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?

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.

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!

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.

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

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'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 do alright. Else they would not bother doing at all. They are not some sort of voluntary service. They are there to make profit. Nothing wrong with that. And do. Lots of it. Even if the margins are not high. It is still profit.

They will be quite happy that customers are compliant and accept being uncomfortable and turn on each other than having to find a solution.

I wish there was some sort of barrier available to stop other people's body parts touching me. In any other circumstances, a leg pressed against mine would be assault.

Easyjet lost nearly £400m in the first half of 2025. How do you think they will respond to a request to increase seat size without increases in ticket price?

Seat sizes are driven by what customers in an extremely competitive market will pay.

Total sympathy for you OP. I always book an aisle seat as it's the safest option. I have arthritis and if someone is crushing me with their excess size it is physically painful.

This.
I have done a version of it when sat next to someone encroaching into my seat (not necessarily fat, manspreaders for ex): I would be sat on one side of the seat with a tall handbag next to me on the other side so that the space was occupied up to the seat limit without having physical contact with the person next to me.

That is a very seasonal figure. The airline made profit over the full year. A 9% increase and pre tax of £665 million.

The shareholders did okay.

Airlines should provide several bariatric seats on all planes as standard. I was literally having this discussion with my husband last week. Why should people be shamed for their weight and forced to squeeze into seats too small for them.

I haven’t read the full thread but had to say that much younger and slimmer DH and I did a lot of long haul . DH is a skinny 6Ft plus. I was a skinny not quite 6Ft. We always went economy but DH sitting is shorter than I am. He is all legs so my leg space was always encroached by him. Too young and in love to complain. Two memorable long haul flights,one to India in a group of 4 seats. Very very large Sikh gentleman and tiny wife ,both very friendly and charming,next to me. DH on the aisle seat but including himself on my leg space as well. Sikh gentleman thigh to thigh with me ,shoulder and arm touching. At one point sweet little wife put her bare feet on my arm rest across him. He told me I should hold my nose. I think he was joking .as I said I liked their company and they seemed to enjoy mine but not their flesh. I asked DH if he would exchange which he did after a while and later I explained that I couldn’t stand the touch of so much stranger flesh. He was really surprised saying that no part of his or their anatomy touched. The second flight was to Canada long haul with an enormous German gentleman .not fat but solid and well over 6 ft . DH on the other side of me. I had no leg space or elbow room. I’m always slightly surprised I survived these flights. I now refuse to fly anything less than business but the last flight I had to make was jet2 in an emergency and I have become ruthless in my old age refusing to allow anyone to encroach. I will only now fly if I have to .

Premium economy don’t get better meals. Premium economy is actually very lucrative for airlines as the percentage increase in costs are much lower than the percentage increase in the price. That difference would be used on the aircraft to set pricing overall so subsiding cheapest tickets to ensure the plane travels as full as possible. If they enough demand they would increase the cabin size.

The economics of airlines are really interesting. Regardless of what people think of flying costs, the profit margins are tiny.

Someone has a chip on their shoulder......

OP is perfectly valid in her comments and she doesn't appear to be fat shaming, she's making an observation. Clearly she paid for a whole seat but only got half of one. Yes, some people are overweight through no fault of their own, whilst others are overweight because of poor health choices.
In the US its quite common for larger people to buy 2 seats.
In fact airlines should bring in a rule requiring people over a certain size/weight to buy 2 seats. We pay extra for excess baggage, we should be doing the same with passengers.

The meals are definitely better in PE on BA

Me and partner are over weight, we booked 3 seats in a 3 seat row for comfort of us and for other people.
People shouldnt suffer because they are sitting next to a larger person

Its not right id hate it , especially if it was a stranger
Luckily we prebook our jet 2 seats in a row of 3 so we definitely will not be in this situation
I do feel for you it sounds awful

I don't fly but I am obese and as such, if I ever fly, I would pay for two seats. I didn't choose to be this big, but my health issues are no ones' fault, and it would be extremely rude of me to encroach on someone elses private space - plus it's not fun for the big person either. Two seats is the answer - or fly first class :)

It's a wonder, one of those awful money grabbing companies like Ryanair.Have not jumped on charging larger people a higher fare. For their excess weight

I think bigger seats that are more expensive than standard seats will soon become the norm.

Know exactly what you mean. I'm 5' and 8.5 stone. I get so cross seeing people carrying double my weight and more jamming themselves and me on a plane. More worryingly, is how quickly they could move down the aisle in an emergency. Plus, how the hell do some manage in the tiny toilets?
Dint be afraid to complain to flight attendant that you are being forced to sit in an unnatural position. Get the attendant's name. Take a selfie of the position you are in. Complain to the company.

Post-Flight Recourse

• Submit a formal complaint: If the airline failed to provide the full seat space you paid for, you can write to their customer service. In some documented cases, passengers have received compensation or vouchers for significant space encroachment that was not addressed by the crew

Found this online might help

The difference is marginal. They are presented more appealingly but the cost difference to BA is minimal. It’s part of the model.