Quote :

"A growing number of airlines are forcing bigger passengers to pay more as they cope with the costly and uncomfortable quandary that arises when obese passengers cannot squeeze into a single coach seat. With airlines trimming flight schedules -- meaning fuller passenger loads this summer -- the issue is bound to spur some awkward "

Quote :

"A survey conducted this year by Europe's low-fare airline Ryanair found a third of the 100,000 passengers polled believed a "fat tax" should be instituted, requiring heavier passengers to pay more. "

Quote :

"Still, some larger passengers who need more than one seat believe being charged extra is discriminatory and the airlines are not accommodating the growing American waistline. "

I 100% fully support this. If you do not want to risk being charged for a second seat than lose some fucking weight. Nobody is making you fly and if you do not like the policy than choose an airline with bigger seats or a more lenient policy. The people effected by such policy are not your everyday average overweight american. Usually the people with such problems are the morbidly obese as standart coach seats are 17-18 inches in width; this can accomedate individuals up to a 54" waist.

6/26/2009 1:08:12 PM

if you need an extra seat, pay for it. the 'give me something for nothing' mentality needs to DIAF already.

6/26/2009 1:10:11 PM

Quote :

"the issue is bound to spur some awkward "

Quote :

"The people effected by such policy are not your everyday average overweight american. "

6/26/2009 1:15:20 PM

I am a fat guy, and I hate the "you aren't accommodating us" mentally.

If i want to fly on a plane, im going to damn sure buy two seats or a first class seat, so I can be comfortable.

If i was embarassed about that, I would think thats a signal that its time to lose some fucking weight.

6/26/2009 1:16:14 PM

Two things. One, people and things who fly are "flyers." "Fliers" are papers promoting things.

Second, This kind of shit happens to more than just the morbidly obese: http://consumerist.com/5299796/southwest-suddenly-decides-frequent-flyer-is-too-big-to-fly

6/26/2009 1:18:37 PM

I agree, make them buy two seat if they take up two seats

6/26/2009 1:19:57 PM

Quote :

"Two things. One, people and things who fly are "flyers." "Fliers" are papers promoting things."

Maybe he really meant to post about bloated announcements but go confused on the way to the keyboard?

6/26/2009 1:37:08 PM

Pay extra to list your band's show if you ain't concise? I can dig it.

6/26/2009 1:38:29 PM

fat people should die in a fire and we should use the fatty grease from the ashes to lubricate the bearings in our treadmills and stationary bikes

WHO'S WITH ME?

6/26/2009 1:54:55 PM

nastoute are you still skinny

6/26/2009 2:06:04 PM

I've gained a little bit of weight back... I'm about 230... use to be 290 was at 185 at one point.

I'm going to get skinny again here soon.

thanks for putting me out there like Lance Bass

6/26/2009 2:11:17 PM

true story

i was at bojangles on western with my cousin

(and i may be misremembering this so bear with me)

and there's this guy behind me in line

and he's like, "hey, what's up"

and i'm like, "what's up, man"

totally not recognizing him

"you don't recognize me, do you"

i was like "NO," felt like i should get hostile in a second

ready to throw down at a moment's notice

he says to me, he says, "it's stoute"

"STOUTE!" i said

perhaps too loudly

he was so skinny as to be unrecognizable

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU"

and he says to me, he says

"grad school"

true story, swear to god

i told him, "it looks good on you"

6/26/2009 2:14:08 PM

he changed some stuff

the "felt like i should get hostile in a second

ready to throw down at a moment's notice"

was really a shove followed by a "step off, bitch"

and the "he says to me, he says, "it's stoute""

was more like a stuttering... "hay man, it's me, it's stoute... yo... chill man

let's me buy you a honey mustard packet"

[Edited on June 26, 2009 at 2:17 PM. Reason : .]

