As I see it, the whole problem with this “too fat to fly” controversy is that it’s so subjective: sometimes an airline will allow a “passenger of size” fly without having to buy a second seat, and, sometimes that same airline will tell that same passenger that that he must buy two seats.
So a large passenger is left with two not-so-hot choices:
A.) You can gamble that your airline will allow you to fly in a single seat
- Drawback: Possible public humiliation, added expense, and getting home late. Director Kevin Smith was allowed to board, but once seated was ordered off the flight in front of a planeload of people– and had to spend the money for an additional seat on a later flight
B.) You can proactively purchase two seats
- Drawback: You’re spending extra money that might not be necessary, since who knows if the airline would flag you as “too fat to fly”
There is simply no way to be sure what will happen. But here’s an idea – and I can’t take credit for it, it comes from a reader of Slate: demo seats.
I am not being facetious, this really could work – after all, it’s the same principle behind sizing carryon bags, so keep reading…
A Solution to “Too Fat to Fly” Controversy: “Demo” Seats
No, they’re not the first to do this (as Continental is quick to point out), but it’s just one more fee – or “option” if you like – but it is a way to get a minimum of 7-extra inches of leg room on your next Continental flight.
Here’s how it works: Beginning March 17, during the regular check-in time (24 hours before departure), you can go online or stop at an airport kiosk and pay up to spread out. We don’t know how much this will cost yet – all we know is, “it will vary” depending on the length of the flight and the type of the aircraft.
Elite miles members can still do this, at no charge.
What do you think?
A true story from one of my employees, who wishes to remain anonymous – Rick
I had to fly from Burbank to Dallas, and made my reservations on US Airways just a week before departure. This flight involved a tight connection in Phoenix.
So I go to seat selection, and it was all too horrible for words – only middle seats were available on three of the four legs of the trip. Yikes. I checked out the “Choice Seats” and I can’t recall the exact price, but it was something like $50 to snag one of those, and my mother didn’t raise any idiots, so I didn’t go for them.
Just so you know, while I am a US Airways “miles member”, my status is pathetic – light years away from anything remotely resembling “elite”. So…what then?
I approached seat selection like a chess game: move by move, I managed to get a better and better seat. And I didn’t waste much time doing it, either.
Read how she did it, step by step – coming right up…
How to Get a Better Seat on a Plane Without Paying a Bundle
Over the weekend, a United flight from Washington Dulles to Tokyo’s Narita ran into what an airline spokesman described as “moderate turbulence” and 20 passengers were injured.
Most of the injuries apparently were bumps and bruises, but someone may have broken a leg – this according to a Japan police official.
United said (via the AP) that this occurred as the flight was midway into the flight, and the pilot did give warning, telling the passengers to buckle up.
Sometimes though, turbulence can happen without any warning; so please, anytime you’re in your seat, keep your seatbelt on.
The catch is, it helps to be “in love” – like the couple below – to really enjoy these new economy class seats from Air New Zealand. Face it, this is not exactly built for people who are “just friends” but – I like it.
And we will start seeing these “Kiwi-designed” seats – called Skycouch – later this year on Air New Zealand’s international service.
There is another catch to these seats: you and your traveling companion have to buy three seats (an entire row) to make this work. You see, the seats come with a sort of leg resting area (kind of like the bottom part of a La-Z-Boy) that pulls up flush with the seat bottoms, creating a flat space for you and a companion to lie down on (presumably with your heads toward the windows).
That third seat would cost about half-price, though I’m not sure what happens if the plane is full. Meanwhile, as Air New Zealand’s enthusiastic CEO Rob Fyfe says, “The dream is now a reality, one that you can even share with a travelling companion – just keep your clothes on thanks!”
Oh, those Kiwis…
Well, at least Kathy Kuhn of Michigan thinks they’re dangerous.
The 58-year old woman is suing Northwest because (according to MSNBC) she “injured her knee trying to get settled in a middle seat.”
Apparently she wrenched her knee because she had to climb over an armrest that wouldn’t go up – and as a result, had to have surgery to repair a ligament.
Maybe she’s got a good case, but I have no idea. In court papers, Northwest denies any liability, and – I do know that an awful lot of people manage the “middle-seat-stomp” every day, but apparently she wasn’t one of them. I do hope she’s feeling better.
Well at least that’s how I imagine those who commute between New York and Boston will react – once they learn about this change from US Airways:
Starting this January 4th, the airline will be switching to the Embraer 190 for its on-the-hour shuttle service between NY and Boston, and this is a plane with a 2-2 seating configuration – which means, no middle seats.
And don’t worry – the US Airways press release assures us that the new plane “still has spacious overhead bins”. Now if they could just add a piano player, maybe a gym…
I can’t print this photograph, because I don’t own it – but take a look: it’s a picture of a very large man in a very small seat.
Look at it, and then we’ll discuss.
It was sent to Kieran Daly’s “Unusual Attitude” blog by a person Daly identifies as an American Airlines flight attendant – she took the picture to show her manager.
Fortunately, you can’t tell the identity of this man, because I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings, but – is he nuts? If ever I saw a candidate for a “two seat ticket”, this is the one.
I’m not being nasty, I’m being safety conscious. I mean, I don’t really care if he is “overlapping” into his seatmate’s space, what worries me is that the man is clearly “out in the aisle”. You sure couldn’t get a drink cart past him, but what sends chills down my spine is imagining what would happen if there was some sort of emergency: How would he get out quickly? How could anyone get past him? This could be downright dangerous.
Readers – your thoughts?
