# New XL Class for Large Passengers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429 "2013-06-20T03:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/1 "2013-06-20T03:04:53Z")
Samoa Air, the airline that introduced ticket prices based on passengers’ weight, now has an XL class for large flyers. Story [here](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10127347/Samoa-Air-introduces-XL-class-for-larger-passengers.html). The rows are specially designed for travelers weighing in excess of 130 kilograms (286 pounds). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/2 "2013-06-20T03:19:05Z")
> [@](#): > > “The airline industry is going to have to do that – we’re going to have to provide a range of seats categorised in terms of weight and maybe some other indexes **like height** ,” he said. Og I hope so! I don’t fit in those seats due to height/leg length. I would love more leg room even though I don’t need the width. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/3 "2013-06-20T04:39:10Z")
Finally… But the FAA will screw it up here. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/4 "2013-06-20T05:09:22Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I would love more leg room … Makes sense, based on your username. The big question is whether you’ll love paying for it. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/5 "2013-06-20T06:02:53Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Og I hope so! I don’t fit in those seats due to height/leg length. I would love more leg room even though I don’t need the width. Some airlines (I know for sure about United, but I think there are others) already have extra-leg-room sections in Coach. Costs extra, though, and the price increases the longer the flight lasts (I considered doing it recently on an international flight, but it would have cost an extra $200-$300 each way). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/6 "2013-06-20T11:43:04Z")
The extra $ I need to pay for being tall will be offset with the credit for being thin, right? This isn’t just _another_ money grab, right? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/7 "2013-06-20T12:28:39Z")
Good idea. I absolutely DREAD being sat beside some enormous person that should have been forced to pay for 2 seats. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/8 "2013-06-20T12:41:32Z")
Good idea. I absolutely DREAD being sat next to some skinny person that should have been forced to pay for 1/2 seat. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/9 "2013-06-20T15:10:40Z")
I hope everyone understands that Samoa Air isn’t the type of “airline” you’re used to. They operate three airplanes. Two of them are [Britten-Norman Islanders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Islander), each can carry 9 passengers. The third one is a [Cessna 172](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172) that carries 3 passengers. So passenger weight is a bigger concern for them than other airlines. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/10 "2013-06-20T17:14:36Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I hope everyone understands that Samoa Air isn’t the type of “airline” you’re used to. They operate three airplanes. Two of them are [Britten-Norman Islanders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Islander), each can carry 9 passengers. The third one is a [Cessna 172](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172) that carries 3 passengers. So passenger weight is a bigger concern for them than other airlines. Ahh, you are spoiling the fun… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/11 "2013-06-20T17:16:25Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The rows are specially designed for travelers weighing in excess of 130 kilograms (286 pounds). That would include most of the population of Samoa over the age of 14, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/12 "2013-06-20T17:50:20Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > That would include most of the population of Samoa over the age of 14, in my experience. As Jules said: \*I wouldn’t go so far as to call the brother fat, I mean he got a weight problem. What’s the nigger gonna do? He’s Samoan. \* ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/13 "2013-06-20T18:05:02Z")
Nice to see an airline actually trying to serve its passengers’ needs for once. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/14 "2013-06-21T02:38:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > That would include most of the population of Samoa over the age of 14, in my experience. Indeed. Although I did actually encounter skinny Samoans while living in Hawaii, most of them were big bruisers. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-xl-class-for-large-passengers/661429/15 "2013-06-21T03:33:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Indeed. Although I did actually encounter skinny Samoans while living in Hawaii, most of them were big bruisers. I remember a family I used to see in church way back when I did such things. Mother, father, son and daughter. They took up half a pew.