# Overweight passenger next to you on plane: Does the airline owe you a full seat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419 "2015-10-03T21:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/1 "2015-10-03T21:41:39Z")
I was on a 4 hour flight yesterday, and the lady next to me was so overweight that she was taking up about 1/5th of my seat. The flight was full, so I couldn’t move to another seat, so I said nothing. However, does the airline owe its passengers a full seat? If yes, what should be done about passengers that spill into the neighboring seat? I seem to recall some airlines were charging overweight customers for two seats, but I think there was a backlash against that and it is no longer done. Is this correct? My take is that I paid for a seat on a 4 hour flight and the airline failed to provide it to me. Is there anything I could have done about it? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/2 "2015-10-03T22:28:54Z")
I, too, feel like I deserve some compensation for some of my experiences. I took a last minute, full flight from Boston to Denver several weeks ago and I was between two guys who were both 6’, 5" and 230 pounds or so. Not obese per se, but just really big guys. I am not small either at 5’11" and 200 lbs and by the end of the 4 hours I just felt violated. Both the guys were being very conscientious and trying to give me space, but this can be exhausting after 4 hours and they finally just gave up and we had a cuddle… There have been other instances closer to what you described, but usually I have enough clout to guarantee that I get an aisle or window and I can shrink away from my large, single serving, travelling companion. Personally, rather than getting some kind of recompense, I wish they just gave us a bit more room. I would personally pay 15% more for the luxury (I think removing 1 seat per aisle would remove about 15% of the passengers so the the airline would break even). ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/3 "2015-10-03T22:55:23Z")
As much as I loathe government regulation intruding, I think the time has come for some sharper limits to be imposed. As afar as I understand airlines’ sole limit in packing us in like sardines is whether they can meet evacuation standards. But when the typical airline seat is 17 to 18 inches wide and the _average_ shoulder width of an adult male is 18 inches then the airline seat leaves no room for the person with above average dimensions. Let regulators set that to something more realistic… say seat width no narrower than the 85th percentile. Won’t totally eliminate the problem but at least will reduce the issue somewhat. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/4 "2015-10-04T00:01:30Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > I seem to recall some airlines were charging overweight customers for two seats, but I think there was a backlash against that and it is no longer done. Is this correct? As far as I know, it’s still allowed by the contract of carriage of every major airline in the US, but it’s kind of hard to enforce. It’s something that would need to be done well before the passenger boards, and it’s hard to judge except in the most extreme cases. And it’s kind of a delicate topic, which makes it even easier for someone to say “ehh, s/he’ll probably fit.” Many passengers don’t deal with any airline staff until the moment of boarding, so unless it’s physically impossible for both of you to get in your seats, I imagine the tendency is going to be to do nothing about it and pass the buck on to you. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/5 "2015-10-04T00:22:55Z")
What happens when two doubleplusbig passengers end up in adjacent seats? Or three of them? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/6 "2015-10-04T00:27:02Z")
I’m sure this has been suggested (and probably yelled down loudly), but: first class seats are wider. Much wider. Why not make people who require more space, buy more space? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/7 "2015-10-04T00:34:52Z")
If they owed us a full seat, they wouldn’t have made them smaller. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/8 "2015-10-04T00:53:24Z")
Doubleplusbigs (I love that term) need to either buy a first class ticket or walk. If they overlap into my space I would consider it assault. A good lawyer could win it, I’m sure! ---
**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:** [October 4, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/9 "2015-10-04T00:57:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > If they overlap into my space I would consider it assault. A good lawyer could win it, I’m sure! Good luck finding something defining the seat as “your space.” The airline is careful to never do that. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/10 "2015-10-04T00:59:56Z")
I should get 1.5 seats – I weigh 155 kg. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/11 "2015-10-04T01:12:52Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > I’m sure this has been suggested (and probably yelled down loudly), but: first class seats are wider. Much wider. Why not make people who require more space, buy more space? Aren’t the people who require more space the people who are complaining about how they don’t have enough space? It seems to me that you’ve got options. You can pay the cheap price for coach, knowing it’s snuggletime; or you can pay a premium to get more room up in first class. Y’all know I’m a socialist bastard, but I don’t see how this is a problem that needs government intervention. Pay more for distance from your neighbors if you want it, or pay less for cramped accommodations if you want it. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/12 "2015-10-04T01:46:08Z")