6/26/2009 2:17:28 PM

also he was still bigger than me because i am not a big dude

and nastoute is in some ways fundamentally big

there is bigness there is what i'm trying to say

6/26/2009 2:18:56 PM

i'm very loud

6/26/2009 2:19:42 PM

Quote :

"some larger passengers who need more than one seat believe being charged extra is discriminatory and the airlines are not accommodating the growing American waistline"

1. No shit.
2. Fuck 'em.

6/26/2009 5:02:21 PM

i hope your kid gets fat

6/26/2009 5:02:54 PM

^^

3. slit their throats

4. skin them and use their body fat to feed the poor of the world

DON'T YOU SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING PEOPLE

the obesity epidemic is just the rest of the world fattening us up

WE ARE DELICIOUS

6/26/2009 5:05:42 PM

i vote the pay by weight method like with baggage

6/26/2009 5:38:20 PM

Quote :

"some larger passengers who need more than one seat believe being charged extra is discriminatory and the airlines are not accommodating the growing American waistline"

What do these fat fucks think other people feel like when their fat rolls spill over into another seat of somebody else. I am glad this has not happened to me yet; if it did i would demand the airline move me or Ms. Lardass somewhere else.

6/26/2009 5:43:32 PM

they don't charge indian folks because they smell
they don't charge muslim folks because of the additional security required
they don't charge black folks for all the snakes on the planes

yet they want to charge hefty people extra?



OMFG RACIST

6/27/2009 1:17:07 AM

I don't see what the big issue is. You should pay by the pound.

I mean fuck. They charge you money for a <50lb checked bag now.

6/27/2009 7:24:28 AM

Quote :

""Still, some larger passengers who need more than one seat believe being charged extra is discriminatory and the airlines are not accommodating the growing American waistline."

That would still raise the prices of tickets, because there would be fewer seats in the plabe, and that would reduce the profit margin. However, the increase would not be to double, as no one really needs 2 FULL seats.

This is what airlines should do: Check their history to see what percentage of passengers have had trouble fitting into one seat in the past 10 years or so, and also predict future trend.

Remove the normal seats from one section of the plane and put bigger seats in according to analysis above. Then, charge the fatties extra in proportion: For example, if they remove 15 normal seats and replace them with 10 EXTRA W I D E seats, then charge the fatties 2/3 extra.

It is a win-win solution.

6/27/2009 7:53:15 AM

as someone that flys all the time - i strongly support the fat tax - nothing is worse than sitting next to the guy who asks for the seatbelt extender

6/27/2009 8:48:02 AM

^^ But the question is whether they should be made to do that or merely be allowed to volunteer to do that?

6/27/2009 9:06:30 AM

I think it's remarkably generous to only charge severely overweight passengers extra when they physically take up 2 seats. A severely overweight passenger already costs the airline significantly more to transport than someone of "normal" weight. The heavier passengers just take more fuel to fly as it is - even if they can barely squeeze into a single seat.

<br><br>

The worst case scenario I can think of is an instance where someone has a thyroid condition or some genetic disorder that is beyond the ability of medicine and diet to control. In this case it is still not discriminatory to charge extra for persons taking up more than one seat. In that case it would be the same as a taxi driver leaving the meter running while helping to load and unload someone's wheelchair. He's not doing it to be a dick, he's doing it because that time is just as valuable to him as the time spent picking up the fare. In the case of the airlines, that extra seat is just as valuable and represents just as much of an opportunity cost whether it's holding one cheek or two.

<br><br>

This has come up before hasn't it? Don't they already do this here in the US for some airlines? Anyways, fat people everywhere should hate, hunt, and bbq the fat people who are complaining about it. They're the one's supplanting the "jolly" fat guy stereotype with the "whiny and lazy" fat guy stereotype.

6/27/2009 10:51:47 AM

I don't think the two seats "solution" is workable, for a lot of reasons. It can work in certain situations, but they are relatively few.

The situation where fat people would be forced to buy an extra seat is on a "full flight." Well, yes. It's "full" by definition, so where does the extra seat come from? On most non-full flights, there are open adjacent seats anyway, so in that case it's clearly wrong to force fat people to buy an extra seat when most people freely take advantage of open seats.

The airlines don't charge for real estate. They charge for a class of service, which is very ambiguously defined in their gigantic rule books. When seats are open, airlines don't care if you take additional ones, only that you don't traipse over into first class and help yourself to the overcooked eggs.

