# Are Fat People on Airplanes Becoming a Big Problem **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130 "2013-03-27T20:30:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/81 "2013-03-29T06:17:20Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > :dubious: How are 16" shoulders pretty broad? That sounds **tiny**. I am very slender and have never had trouble fitting in an airline seat (or any other type of narrow seat) and I just measured my own shoulders at 17". No, it’s not. US average is supposedly 18" with an average height of 5’10". 20" is the start of wide, and will look sizably broader than 18". Up from 20" ranges from quite broad to superheroic. I just measured myself - best I could - and googled out of curiosity. I’ve been told I have broad shoulders. 20.5" it turns out. I think one’s waistline plays into the look of broadness as well. The more V shaped a guy is, the broader the shoulders would seem. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/82 "2013-03-30T01:58:00Z")
Im six foot one and 275. Painfully aware of overflowing into the next seat. At 204, my broad shoulders had me tight but not over flowing. I hate it, must figure out a fix. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/83 "2013-03-30T02:19:29Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Bottom line comes down to the fact that Airlines make seats too small (to fit in as many people as possible) and plan for outdated and ludicrously low average weight figures. > > Then they excuse it by throwing the word “average” around, as if that really means anything. > > If we planned for ‘average’ database usage and bandwidth on my job and nothing more, we’d be completely fucked a significant percent of the time. > > One flight full of businessmen (read: all adult males) on their way to a conference and those ‘average’ (17" width, 200 pounds including baggage) figures are dangerously inadequate. Well, it is not like planes are crashing willy nilly with over average weight people on the planes. The flights take you to your destination in one piece. You are acting as though people generally can not fit in seats and as a result do not make it to their destination. Is there discomfort sometimes? Sure. But many find that it is worth it for their travel reasons-be it for work or vacation or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/84 "2013-03-30T02:44:45Z")
In Canada, the airlines are not permitted to double-charge a large passenger. It’s the opposite of Horton: “A person’s a person, no matter how large.” Previous thread on topic: [Canada Supreme court won’t hear obesity two-for one seating case vs. Air Canada](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=493925). ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/85 "2013-03-30T02:55:59Z")
I’m 5’2", 120 lbs. Coach seats make me hurt and my knees are almost touching the seat in front of me as long as that person keeps his/her seat upright. I can’t imagine how painful it must be for someone who is tall. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/86 "2013-03-30T03:08:31Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > In Canada, the airlines are not permitted to double-charge a large passenger. It’s the opposite of Horton: “A person’s a person, no matter how large.” Does it actually work that way in practice? IIRC the airlines threw up a whole bunch of hurdles in the beginning, including requiring a doctor to examine the buttocks and officially certify them as being large. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/87 "2013-03-30T03:40:05Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > In Canada, the airlines are not permitted to double-charge a large passenger. It’s the opposite of Horton: “A person’s a person, no matter how large.” > > Previous thread on topic: [Canada Supreme court won’t hear obesity two-for one seating case vs. Air Canada](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=493925). Didn’t Tim Horton make them that large? H’yuck. ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/88 "2013-03-30T03:54:43Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Bottom line comes down to the fact that Airlines make seats too small (to fit in as many people as possible) and plan for outdated and ludicrously low average weight figures. > > Then they excuse it by throwing the word “average” around, as if that really means anything. > > If we planned for ‘average’ database usage and bandwidth on my job and nothing more, we’d be completely fucked a significant percent of the time. > > One flight full of businessmen (read: all adult males) on their way to a conference and those ‘average’ (17" width, 200 pounds including baggage) figures are dangerously inadequate. And your math is off with the baggage weight as well. Is there anything you are right about? You seem like an angry person with a grudge. How many flights have you been on this year? Or to be more precise-have you ever been exposed to the horrible issues that are endured by the masses in coach or are you just continuing to rail against your perceived discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/89 "2013-03-30T05:30:45Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Also, seat belt extenders. If you need a seat belt extender, you should buy two seats. Actually, that would result in forcing many people to buy extra seats unnecessarily. Not everyone who is the same weight or BMI has the same body proportions and body shape. Basically, some large people are more distributed side-to-side, and some are more front-to-back. Someone who is larger front-to-back might need a seatbelt extender but they don’t spill into the next seat over. Besides the obese with a large belly, this could also apply to pregnant women. I’ve heard people online say that they use a seatbelt extender but can (somewhat uncomfortably) fit into a normal seat with the armrests down and not spilling over. And other people can buckle up a normal seatbelt without an extender, but can’t fit into one seat with the armrests down. ---
**Author:** ![OnelBil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/258eb7/32.png) [@OnelBil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OnelBil)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/90 "2013-11-15T03:46:03Z")
I travel 30 weeks out of the year and the worst flights for me are domestic, because Americans are obese. I found stats that state about 35% of Americans between 20 and 50 years old are obese.) This might not be popular, but sitting next to a fat person is unacceptable. I cannot change my height, but how heavy I am is a result of my activity level and diet. I am middle-aged, 6’3, 215 pounds and in-shape because I stay active and I eat sensibly. If I am on a full flight and don’t get 1st class upgrade, odds are good I will sit next to an obese passenger that feels it is OK to press themselves into you and breathe through their mouth for the duration of the flight. It is 1000% worse when they are farting and acting innocent. WTF? We know it’s you!!! I would like to be nice about this, but a heavy person shouldn’t be aware of the burden they are putting on others and how uncomfortable it is to be entrapped in a seating row with them. IMHO, identifying the measurements of a traveler and seating them appropriately is the only way to solve the issue. They don’t need 2 seats, but they need one and a half. