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

[Kag13]

I have today spent a four and a half hour Jet2 flight seated next to a young man who was at least 20 stone, probably larger. I could not use the left hand armrest as his body (fat) buldged over it and into my personal space (which on a budget airline is not that large) and his leg was resting over part of my seat.
Luckily I am only 5’2” and not that big but what would happen if someone of the same size was seated next to him?
it made for a very uncomfortable flight for me. Am I being unreasonable to think this is not right?

Happened to me on a flight home from Greece recently
Complained to ca in crew and got moved to another seat

OP, it’s a good job it was only a short flight. l agree with you to a point. That option already exists on most airlines though, it’s called Business Class.

Quite how you police people into paying the extra because of their size is another matter. You will still get large people going for the cheaper seat.

An ex colleague of my husband's was severely obese and would pay for 2 seats. Once they allocated seats in different rows, which defeated the object somewhat. Fortunately someone swapped.

A lot of the flights I take these days are budget airlines so logistically it’s challenging. increasing sizes would be costly and add complexity to availability. Would we have a designated row and if those seats are full a larger person can’t fly?or how many rows? What about if all the smaller seats are gone, or someone just wants to pay 50% more for 50% more space.. will they get bumped for a larger person who didn’t select the right option? How would they manage this? Have a max weight? I can already see that going wrong.. What’s the incentive for the airlines?

Do you think the answer is that all seats are made bigger? Frankly, I don’t want to pay an extra 50% on every airfare. I’m happy with the trade off that a few hours in less comfortable seats saves us quite a lot of money over the year.

Perhaps the buy an extra seat recommendation could be formalised, but then again I am not convinced it’s fair for someone to be bumped so another passenger can have an extra seat just for more space.

Yep, and look at the price (adjusted for inflation) of old airline tickets.

Problem with all of these arguments is the airlines know most passengers dive into websites and generally go for the lowest headline price.......not much thought at that point that maybe by looking at slightly different by slightly more expensive options that often are available by paying to upgrade cabin and/or changing airline)

Of course the post travel we then hear the complaints on places like this.

Then the next booking window comes round and it's often lowest price again, rather than reconsidering other options.

😂😂😂
people weren’t smaller 75 years ago!

Airline seats have got smaller. They're 1.5 inches narrower today than they were in the 80s, and we have 4 inches less legroom.

So while I agree that people should take personal responsibility for their size and other passengers' comfort, the airlines are also culpable. They should make all the seats bigger, for all of us.

I have been the fat person on the plane, and it's a miserable experience for me, too. You are very aware that you are imposing on people's space, and spend the whole flight trying to condense yourself and draw the fat on your arms into your spine.

But now I am a not-fat person, but with very long legs, and I still can't sit comfortably without paying extra for legroom. I think it's ok to cram people in for an hour, maybe two, but for most flights, planes are a circle of hell when it comes to comfort.

People were thinner 75 years ago that’s for sure. Maybe we should charge per kilo of total weight including baggage. And for the pp who said no one chose to be obese? Sure people do. It’s a lifestyle disease. Just like when everyone used to smoke. The advice was out there but people-including me-ignored it. Things only changed when it was made more painful for people to smoke. Same with obesity. Weight loss jabs should be used aggressively. Legislation on foodstuffs.

Simple solution along the same lines as the bag check. If you cant fit inside this 'cubicle' then you either pay for double seat or you dont fly. It is not fair on normal sized people to make allowances for larger people. Thats for the airline to deal with.

Before anyone says anything, i have not suggested they dont fly etc etc etc. They take up more space and as such should pay more. Same for taller people paying for extra leg room.

I look forward to seeing 'bigger' people trying to cram into a small box/cubicle at check in to save money.

He should have booked a comfort seat (2 seats) and paid accordingly.

This - except I'd like to see the "example seat" placed somewhere discreet rather than passengers having to try it out in front of everyone

It's not as if seat widths are some kind of secret, so if people hope to save a bit of money on the back of making things impossible for their fellow travellers they'd only have themselves to blame if it didn't work out

I look forward to seeing 'bigger' people trying to cram into a small box/cubicle at check in to save money.

Why do you look forward to that? And why have you put inverted commas around "bigger"?

I read somewhere that a plane was delayed recently as it was carrying too much weight. Also that the average weight of a passenger plus luggage was 86kg. I found that pretty low but I’m tall so anything under 80kg and I’m a healthy bmi. Possibly the answer will be in the future will be a ticket with weight so you your carry on needs to be under average or a premium applies? Then over a certain weight a second seat surcharge. It would take a mindset change but it makes sense. Every kilo carried will have a cost, I do think it makes sense that those with more kilos pay more.

