Too fat to fly

[loobielousplaits]

Is anyone/has anyone watched this?

It's a documentary about massively obese people being interviewed about being taken off flights/too fat to flight.

While I absolutely agree it's a 'fat shaming' programme - I can't agree with some of the comments from the interviewees that have complained they had to leave the plane due to an armrest not being able to go down - a woman wasn't able to visit the toilet, another who couldn't understand why someone would be offended that half their seat was taken up by overspill - a 32 st man was offended that he was asked to leave the aircraft because he couldn't safely fit in the seat and should have paid for two - pilot decided he wasn't safe to fly.

I'm torn - I absolutely understand weight is a huge issue (I was anorexic in my teens) and it is not easy to control your weight but come on - seriously? You cannot expect to be OK to fly if your weight affects health and safety and you can't fit safely in a seat

many airlines don't charge for the second seat, just the taxes,

What taxes? As far as I am aware, airline departure tax is levied on passengers, not seats.

In any case, giving them free space when a tall person is expected to pay for it is unfair. Being obese is a choice, being tall isn't.

I will concede though, that by serving fatty snacks and alcohol throughout the flight, the airlines are adding to the problem

Fatty snacks and alcohol are available on every street corner. People have to have the cop on to not actually endlessly keep putting it in their mouths.

9/10 people that are fat are fat because they overeat. If I get so my jeans are too tight, I eat half of my normal portions for two weeks and I am back to what I am happy with. It's not enjoyable but there it is. People in general need to take more responsibility for their health and their weight.

In the future I think they will automatically weigh you when you go through security. What makes you think they don't already (secretly).

In the future I think they will automatically weigh you when you go through security. What makes you think they don't already (secretly)

What would be the point? They don't know which plane you are getting on.

In the future I think they will automatically weigh you when you go through security.

I remember when I was a child they used to weigh you before you got on the plane to make sure it balanced! It's a bit worrying really. Surely they calculate safety things and fuel on the total weight load of the plane. If they're using "average weights" which are out of date it will affect fuel consumption and underestimation of the total weight of the plane. Meaning it could potentially be too heavy to fly? I don't know how critical the limits are.

In the future I think they will automatically weigh you when you go through security

When I get helicopter flights up into the mountains, they weigh all the people manifested for the load AND all the luggage together on one big giant scale pad

I remember when I was a child they used to weigh you before you got on the plane to make sure it balanced! It's a bit worrying really

I have had to move seats to the rear of the plane for take off and then go back to my seat in the middle once the seat belt sign was off. It wasn't just me, by-the-way.

Fridasrage
"It would probably be a positive step for seats on new planes to be made larger given the collective increase in our waistlines!"

Given the increase in diabetes, high cholesterol, heart and mobility issues as a result of increased obesity levels it would probably be a positive step for the obese to make themselves smaller.

I speak as an overweight person. The answer isn't to accommodate bigger and bigger people. The answer is eduction about nutrition and health in our schools AND help and support for the obese from our healthcare institutions, gyms etc.

I haven't watched the programme but I remember a travelling companion needing an extension to their seatbelt on an aeroplane. They were very embarrassed and hadn't realised they were so overweight.

The NHS could save money in the long term if health professionals were to address helping and supporting those with weight issues.

The simple answer is for the airline to give a width dimension upon booking and state that anyone who feels they may impact upon their neighbour's space must purchase another seat.

Mind you, dsis had a man spreader on her last flight. The bloke in the next seat - who was tall but not fat - put one leg in her footwell. When he went to the loo she put her bag in the footwell to stop him, but when he returned he asked her to move her bag so he could put his leg there!

I have always thought that airlines should weigh passengers with their luggage. It’s most unfair that an 8 stone woman could be charged for excess baggage while a 30 stone man would not, if their suitcases did/didn’t meet the limit.
And obese passengers should absolutely be made to pay for two seats.
I recall a case of a poor woman who sued the airline after a long haul flight from the U.K. to LA. An obese passenger sitting beside her overlapped half across her body, crushing her chest and giving her a pulmonary thrombosis and back injuries - she had to be stretchered off the flight into an ambulance and required hospital admission.
I think obese passengers are either in denial about their condition or utterly selfish. They should be denied boarding on safety grounds if they don’t book two seats.

Airlines should ask passengers to declare their weight at the time they book their tickets!

I booked my flights last June and fly in May. I've put on weight since then (I can still fit in a plane seat though) so how would that work?

