their tickets?

It's not rocket science, @Imdunfer, but I expect some feel better if they feel they're sticking it to the "nasty bastard airlines" who "don't deserve all that money" rather than their fellow passengers (who they probably don't care much about either)

Hence comments like "get over it" ...

I think it is about time people expected more. As customers. Not to be squeezed in with minimal space like a herd of cattle. With little to no leg room.

A lot of the thread is about how horrid larger people are.

Whether people are larger due to being fat, being tall, being big built but not fat is by the by.

We are as Europeans getting taller, bigger built and yes, many are fat. But many are larger and are not.

About time the airlines caught up with our growing height and sizes and treated customers better. Bigger seats please. And it is for them to work out the how.

To not want something that encroaches on your comfort is not fat shaming. To dislike the size of someone boarding an aircraft and having no impact on you is fat shaming.

Perhaps this could be solved by having partitions that can be raised between the seats. It would prevent their fat encroaching upon the neighbouring seats. If they couldn't fit into their seat with both the neighbouring partitions raised, they could be booted off the plane or made to pay for a bigger seat.
It could work like a human version of the thing they use to measure the size of hand luggage.

Airlines should not provide wider seats; they should, and some do, require them to book and pay for two seats

If you care to read my original post about it, I did say that it was done on the B777 and B787 which are both widebodies.

But the OP was talking about Jet2, which is an all narrowbody fleet with most of its capacity provided by the 737. These seats simply have not got any narrower since 1968. People are fatter.

If say half the plane had 2 wider seat instead of 3 but charged 1.5 the amount of regular seats they'd still get the same money. And save on meals, luggage allowance and cabin crew.

Well some airlines changed from 3 3 3 seating to 3 4 3 seating. And dreamkiners were designed for 2 4 2 wide and many are now 3 3 3.

So that is more seats in each row

My husband buys two seats, as he should, but it is not actually all that easy to book an extra seat and airlines have differing requirements on what name the extra seat can be booked under. It is not always possible to buy two seats under the same name. I can imagine that someone trying to do so might easily give up.

Good point. I thought the same.

Why should we have to get over it?
I've paid to have the whole of my seat and it isn't fair that I don't get to use it
I couldn't even use my tray table as the obese person next to me used it because she was unable to get hers down due to her size.
None of that was my fault.

What about men with very broad shoulders? Should they buy two seats too? I’d love an extra seat between me and DH when we fly Ryanair.

Good luck.

Id like to do this but with my own standards. Anyone who looks like a raging bitch doesn’t get to fly

If you don’t fit, you don’t fly.

I totally agree. I've had it a few times now, had to move my legs to the other side for four hours. The persons fat sat on my hip, arm, shoulder and seat.
I don't care what anyone says. It is a gross situation.

I’m not.

I fly a lot. I don’t judge other people cos I’m not an unpleasant person.
yes I have had larger people sat next to me, one couple a while back, she had mobility issues and needed assistance on & off the plane. She was encroaching on my seat a little and hubby was in the aisle a bit, could tell both were uncomfortable and she was so uneedingly apologetic that I couldn’t get off till she had assistance ( I wasn’t bothered)

lovely lady we had chatted a bit about our travels here and there

neither were ‘dripping in sweat’. Nor was there ‘ fat’ everywhere, mostly cos they were dressed like normal people

nothing wrong with having compassion for our fellow humans. Judging others and describing people in the way people are on this thread reeks of the those peoples insecurities not the people they are judging

I made one post on the thread not multiple till replying to you. I hope your day & mood get better

Unfortunately if airlines addressed all the discomfort issues prices for everyone would be a lot higher.

So you don't judge fat or smelly people, but you most likely judge people for other things. People who will equally have a sob story as to why they're that way. So you're no better than anyone else.

Nothing wrong with society trying to strive for better standards.