...to ask how you decide if someone is 'fat' ?

[MaisyMooCow]

Here

So the 'fat' passenger paying more argument continues.

My question is, how do you decide when someone qualifies for the 'fat seats'. What happens if you book a normal seat, get to check-in and they say 'Sorry madam but you're fat' . Are you expected to get on their scales for a weigh in?!!

Memphis, did you agree to that? For the whole flight? I would agree not to recline my seat during the meal, I wouldn't have the seat back during the meal anyway. But I don't see why someone should be made to not use the seat the paid for properly just because someone else wants their table down and they are too fat!

I'm loving th fatty test cage at check in. It needs sides that go all the way up to allow for upside down triangular people.

But what about leg length? My lovely & v skinny DH def doesn't spill over in terms of his body or upper limbs, but on most flights he has to sit with his legs at unnatural angles due to seriously limited leg room. This encroaches wildly into my leg area. But is it his fault?

I'm 6ft and don't have a problem in a standard seat.

I think a better approach than penalising larger people may be to offer a slim person a cheaper seat if they are happy to sit next to a larger person. I'd happily do it for a discount.

But that only works if fatty pays more - otherwise the airline's total taking are down.

'My DH is not really fat but has huge wide shoulders and legs (boast boast)'

I am laughing at the thought of your proud boast Fanjo!

'My DH has far wider legs than your rubbishy DH!'

Surely you could establish the fatness or otherwise of someone in an aeroplane seat using a similar method to the one used to work out if carry-on luggage is the right size for the overhead lockers?

So much 'fatty' and 'fatso' on this thread, it reflects for me the fact some people feel that it's somehow immoral to be fat. It isn't, you know, unless you're stealing food from babies or something.

I still think it's a bit rum that people are penalised for not fitting into a 'standard' seat; people aren't standard sizes. And the space allocated to people on planes is getting smaller, which makes people less likely to fit the space and more likely to overspill.

Tall people can usually ask to be seated in one of the additional leg room seats. My cousin is 6ft 4" & nearly always gets a seat with extra leg room, because he simply cannot get his legs in a standard seat on the airlines where they pack them in really tight. It is not like he can go on a diet either, he just is really tall.
I don't know what the solution is with regard to people who overspill airline seats. If all the airlines have to make wider seats, then they will be able to get less people on board & the prices will go up for everyone. At the end of the day, it boils down to money really, should fat people pay more and have either a bigger seat or two small seats? Or should other paying passengers just suck it up if the person next to them is taking up half their seat? Glad I don't have to decide.

manatee I said that already :)

Oh my legs are quite long too and it is a pain having to sit for more than 1 hr in those narrow seats.
The truth is that the economy class is rubbish!

And my pet hate are people who take too big suitcases in the cabin.

the drawback of my well -built DH is that we live in a flat with very narrow corridors and i cant get past him

Ooh missed yours, mousy

Iusetoomuchkitchenroll I wasn't happy about it, I was actually in a wheelchair at the time due to a bad back and problem with my hips so its was pretty awful, I complained to them as I even now can't sit upright but they couldnt move me anywhere, it was for the whole flight, she got loads of snacks and put them on her table but told the stewardess she felt trapped when I reclined the chair the 2 inches that it moved If it was now I would say something but back then I was a bit shy and reserved!

"Unfortunately these things are dictated by money, with people being crammed into ever smaller spaces to maximise profit."

A heavier plane uses more fuel so, while overweight people may feel singled out, their extra weight does push the price up.

I don't think plane seats have got any smaller at all over the years

Hmm, the idea of someone very overweight deciding not to go on a plane because they know that they are too fat and will either be weighed/stuffed in a fat-testing cage/made to pay more is really sad! They probably feel bad enough about being fat as it is. To an extent maybe it is their fault that they are fat, but ostracising them from normal life is not going to help anyone. When I sit next to someone fat on the bus who is taking up half my seat (and it happens a lot sadly), I can tell that their embarrassment is causing them far more anguish than I am experiencing due to being a bit cramped. Really, sitting next to someone fat is not awful enough to cause a fellow human being so much pain.

We only fly sqeasyjet so no such luxuries as extra legroom seats. We used to dash to them first, bit you're not allowed to sit there if you have kids under 5 as you need to be supermobile in the event of an evacuation.

Also, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to LHR once, we asked to be seated with extra leg room, no problem, placed at aisle break next to emergency exit, 5 clear foot in front of each seat, except mine which was right next to large, bulging door, meNing even my stumpy limbs had NO room. I was very miserable & cross. I think the witchy checkin woman did it on purpose.

I think it's much easier to say that people are not standard sizes - I'm short so take up no leg room so someone with much longer legs could have some of my leg space but my norks are 36J's so you can't recline your chair or I won't be able to eat my dinner.

We are also getting much taller and more well built - Osain Bolt wouldn't fit easily into a standard chair either - nor would any fit but large sized rugby player or American football player.

The airlines need to fit larger seats and provide more legroom rather than making size a moral imperative and making us all fight amongst ourselves.

I agree Salamanda

What about men who decide that their balls are so enormous that their legs have to be splayed to allow their gigantic manhood to breathe. I have spent many a miserable flight with a tenth of my foot space because of one of these giant gonaded freaks. Maybe people who have a big bum like me should have to sit next to them so we steal their seat while they have our legroom.

Oh Mrs Men who sit with splayed legs are another pet hate of mine. In my days sitting with splayed legs was considered utterly impolite.
Modern men must have increasingly enormous manhoods.

"I don't think plane seats have got any smaller at all over the years"

I think the seat pitch has though. We are a tall (and skinny) family and OH dreads it if anyone in the seat in front wants to recline their seat because he has nowhere to put his legs. He actually likes flying with Ryanair because you can't recline their seats. He always asks for an aisle seat then sticks his legs out and trips anyone up who is passing.

I think plane travel is only comfortable if you are:
a) very rich
b) a child
c) skinny and vertically challenged

Hmm, the idea of someone very overweight deciding not to go on a plane because they know that they are too fat and will either be weighed/stuffed in a fat-testing cage/made to pay more is really sad!

But that wouldn't be the case surely?

If you know you're too big to fit into a standard sized seat, then you pay extra for a seat you can fit into instead of encroaching on the passenger next to you.

I think that's what's being suggested here.

if you spill over the side into the next seat maybe you should have to buy two. Seems mean but bitter memories of an expensive and long flight when I only got half of my seat to use may be colouring my view!

I've been there too. It really is unfair on the other passengers.

Hmm, the idea of someone very overweight deciding not to go on a plane because they know that they are too fat and will either be weighed/stuffed in a fat-testing cage/made to pay more is really sad!

have you sat squeezed between two larger persons on a longhaul flight? I have and it is very unpleasant, especially as these two were strangers.