Let's say you are a fat person. So what do you do? Buy two seats up front? Well, the airlines aren't exactly forthcoming about how full the flight will be, and they really hate to share that information (for a lot of obvious reasons). Then you arrive and the flight isn't full, should the airline refund you the extra seat? After all, they are able to provide the "class of service" promised without requiring an extra seat of you.

IMO there are only a few "reasonable" approaches:

1. Ban fat people from airlines. "You must be this skinny to ride."
2. Create a new section for fat people that is a different "class."
3. Create a new airline specifically for fat people, let's call it "Big N Tall Air"

#1 should definitely be applied on some level. Seriously, an airline is a service provider, and they just cannot accommodate everybody. 500 pound people shouldn't be allowed in coach for the simple reason that their safety cannot be guaranteed in the event of an emergency, and they would very likely endanger other people's lives. And that's to say nothing of the obvious comfort issues.

#2 is simply not practical on most airlines, but I suspect it could be done in a limited way somewhere.

#3 has some promise. Anybody got a few hundred million for my new venture, Big N Tall Air?

6/27/2009 1:20:28 PM

Quote :

"Let's say you are a fat person. So what do you do? Buy two seats up front? Well, the airlines aren't exactly forthcoming about how full the flight will be, and they really hate to share that information (for a lot of obvious reasons). Then you arrive and the flight isn't full, should the airline refund you the extra seat? After all, they are able to provide the "class of service" promised without requiring an extra seat of you. "

I vaguely recall reading this is what one airline does... they make a fatty buy 2 seats, then give them the money back if the flight's not full.

And airlines definitely limit their "service" by weight, so they ARE selling real estate in a way. Weight is pretty much the primary factor in determining what they can fly. They can have tickets solely sold by weight if they wanted to, but this would probably confuse people too much.

6/27/2009 1:25:21 PM

^ i like that option of pay for 2 upfront, refund if the fatbody is lucky and the seat isn't needed


of course, fatbodies shouldn't be flying anyway. they should be running, walking, and/or swimming.

[Edited on June 27, 2009 at 2:05 PM. Reason : i also hate how it's nearly impossible to buy a sports car with decent seats in Fat America.]

6/27/2009 2:04:40 PM

I always see this fat trailer park woman at harris teeter riding the scooter with her imbred looking trashy daughter. They are on EBT aka "food stamps" as they probably do not work. There scooter cart is always full of soda, potato chips, hamburgers, cookies, frozen pizza, and other crap. If this woman set next to me on a plane i would probably vomit.

6/27/2009 2:11:56 PM

At first this sounds like a great idea - until you think about how they're actually going to implement it. Are they going to weigh me at the airport and make me pay based on my weight, regardless of height? Are they going to check my height and make me pay based on BMI, even though that doesn't say anything about body composition? Or are they going to come by after I'm seated and tell me that I have to pay extra, even though they're going to cram someone else in beside me anyway and make both of us suffer? I'm not that wide in the waist, so I fit in the seats fine. However, I'm really wide across the shoulders, and that combined with being in or near a window seat that curves inward is a recipe for an uncomfortable ride for the person beside me.

If this is a payload issue and not a seating issue, then I would be ok with this. Charge people just like you would for shipping cargo, because technically that's what you are doing.

Quote :

"i also hate how it's nearly impossible to buy a sports car with decent seats in Fat America."

I don't fit into the seats on an Acura Integra, but then again a sporty seat that fits me would have people with smaller legs sliding all over the place. If you're that worried about the seat, then buy one aftermarket tailored to your dimensions.

[Edited on June 27, 2009 at 2:33 PM. Reason : more.]

6/27/2009 2:29:50 PM

we should charge tall people too.

fuck tall people

6/27/2009 2:40:09 PM

Quote :

"If this is a payload issue and not a seating issue, then I would be ok with this. Charge people just like you would for shipping cargo, because technically that's what you are doing."

at least do that for the fuel surcharge on all the flights. the extra 100-200 dollars added to everyones ticket cuz of fatties and actual fuel prices. especially since the fuel charge will never go down/away since it was started when fuel spiked.

6/27/2009 3:33:12 PM

Quote :

"until you think about how they're actually going to implement it."

