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?

The seats seem to be getting smaller and smaller on plane. I think if airlines produced extra wide seats just like they do extra legroom them that would help people who need more space. I guess the main issue is the extortionate price they might have to pay for it.

I aak the men that the are over my side could they move their legs back into their own space

No she has not set an unpleasant tone. Sitting next to an obese person on a flight can be extremely unpleasant and it should be up to the obese person to either buy two
seats or airlines need to be more on it and have people state their weight on booking to make sure they have the right seats available.

You can ask them to move the armrest?! Do they do this as standard on all airlines?

god this would be so much easier when flying with children in the summer.

You could say the same for any ‘average’ size seat - cinema, restaurants, train, bus, rollercoaster etc.

Unfortunately an airplane means you buy the specific seat space only so if you are large and will spread over one seat, I believe it is only fair that you pay for 2 seats. Otherwise how can it be fair that obese are permitted to book larger seats, but people of average size aren’t? We’d all love a larger airplane seat right?!

I flew as a child in the US, and the woman next to me had booked two seats. However the flight was full, and the two seats were at opposite ends of the plane

It was awful. I was a short skinny 13 year old, but she took up more than 3/4 of the two seats (she was very very obese, not just “BMI over 30”). I was pushed into the corner, couldn’t fold the tray down to eat, could barely move. I had bruises on my chest when she eventually got off me. DM complained but the stewardesses weren’t bothered (just as they hadn’t helped the poor fat woman with her seats in the first place - American Airlines who have notoriously horrible staff).

I have wondered in hindsight why I couldn’t just have sat in her other seat, but that wasn’t presented as an option, and it didn’t occur to me as a child to ask.

I think offering roomier seats (less in a row) that people could choose to pay more for is a good idea, like extra legroom seats. I'm not sure that buying two seats will really alleviate the problem, particularly for the large person who still has the discomfort of squeezing into a seat that is too small. They can't actually sit in the middle of their double seat. In a row of three or four seats there might still be someone sitting on the other side of them. Or they're overflowing into the aisle.

I once was on the flight next to a very obese young guy - it was uncomfortable for me but he was visibly even more uncomfortable, he literally tried to hold his fat in with his hands, hugging his body so it stays in his seat(( I felt so sorry for him.

I think airlines need to provide several larger seats and let the bigger passengers have them - train their staff to be able to visually asses people who need these seats.

Good question, possible answers; they would have to switch seats, planes or not travel. I think it is very odd that your luggage can't 1lb over, but we could weigh 15stone above average and still book a ticket. What if everyone was that large! A logistical and financial nightmare. A question upon booking might be necessary.

I'm on the bigger side and my last longhaul flight I picked Delta comfort which were perfect sized. They were wide enough not to feel like the arm rests were digging in and just enough extra leg room to not feel trapped.

Overall, airlines should stop making seating smaller as it isn't just big people who are uncomfortable, many average sized people find them a squeeze too.

I think if you're unable to access the full width of seat that you paid for, you should get a partial refund.

In all honesty, I think in the same way they weigh/check your luggage, they should do the same with seats and check that you fit into one seat or charge you for an extra one. I say this as somebody who has had weight struggles for a long time so not being discriminatory! It’s simply not fair on others to be squashed through no fault of their own.

Older people tell me that seats used to be much bigger-and that was when people were usually shorter and slimmer than today. Yes, they should be wider. Many people are overweight through no fault of their own, some who are flying after serious illnesses, and they shouldn't have to worry or be embarrassed.

This is really sad 😔 Most of us fat people don’t enjoy being fat and I feel sad that this chap felt that way. I do think bigger seats (at a cost) is the way forward to avoid discomfort and embarrassment. It’s not nice for anybody involved.

Many airlines have decreased legroom to allow them to fit in more rows, but I don’t see how seats can be getting smaller width wise - most plane designs have been around for a while and economy is 3x2 with centre aisle for narrow bodied and 3-4-3 for jumbo types. Or are the likes of Ryanair using physically narrower planes? At any rate airline seat width isn’t something that can easily be shrinkflated.

Answer is they really do need more wider economy seats at proportionately greater cost.

One possible solution is a selection of wider seats available to anyone willing to pay, but airfare costing is complicated enough as it is and throwing new configurations into the mix makes it even more of a headache. Plus there's no guarantee that larger people would choose the wider seats.

It's a tough one. On the one hand people shouldn't be made to feel embarrassed or ashamed. On the other, they should also have full use of their seats and safety issues need to be taken into account too. Perhaps air travel just needs to get more expensive to be workable.

Its all very well saying buy 2 seats, except when you do and then....the arm rests are fixed. As we have had happen to us twice now (partner is very tall and very wide). 2 VERY uncomfortable flights and partner didnt actually get the 2 seats paid for due to it. So it's very possible to buy 2 seats but not guaranteed they're usable as a double space.

I made this arguement once at check in when I was 2kgs over! They didn’t relent and I wore 2kgs of clothes.

Flight earlier this year the man over the aisle from me was so big he couldn’t sit back on his chair. He was sitting forward the whole time. It must have been awful for him. He had bought one one the front row because he thought they would be bigger- they’re actually smaller seats than the rest of the plane so he swapped with my oh. I felt so sorry for the man.

I believe, and I'm happy to be corrected, that the ticket covers transit rather than actual mass or weight, while the luggage allowance has a mass/weight limit. This is why there's no limit on a single passenger's weight or size and people aren't generally obliged to buy two seats if they need them although they might decide it's worth it. Realistically it's probably more about sales than anything else; it would be such an unpopular policy with passengers that it just isn't feasible from a business perspective.

I think some internal American airlines have a policy whereby if you need two seats, you buy them but if the flight isn't full they'll refund you for one.

Absolutely. Even without fixed arm rests can you sit in the middle and use seat belts from either side for takeoff and landing?

Maybe an idea would be to have some rows with 2 wider seats instead of 3. Charge more for those. It would be cheaper and more comfortable than buying 2 seats ( in which an armrest would be in your back and the seat ridge under your bum)

Sell them as XL seats

My Bil has to buy two seats when he flys. He's aware of his size and that it wouldn't be comfortable for him or the person next to him if he has one seat. I have to be honest, I was surprised when he flew with Ryanair and they gave him his two seats next to each other.

Oh darling please don’t call your self fat. -Be kinder 😍😍😍 to you

Oh could you imagine that - the second seat is somewhere else 😂😂

wouldn’t put it past Ryanair to argue kindly you still got two seats