Airlines need to deal with this by having guidelines that you have to 'tick' to agree when you buy your seat. Terms should be very clear - if you don't fit into one seat, then you must buy two seats. Other people shouldn't suffer on a flight due to another passengers weight, the obesity crisis is something we really have to own and deal with. We can't keep super sizing everything, rather than deal with this modern disease. In the vast majority of cases being overweight is a combination of eating habits and lack of exercise.

there should be a seat at check-in, so you can check how you sit in it just the way you check if your bags will fit. That's when you should remove passengers, or ask them to buy another seat if there is one available, not when they are in the plane already.
If nothing else, taking off their luggage is creating unnecessary delays for everybody!

I think there's a market for some lightweight, roll-up yet lockable when flat device which you could fit along the armrest to protect your space. So that when you sit down you unroll one each side of you and rest it against the armrest to separate you from your neighbour. It would give you slightly less room, as you wouldn't be able to spill under the armrest, but nor would your neighbour be able to encroach on your space.

For health and safety they will have to introduce weight restrictions on flights.
Most people are in denial about their weight, it makes them anxious, depressed, losing any emotional strength or willpower, unhealthy foods affects your brain badly, causing low mood, tired lethargic. whereas healthy food and exercise lifts your mood.
It is a vicious cycle to be trapped in.
The biggest issue for people is willpower or lack of it.

I will concede though, that by serving fatty snacks and alcohol throughout the flight, the airlines are adding to the problem

I disagree with this, it you’re on a long haul flight you should be able to unwind with a glass of wine and a bag of crisps. I don’t agree that banning things prevents obesity, it just makes you feel like as an adult you are being told you aren’t allowed to be responsible for what you eat.

Too much pandering to fat people, especially when 9/10 it’s a choice issue.

Well, aren't you just a peach.

Given that weight in its purest sense is a massive factor to be considered when flying in terms of fuel etc, perhaps we should all have to enter our weight when we book and price is calculated accordingly? I mean, the cost of flying a tall/fat person is higher. 🤷

I'm a size 14/16 and it would cost an airline more to fly me than my size 8 friend. Likewise my 6'4" husband. Over a certain weight you have to have a certain seat.

• In the future I think they will automatically weigh you when you go through security. What makes you think they don't already (secretly)

What would be the point? They don't know which plane you are getting on.*

Sure they do, you scan your ticket don't you?
The weight should be person plus hand luggage, including duty free.

As soon as some sort of check/assessment is introduced people will start buying two seats. As it is, they'll just continue to not bother. Yes its denial, but by not having checks then we are going along with that denial.

I appreciate that it is embarrassing for those that don't fit in to a standard seat but often they rely on other passengers being too embarrassed to make a fuss to the flight attendants so know they will get away with taking 1 1/2 seats having paid for one. Most airlines do not charge tax on a second seat (this is per passenger not per seat) but do make a charge for their loss of income - to the States it typically makes the second seat about 50% of the cost of the first seat.
Airlines are reducing the pitch and width of their seats through densification in order to keep prices low. There are other health risks to this even for "average" passengers.
Personally it doesn't affect me as I am no lucky enough to fly further forward where there is more space for long haul flights but it is a problem in economy.
I think flight attendants need more training in spotting passengers likely to have a problem on boarding and actively checking that they fit in their seat and do not encroach. If they do over spill and it is not their own travelling companions flight attendants need to take the responsibility to deal with it immediately and not leave it to the other passenger to complain.

I'm overweight, and went into panic mode after booking a long haul flight. It was enough to spur me into losing 3 stone, and at 15 stone the seat was fine as was the lap belt. At 18 stone, I think I'd have struggled tbh. I'm still losing as it really was a wake up call for me.

I agree totally that if someone big is going through security, they should have to sit in a seat to show that they are able to without over spilling onto the passenger next to them. If they can't, they have to pay for 2 seats. If that's embarrassing, tough, there is no one responsible for my weight other than myself. Very very few people are obese because of medical conditions.... and even then it's not a free ticket to inconvenience others.

When you book a car onto a ferry you have to let them know the size (height, length etc..) so why shouldn’t it be the same for people on a flight?

I hate the words ‘fat shaming’ as it only seems to be fat people that use them. Weight is mostly due to choice, I know sometimes there can be medical conditions that cause it but more often than not it’s because of life style. If your too big to fit in the seat then you need to book 2 seats rather than making other people next to you uncomfortable.