Err…your measurements are off - I don’t see a 5’9" 190 pound guy having a 40" waist
I’m 5’9 / 5’10" and 80.5kg (180 pounds) - my waist is 34 / 35"
A fat women sat next to me on the way back to CA from HI. She tried the arm rest trick, but I put a stop to that. She still was way into my seat area, though.
When I got home I emailed American and they sent me a $100 voucher. I go back and forth to HI 2 or 3 times a year so I will actually use it.
Don’t just put up with it. Complain!
Did you even look at the link? The measurements are straight from the CDC complete with links to the studies.
Hmm. I am 5’10’’ and 175 pounds (male) and I struggle with the toilets. When I am sitting down I like to be able to spread my legs a bit to get some leverage, and I can’t.
I have no idea how people are able to have sex in those things :dubious:
Practice.
Speaking of seating configuration, anyone see this Airbus patent application?
Those diagrams look like the old drawings of the packed-in slaves inside of slave ships.
I recently had a plus-sized individual (plus-sized in every way, heavy AND quite tall) seated next to me. He immediately apologized to me for the crush, stating that he had purchased two seats but that the airline had sold the additional seat anyway. I could believe this as I had purchased my ticket at the very last minute. If airlines are actually doing this with any kind of regularity, we may be blaming the wrong culprits for any discomfort we are experiencing.
Assuming one were to do those things, though. What’s the likelihood of compensation after the fact from the airline, or being able to put together a legit lawsuit and sue the airline for damages of some sort? Just curious.
I once sat (briefly) next to a man who was so large, he overhung the trans-Atlantic Business Class seat into my space! I mean, he wedged himself into the seat and more than a full foot of human mass sloorped over, across the divider which held the tray tables and entertainment consoles, and was actually touching me in my seat. If I had to estimate, I would have been shocked if he was less than an honest 500 pounds.
I was about to ring for a flight attendant while we were still on the ground, to switch to another seat, when the man suddenly lurched up, un-wedged himself, grabbed his bags, and exited the plane. The doors closed, and he never returned. The only thing I can think of is it was actually too uncomfortable for him to fly.
I don’t know what a trans-Atlantic Business class ticket means. I guess it is less than first class and better than the cattle in the back?
So, your temporary neighbor bought the wrong ticket?
Long haul business class is generally nicer and more spacious than first class on typical domestic flights.
True first class on international is something you’d almost never see on a domestic airplane. Lie flat beds, widescreen TVs per seat, one flight attendant per 4 passengers, etc.
And it goes up from there on some truly seriously nice airlines.
Thank you. I didn’t know that.
So, I am feeling sorry for the big guy. He bought the largest seat, and it still didn’t fit?
Hope he didn’t miss any appointments across the pond.
Southwest requires patients who can’t fit in a single seat to buy a second seat at the time of reservation. Immediately after the flight, they refund the purchase of the second seat.
I fly Southwest a lot and I was curious why they required the double purchase only to issue a refund. Since Southwest doesn’t have assigned seats, their policy simply reserves two seats on the plane for the large person. It also allows them to show the flight full (and show the income from the second seat fare as income) because they try to show as many flights as possible being full booked. The refund theye issue is taken off the bottom line, not charged back against the flight. So it’s basically a form a ‘creative’ accounting.
Due to not having assigned seats, Southwest also allows two-seat passengers to pre-board because they can’t guarantee two open seats together otherwise. That ticks off other passengers more than anything- that they get to choose two of the best seats before anyone else.
I am a pretty big guy myself- 6’2" and 235#. But I fit in my seat with the armrest down and don’t intrude on the space of the passenger beside me. I always sit in the Exit Row for the extra legroom (since my legs don’t fit very well in the regular rows).
I can totally relate to the OP’s frustration and agree that you are entitled to the entire seat that you purchased. The seats are so damn small now that even an average-sized person doesn’t have much room to spare. Southwest didn’t start servicing Atlanta until 2012 and prior to that, on Delta and AirTran flights I had a ‘super-sized’ person sitting next to me and it was very uncomfortable just having them invade my person space or some part of their body touching me at all times.
It’s a situation that most airlines try to simply ignore. I understand the fear of legal action or accusations of discrimination, but they rights and comfort of the adjacent passengers are just as important.
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If I were the OP, I would call the airline’s customer service number and express my frustration (firmly, but politely). They might offer you some sort of future discount or coupon, which is better than nothing. At the very least, tell them you want a travel voucher for the 1/5th of the seat that you didn’t get to use! =)
Quite a lot of shortish-haul flights only have one class, so there’s no choice.
I do wonder why the regulators allow airlines to have seats that are too small for a substantial proportion of the population - even 5% is enough for it to be a safety hazard. I don’t mean in terms of discomfort to the passengers (all passengers, including the large person) and possible deep vein thrombosis, but the extra difficulty in evacuating the plane.
I mean, if your seatmate is spilling over into your seat, or you’re the one spilling over, it’s going to be difficult for both of you to get out of your seats quickly and your bodies will impact upon each other more in the case of a crash (the kind that’s dangerous but not inevitably fatal, like most are).
I genuinely would pay more to fly if a new standard made all seats wide enough for safe, quick evacuation.
[quote=“SciFiSam, post:95, topic:733419”]
…
I mean, if your seatmate is spilling over into your seat, or you’re the one spilling over, … your bodies will impact upon each other more in the case of a crash (the kind that’s dangerous but not inevitably fatal, like most are)…/QUOTE]
Bodies are soft. That party is probably a safety benefit.
[quote=“puzzlegal, post:96, topic:733419”]
What if you ended up trapped beneath them, gasping for air?
I’ll risk it, thanks!
I would say you have to look at it as “just one of those things” that comes up in life from time to time, that you don’t like but have to deal with.
I have had similar situations on buses and subways in my life, and while it may be irritting, I try to remember if a person is so overweight s/he takes up more than one seat, s/he has enough problems without me adding to them.
Now if you’re asking are seats too small to begin with, that is another story.
When First, Business, or stretch is available, it’s pretty obvious the extreme cost of those tickets is subsidizing the cheap fare for economy. I’ll be paying nearly double for stretch seating on my next flight. For 5 more inches of leg room. Clearly not double the room of an economy seat.
So, when I upgrade, I’m paying for those in economy to fly cheap.
The way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start chaining you to your spot for the duration of the flight.