FWIW, at least one airline - United - is also charging extra for overweight luggage. The last time I flew on their airline, an attendant was weighing bags as people approached the ticket counters, and bags over a certain weight (40 lb? 50?) had an extra, significant charge slapped on them. Between people bringing tons of stuff (literally), the expected average weight of a passenger increasing (I think it was calibrated at 150 lbs long ago?), and rising costs of fuel, I’m all for it. I would have happily paid for a heavy bag if I’d had one.
Because they’re discounted seats, possibly not. I know that most child-discounted seats limit the amount of luggage that can be brought along as part of the child’s allowance, and carry ons for children are usually limited to just a diaper bag of supplies.
And I think overweight luggages are more the norm than the exception, though I will say there tends to be some leniency if you go a little bit over, especially if the flight isn’t full. When I flew here on Iberia Air, I was a bag over my limit, and was fully expecting to have to pay the $100 overage charge. The guy at the ticket counter went so far as to lead me away from the counter towards the area where I had to pay for the overage before suddenly stopped, shrugged, and wished me a pleasant trip. But I have had to pay overages before, on various airlines.
I appreciate everyone’s input a lot. I did so some extremely minor tweaking to two of them, just to see what I could achieve. I submit for your perusal:
A slightly warmer looking man on the horse Had he not been smiling, I think the more greyish original might have worked better, but I think the little bit of extra warmth in the tweaked photo suits his expression better.
The pyramids with a slight bump in contrast What I like most about this revised picture is that the quality of the light is a little more distinct, especially where the sun hits the sand in the foreground.
Thoughts? Better the way they were?
GAH
Completely wrong thread, I’m sorry. I’ll report it to a mod… (This is the one downfall to tabbed browsing 
)
I agree with the policy. I also want to commend Southwest Airlines for their FAQ, which is a model for how to communicate with customers clearly and honestly, without jargon or evasion. And while I agree that “Customer of Size” is a little cutesy, I can’t think of anything better.
(Psst – DianaG – what Misnomer said.)
I also think the policy is fair. I dislike airplane travel but it is seriously compounded by being stuffed against the bulkhead with an overflowing passenger in the middle seat.
Jim
As a “person of size” (yeah, a little cutesy, but while I don’t mind calling myself a fatass, I don’t want anyone else calling me one), I think the policy is fine. Personally, I’d much rather pay for an extra seat and know that I’m not crowding anyone/pissing anyone off, than to hope that I’m not.
I used to fly a lot for work. I miss it.
I always got a window seat when available. I have an aviation fetish, so looking out the window is very soothing to me.
I attempt to turn to face the aisle, and put my shoulder/back against the bulkhead, as this provides me with the most room, and allows the person in the middle seat the same. I can also usually lean back and catch a few winks of sleep if it’s a long flight. I tend not to move at all from my seat during the flight, nearly regardless of how long it is.
However, if I’m put next to Mr. (or Mrs.) Fatty McSeat-Spiller, I make sure that I have to go to the bathroom at least twice an hour. It’s so much fun to inconvience them as much as they have by sharing my seat with me.
At 5’9", 235# (48 jacket for the shoulder room, 38 waist), I fit into my seat fine, but there are some that certainly should have to pay for that portion of the seat next to them that I’ve paid for! I’ve also found that the folks that take multiple seats tend to be the stinky ones that snore when they are awake! 
SW has a wonderful policy IMO.
Fair policy.
Irritating name.
Do you find it excessively PC?
Do they also charge extra for wide shoulders? How about long legs? Huge carry on bags that take up to much bin space or don’t really fit under the seat? The guy sleeping next to me who is drooling on my shoulder?
I just don’t see how this policy can be used for 1 specific form of incursion into personal space. On an airplane, there are just so many of them.
Some of these problems can be immediately remedied–honestly, not many from the list you provided, but you can certainly slap the guy drooling on your shouler. I know I would.
Anyway, you can kind of sihft a bag or hold it a different way. Fat tends to go where it wants to, with limited (although some) mobility.
How, exactly, are long legs taking up the seat space you paid for?
And, why are you allowing someone to drool on your shoulder?
I would say that, indeed, this policy IS for one specific form of incursion. I am glad it addresses that.
As for the rules about overhead space, they are already in effect, the airline just needs to enforce it…this is a legitimate complaint, but you need to take it up with them. It is one of my pet peeves, also.
It sounds fair to me, but then I don’t fly, and I’d probably have to close to double my weight for such a policy to affect me. It’s my hope, however, that it’s done as humanely as possible. I have known people this policy would affect, and I wouldn’t want to see them humiliated.
I wish they had this policy the last time I flew Southwest. My experience was so bad I never flew with them again. I was seated next to a really fat guy who took up nearly 1/4 of my seat AND who rubbed his upper arm against my breasts until I literally turned sideways in my seat and sat that way the whole flight. I was basically leaning up against a fat disgusting pervert for most of the flight. The flight attendants were oblivious. I was young enough that I was too timid to make a fuss. Nowadays they’d hear me in the next plane over!
Well, if someone had shoulders so wide that they took up a neighbor’s space, then they should fall under the rule also.
The long legs thing is generally irrelevant, because long-legged folk are usually confined to tucking their knees up in order to fit their legs in. There’s just no room for them to spread out into a neighbor’s space.
As for huge carry-on bags: DAMN FUCKING RIGHT.
I’m actually pretty sick of all the people who bring excessively large carry-on items onto the plane, and i’m also pissed at airlines that seem unwilling to enforce their own policies.
I flew Southwest back from California last week, and the Southwest terminal at Oakland had a few of those size thingies where you can see if your bag is too big for carry-on. You know the ones: “If you bag can fit in here, it is carry-on. If not, please check your bag.”
But i swear that at least half the passengers boarded the plane with wheelie bags that were a whole bunch bigger than the official size limit. Airlines all have policies in place about checked baggage, but none of them ever seem to enforce them with any consistency.
I fully agree. British Airways seem to operate a subtle check, where the conversation goes like this:
Check-in: Any bags to check?
Me: Only hand baggage
Check-in: Can you show me what you’re carrying?
At this point, they make no effort to get out of their seat, so you have to lift everything up to eye (i.e. overhead locker) height to show them. From what I’ve observed in interminable queues, this is the judgement they use over whether it should actually go in the hold.
I think it’s fair.
Those points are addressed in their policy. They said that things like wide shoulders can be addressed by shifting the upper body in some way. The lower body doesn’t have that sort “mobility”.
They have limits on carry on bags, and if you exceed those limits, they’ll often tell you to check the bag instead.
(Once again I miss the fact that there’s a second page of posts already addressing things I said. Ignore me!)