I can totally commiserate, **Polerius**. I recently flew back from a conference one-way San Diego to Detroit. When I bought the ticket, I was able to choose my seat and was supposed to be next to my 5’2," 110 lb co-presenter, and didn’t given a thought to the whole space issue…but things got reconfigured. I ended up next to a man who intruded into my space to such a degree that I spent the whole flight bent sideways into the aisle like Vincent D’Onofrio interrogating a suspect in an episode of _Law and Order: Criminal Intent_. I get that if you’re not flying first class, things may have to get a little snuggly, but when you’ve passed the point of being able to sit upright, the line has been crossed. It seems like amusement parks do okay enforcing size limits for those who don’t fit into standard seats on roller coasters and whatnot…why not adopt similar practices for planes? ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/13 "2015-10-04T01:50:04Z")
I was once seated next to an extra large woman on an east to west coast flight. She was in the middle with her husband on the window. She put the arm rest down on his side but raised it on my side before I got there and took over 1/2 of my seat. I asked the flight attendants for help because she took over half of my seat and I was squashed into the isle arm. They said there was nothing they could do. I would be more forceful now. It was the worst flight of my life. ---
**Author:** ![brovolone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e4f/32.png) [@brovolone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brovolone)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/14 "2015-10-04T02:04:01Z")
We could use an entire airline devoted to larger-than-average passengers. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/15 "2015-10-04T02:24:42Z")
> [@brovolone](#): > > We could use an entire airline devoted to larger-than-average passengers. Would it even get off the ground? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/16 "2015-10-04T02:48:27Z")
Fat people are notorious for being jolly. Ask them to entertain you with quips and sallies, and the time will speed by before you even notice you are uncomfortable! ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/17 "2015-10-04T03:02:04Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Aren’t the people who require more space the people who are complaining about how they don’t have enough space? It seems to me that you’ve got options. You can pay the cheap price for coach, knowing it’s snuggletime; or you can pay a premium to get more room up in first class. I was using “require” in the sense of “actually occupy” rather than “personally prefer.” ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/18 "2015-10-04T04:02:11Z")
At least at one point, Southwest Airlines had a policy that you had to be able to fit in the seat with both armrests fully down. On the reality show about the airline, they showed several instances of people being tested to make sure they would fit. It looks like they still have a [Customer of Size](https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/extra-seat/?clk=GFOOTER-CUSTOMER-COS) policy: > [@](#): > > Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) may proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel in order to ensure the additional seat(s) is available. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats; width between the armrests measures 17 inches. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification to Southwest of a special seating need, and allows us to adequately plan for the number of seats that will be occupied on the aircraft. In turn, this helps to ensure we can accommodate all Customers on the flight/aircraft for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking Customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/19 "2015-10-04T04:29:53Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > What happens when two doubleplusbig passengers end up in adjacent seats? Or three of them? I flew from Addis Ababa to DC last year\*. It was like a 23 hour flight. Via Rome, where we got fuel but did not leave the plane. There were these two guys next to each other a couple of rows back that did not know each other and they were both 300+ pounds. I felt sooooo bad for them, I was tempted to offer to switch with one of them for a couple hours. They were obviously very uncomfortable and there was not enough room for them to avoid being very close. I would have done it except I was sitting next to my 9 year old daughter and I did not feel right putting a stranger next to her. - Longest travel “day” I have ever had; Nairobi to Denver, ~39 hours door to door. I am sure those guys had a longer travel “day” than I did. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419/20 "2015-10-04T04:30:48Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > At least at one point, Southwest Airlines had a policy that you had to be able to fit in the seat with both armrests fully down. On the reality show about the airline, they showed several instances of people being tested to make sure they would fit. Of course, people can’t afford to buy multiple seats, typically. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overweight-passenger-next-to-you-on-plane-does-the-airline-owe-you-a-full-seat/733419.md?page=2)