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/91 "2013-11-15T06:21:00Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > , and will spend twice the money and 5 times the time to drive rather than face that again. Don’t they have business class in the US? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/92 "2013-11-15T06:34:12Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Honestly the problem I’ve run into most often is children sitting behind me and kicking my seat. Thankfully it’s never happened on long-haul flights. For some reason it only ever happens when we’re flying into the UK from another European country. Sweet jumping jebus, back in 2003 I flew on AryanAair [I swear that Lufthansa crews their planes with tall blond clones :eek:] and I picked an aisle seat second or third row from the back. I didn’t have issues with crowding, the whole row was empty except for myself and one little old German lady sitting on the other aisle seat. What drove us both nuts was apparently the plane continued to India or Pakistan or somewhere with well tanned people in salwar kameez. Dumb mother had 6 kids all under about 12, and 4 or 5 of them were doing laps around the whole back center section for hours. ☹ I detest screaming running kids. She did nothing to control the little brats and every time the staff told her to settle them down, it would last about 15 minutes then the grand prix d’avion was off and running again. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/93 "2013-11-15T13:21:35Z")
> [@OnelBil](#): > > I cannot change my height, but how heavy I am is a result of my activity level and diet And metabolism, which is almost as difficult to change as your height. I have to work damn hard at not being obese; my basal metabolic rate is 40% lower than the average woman’s. The average is ~1870 calories, mine is more in the range of ~1100 calories. You, at 6’3" and 215 pounds, probably eat in the range of 3000 calories per day. It’s a heck of a lot easier for you to “eat sensibly”. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/94 "2013-11-15T14:54:28Z")
> [@OnelBil](#): > > I travel 30 weeks out of the year and the worst flights for me are domestic, because Americans are obese. I found stats that state about 35% of Americans between 20 and 50 years old are obese.) This might not be popular, but sitting next to a fat person is unacceptable. I cannot change my height, but how heavy I am is a result of my activity level and diet. A lot of people, myself included, eat moderately and sensibly, and are active, lift weights, etc, but still have excess fat. Not seat-oozing, seat belt extender-sized, but still fat. I don’t like sitting next to people who ooze over their seats, either, but I also recognize that, for some people, diet and exercise are not enough. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/95 "2013-11-15T14:55:53Z")
> [@Sam\_I\_Am](#): > > And metabolism, which is almost as difficult to change as your height. I have to work damn hard at not being obese; my basal metabolic rate is 40% lower than the average woman’s. The average is ~1870 calories, mine is more in the range of ~1100 calories. Did you have it measured professionally? Or are you just going by your own estimate? The reason I ask is that people who struggle with their weight have a strong tendency to underestimate their caloric intake. When such people have their metabolisms measured scientifically, they usually (perhaps always) discover that their metabolisms are completely normal and very frequently higher than average. For example, the girl in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4) believes that she eats no more than 1500 calories per day but doesn’t lose weight because of her low metabolism. Her actual metabolic rate was measured scientifically and determined to be in the 2000-2300 range. [Here](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084) is a study which reached similar conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/96 "2013-11-15T15:02:50Z")
> [@Tapiotar](#): > > A lot of people, myself included, eat moderately and sensibly, and are active, lift weights, etc, but still have excess fat. Probably you eat less modestly and are more sedentary than you realize. That said, I agree that it’s very difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The idea that you can simply change your activity level and diet as if you were changing the oil in your car is a wild oversimplification of the problem. Still, I think it would be easier to lose weight and keep it off if there weren’t so much misinformation out there. And one huge piece of misinformation is the idea that fat people eat modestly and sensibly but remain fat due to some other factor such as metabolism. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/97 "2013-11-15T15:21:41Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Did you have it measured professionally? Or are you just going by your own estimate? Going by the research study that evaluated BMR amongst “normal” women, women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and women with PCOS and IR (insulin resistance) – I have both PCOS and IR. > **[Basal metabolic rate is decreased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18678372/)** > > Women with PCOS, particularly those with IR, present a significantly decreased BMR. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/98 "2013-11-15T15:32:18Z")
> [@Sam\_I\_Am](#): > > Going by the research study that evaluated BMR amongst “normal” women, women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and women with PCOS and IR (insulin resistance) – I have both PCOS and IR. Oh, that makes sense. I guess you feel cold every day with such a low metabolism? ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/99 "2013-11-15T15:38:25Z")
I fly 1-2 times a year and I can’t remember that happening once. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130/100 "2013-11-15T15:49:19Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Probably you eat less modestly and are more sedentary than you realize. > > That said, I agree that it’s very difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The idea that you can simply change your activity level and diet as if you were changing the oil in your car is a wild oversimplification of the problem. > > Still, I think it would be easier to lose weight and keep it off if there weren’t so much misinformation out there. And one huge piece of misinformation is the idea that fat people eat modestly and sensibly but remain fat due to some other factor such as metabolism. Yes, I know people tend to fool themselves. That’s why I keep careful records of intake and of exercise. People are very different. Yes, a lot of people pig out and gorge and become fat, and a lot of people pig out and gorge and stay thin. There are factors other than intake and exercise that govern metabolism, and some of those are just plain blind dumb luck. But to get back to the subject of the thread – yes, what to do about passengers too big for seats. How on earth could you require overweight people to pay a fuel-cost surcharge, or oversize people to buy two seats, when most folk book online these days? People would lie about size/weight when booking flights, the way they lie about weight on drivers’ license applications. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-people-on-airplanes-becoming-a-big-problem/654130.md?page=6)