Had this issue back in 2000 or so. I was 5’11", 210 at the time. My shoulders are wide however, about 21-22". Seats are designed for 17" “average” person. I sat in the window seat with my shoulder against the wall. The guy in the seat next to me pressed against my other shoulder for the entire flight. When we landed, he laid into me for allegedly leaning into his seat for the entire flight. I said no, you’ve been shoving me into the wall the whole time, and proved it.
Of course, I recall another flight where a tall, well over 300 pound man sat next to me and his shoulder was practically touching my chin. What made it worse was his lack of deodorant.
But you know, people want the cheapest possible flights, so it is in the airline’s best financial interests to shove us in like cattle.
If you don’t want to sit next to someone large, stay out of the Exit Row. For passenger comfort they put people requiring more space to sit in those rows, but this results in the potential of multiple large people per row. I’m a big guy and it is my shoulders that are far wider than any aircraft seat, so I don’t “spill over” into others’ seats but I often have to twist sideways or lean forward to prevent shoulder banging. But I would say that in the past 100-200 flights, I’ve had only 1 or 2 significant spillovers by neighbors. And as a general rule, I think it was worse 5-10 years ago than it is now.
I’m 6’1" and 220 lbs and I have no inhale/exhale room. I find long flights painful and short flights okay. I cannot imagine how a 6’4" 250lb person or above can tolerate coach.
I am 5’2 and 105 pounds, and even I find it uncomfortable and space-lacking. In fact, I actually have a lot of trouble moving around. These are flights to India in economy class I am talking about.
I’ve no idea why, but I’ve found this to be true as well. I fly every other month or so and haven’t had an issue with an overweight person in several years. More problems with fussy babies and smokers than anything else.
Kind of surprised no one’s called out the intolerance of this thread.
I used to fly a lot and don’t recall this ever being a problem. Airplanes aren’t exactly spacious but you’ve got to be pretty big to significantly impede in another person’s space. You’re far more inconvenienced by the hardware around you than the meatware.
It’s an occasional problem. More so in the US than in Europe, citing my main areas of flying.
I’m 6 foot 2 and 104 kg’s/229 pounds, btw. Big, but not spill-into-the-next-seat big.
My length makes me fairly uncomfortable in most coach seats, but not to the extent that a neighbour might be disturbed. I have sat next to 300+ lb’s people who did just that, however. I suppose there is an upper limit to what fits in a coach seat. Trouble is. How does an airline enforce this without turning away potential business?
I suppose in the US, they mostly just don’t. And in some cases, that makes you the unlucky traveller sharing 25% of you seat. Oh well.
About 10% of my business trips - my trips tend to be with family so I sit next to my tiny daughter and my skinny son. Or next to my husband who doesn’t give me cooties by touching me.
As a woman, do not fly home the afternoon or immediately after a large tech conference and end up in a middle seat. My chances go up to 80% of being stuck between two gentlemen of size at least one of which has less than ideal social skills when faced with having to sit next to a moderately attractive woman for three hours.
We’ve met before. You’re a slip of a cub compared to me. I don’t think I’ve honestly ever invaded the next passenger’s space as uncomfortable and excruciating as my journey has been squeezing into the allotted seat.
The only time it’s ever been an issue for me was once when a fat person with a middle seat wanted to switch for my aisle seat because apparently he assessed that I didn’t need the space (I’m 5’4", 100 lbs.) so he thought he should have it. I politely told him that I had deliberately picked an aisle seat because the middle and the window make me feel trapped, so no, I did not want to switch seats. That was the end of it.
There was another flight where the woman across the aisle needed a seat belt extender and then spent the whole flight eating a giant bag of Chex Mix and M&Ms, which caused me some irritation as I contemplated how I’d nearly had to pay an extra fee because my duffel bag was 48 lbs. But she wasn’t invading my space. The person in the E seat on that side may have had a different opinion.
An Gadai: So you’re saying, “hey, it’s uncomfortable for me as well”?
I’m sure it is. The question is, who should pay for the added discomfort?
I fit into my seat, and you don’t.
Again, it’s an occasional occurence for me, I’m not on the barricades claiming overweight people should buy two seats. Although if all my flights would be in the US, I just might be.
I suppose it boils down to airlines changing seat sizes to fit the demographic. My point is, that up until now, US airlines can get away with ignoring the problem altogether. But I will await more frequent US flyers to weigh (ha!) in on this. I’m talking about 2 to 4 coach flights a year within the US, not enough to be of relevance.
I’m not in the habit of polemicising me being a lard ass but very few fit in their seats in at least short haul flights. I wouldn’t mind paying extra if I could be guaranteed nobody in the seat next to me, I think I already said. But Ryanair doesn’t do that shit and I’m sure you’ve experienced them. They’re cunts as far as airlines are concerned.
I’m 5’4, 140 pounds, and have never had a single flight where other passengers weren’t impinging on my space. And none of them fat. I guess cause I’m NOT huge, people seem to think I don’t need what little space the airline gives me or something. I hate flying.
And yes, my husband, who’s a large man, has been charged for two seats…after he got on the plane and the one next to him happened to be empty. If we’d the money, I’d have called a lawyer, but he no longer flies, and will spend twice the money and 5 times the time to drive rather than face that again.
The heaviest weight I flew at was about 240, at 5’6", and I had a hell of a time with the seat belt. I was too embarrassed to ask for an extender, so I just wore a too tight belt for take off and landing and otherwise surreptitiously unbuckled it, left it laying on my lap and covered the clip parts with a book so no one could tell I wasn’t buckled in. I was sitting somewhat forward 'cause my posterior took up more of the seat than it probably should have, and each hip was painfully pressed into the sides of the seat. I kept my arms firmly clamped to my sides to avoid spilling over, which of course caused horrible aching shoulders and lats after 3 hours or so.
And at the time,I wore a women’s size 20. I was not “people of Walmart” sized, although I was certainly medically obese. I cannot imagine how 300+ pound people do it.
Just 20 pounds less and I was much more comfortable - but I’m not sure if it was the same model plane or not.
I wonder what the airlines legal liability is here. If I pay for 100% of a seat and I only get the use of 80% of it, haven’t I been cheated? I smell a class action lawsuit.
I’m 310 and I don’t see intolerance here; it’s not insulting fat people in general but calling out an unfair situation for people who are impinged on. Somehow I managed to stuff myself into my seats the last time I flew but going forward I plan to buy two seats to avoid the situation. And I won’t let the other person impinge onto either of them.
You’re not paying for aerial real estate, though. You’re paying for transportation from A to B. They never guaranteed you X cubic inches of space for your exclusive use.