Yes they were. Obese people were uncommon. Now they are almost the norm. The fact that size 16 is now the average says it all. And that is with vanity sizing!

Presumably you just put the arm rest up and sit comfortably

If buying two seats then that's very reasonable, but not when those who can't fit in one seat expect to do it to make themselves more comfortable at the expense of the person next to them

If travelling alone I've learneed to keep my arm on that foldable armrest until whoever's next to me is seated, to avoid the surprise ramming up of the thing and the awkwardness which folllows

I read somewhere that a plane was delayed recently as it was carrying too much weight

It happened to me coming back from Rome, @Secretseverywhere, when we were told someone had got jammed in the seat and couldn't disembark.
TBH I thought it was just some silly rumour, but then saw the size of the passenger who was eventually hoisted off

It is not just people who are wide. But people who are tall too. Many are getting larger. We are built ( Europeans) bigger than those in decades before. Flying unless you pay is often extremely uncomfortable. Even the seats are as hard as iron. Jet 2 I am looking at you.

For larger people the humiliation of trying to get into the seat knowing people around them despise them ( often because society encourages them to do so), must be horrible.

Airlines should be careful. They have crammed as many seats into a plane as they can for profit. They care not one jot about your comfort. Unless you pay more. But customers do matter.

The whole flying industry needs to be careful. People often dislike flying. From the airport experience where you are charged to pick up and drop off, to queues, to the drink problems, to the seats etc.

The flying industry have had a field day. Till now. People are choosing cruising, driving, the railways. Or not to go abroad at all. They have become arrogant.

And going back to seating. If someone is clearly far to large to fit into a seat then it should be discussed with them that they won’t fit in. For their own comfort and safety. You cannot put a pint into a half pint. But do it because you want them to be comfortable. Not because you want to humiliate them. Not because you want to punish them. Plenty of people cannot ‘fit’ comfortably.

Because if someone is quite obviously on the large side and they havent already paid for a bigger seat then i would find it amusing for them to have to prove they could fit. Simple, if you are bigger, you need to pay for a bigger seat. Just like taller people pay for more leg room.

I put bigger in inverted comments because i didnt want to say fat.

I really wouldn’t like that either OP. I would write a complaint to the airline asking them to enforce a policy that you have to be able to fit in one seat or buy two. It would be easy to control this like the rollercoaster rides do in the US.
Also, in the meantime I’m afraid if someone was spilling into my personal space, I would ask to be moved. Horrible for everyone involved but a situation not of my making.
Lastly, im just a cynic but how convenient that this big chap was sat next to a petite woman. I wonder if the airlines have some internal flag system to make sure they are sat next to someone who can compensate for their size?

People saying airlines are making seats smaller and smaller - this is generally speaking just not true.

Ryanair operate an all Boeing 737 fleet, and most of Jet2's fleet is also the 737. This aircraft first flew nearly sixty years ago and although it has been updated and modernised since then the fuselage cross-section has remained the same and it still seats six-abrest in economy, just like it did then. While seat pitches (the distance between your seat and the one in front) can and have been altered to fit fewer or more rows in a given length, no amount of narrowing a seat is going to allow an extra one in each row, although this has been done on the widebodied B777 and the B787.

The uncomfortable truth is that a great many Brits are just too fucking fat, are in denial, and are looking for excuses for it.

There is an airline in Africa which advises you to buy two seats if you're huge: https://proflight-zambia.com/booking/how-to-book/ If they can be honest about it, why can't Brits?

For that to work you'd have to weigh every passenger before boarding...

TBH the increase fuel burn for each extra kilo of pax or bag weight isn't that significant on a short flight (and there are other costs that have to be covered that are not weight dependent) but ATM it is becoming more significant.

Because if someone is quite obviously on the large side and they havent already paid for a bigger seat then i would find it amusing for them to have to prove they could fit.

What else amuses you?

I was thinking the same when people keep saying seats are getting smaller. The plane isn't getting narrower and the rows aren't getting more seats in so it can't be true except as you say changes to accommodate extra rows.

Excellent post, InveterateWineDrinker, especially the very accurate comment about some just looking for excuses

It's really not complicated; as said seat widths are no secret, so if you can't fit in one then buy two, and if that's not affordable then travel a different way

I'm afraid I agree with this. I am sure that people will bleat on about rights and dignity, but having a stranger's flabby flesh encroaching on your space during a flight is just disgusting.

Surely they could just charge more for wider seats, same as they charge more for e.g. premium economy or business class.