Simply if your girth crosses the plane of the arm rest then u must pay.

6/27/2009 4:28:34 PM

Quote :

"than lose some fucking weight"

!!!!!!!!!

than dial 1 800 abc defg!

than kill yourself

6/27/2009 4:33:38 PM

Quote :

"we should charge tall people too."

If you are tall but can wedge yourself into a seat without kneeing the guy in front all flight than why would u need to pay extra?

6/27/2009 4:52:37 PM

I've mulled this over and got the solution, folks!!!

No longer provide seatbelt extenders. Instead, have a designated row on the plane with larger seatbelts. The seats in this row can be the same size as the other seats. No need to waste precious real estate.

Anyway, if somebody cannot get their normal-sized seatbelt on, move them to the designated row with the larger seatbelts.

In essence, make all the obese folks sit in the same row. That way, they'll be the only ones put out by their extra girth. If there aren't enough obese people to fill the whole row, leave a seat open and fill in the rest of the row with standers-by. An obese person who does not want to sit next to another obese person will simply buy a first-class ticket, and first class, which is already equipped with larger seats, will also have larger seatbelts.

My solution doesn't have the two main difficulties that other solutions have:

1. How do you define "too big"? Do you weigh people? Use height, BMI, body fat exam?

"Too big" is defined by whether or not you can get a normal-sized seatbelt on.

2. How much more do you charge? Is it fair to charge for two whole seats when they only need one and a quarter?

Do not charge extra. Give them the same size seats as everybody else and charge them the same price as everybody else.


Anyway, I'm so fucking smart.

[Edited on June 27, 2009 at 9:03 PM. Reason : Seriously, I'm a goddamned genius.]

6/27/2009 9:02:32 PM

BridgetSPK:

Quote :

"1. How do you define "too big"? Do you weigh people? Use height, BMI, body fat exam?"

HUR a couple lines up

Quote :

"Simply if your girth crosses the plane of the arm rest then u must pay."

Quote :

"2. How much more do you charge? Is it fair to charge for two whole seats when they only need one and a quarter?"

If the flight they are on is full and an obese passenger is partially filling a second seat which would otherwise be a
paying customer than they will pay some market cost for the seat. To be fair we will let the fatty pay the discount rate
to which they got their ticket for by booking early. Since prices for a seat change a lot.

6/27/2009 9:21:19 PM

Those questions where rhetorical.

And the girth passing the plane of the armrest is unreasonable. I'd wager at least half the passengers have some of their arm hanging over--the seats are small after all. But a little arm is just an accepted mass transit annoyance. It's coach, not first class...don't forget that.

6/27/2009 9:33:04 PM

girth ≠ arm

I'm taking girth to mean part of the person's waist or butt flab is encroaching in my personal space.

[Edited on June 27, 2009 at 9:46 PM. Reason : -]

6/27/2009 9:39:57 PM

Girth can include arm.

But regardless, my standard is still better because it's actually a standard. Can you get the seatbelt on measures traditional girth (around the belly) more fairly and consistently than "Do I see belly blubber on the arm rest?" I mean, somebody could suck their stomach in or lean over to the side, and then relax onto the arm rest once the flight attendant goes by.

Plus, the seatbelt approach just makes things smoother. "Oh, you can't get the seatbelt on? Not a problem, we have seats with larger seatbelts at the same price!"

6/27/2009 9:48:38 PM

i fly 100K miles a year +

the fucking seats on a regional jet are built for little azn people and are not accommodating for people over 5'10''

I do not fit (leg wise) in the CRJ200s 700s or the 900s. The ERJ planes are only slightly better, but my knees still hurt if i don't sit fully upright.

I would rather see the height issue addressed before the weight. I am 6'3" and i see these poor 6'7"+ folks getting on these CRJs and I wonder how they even sit in the seats.

I do everything I can to fly mainline aircraft due to first class upgrades, but sometimes I have to fly the shitty RJ's and just squirm in the seat the whole time, which I am sure is annoying to my seatmate, but I can't help it.

Fucking airlines all fucking suck. Air travel has sucked black dick since the 80s

6/27/2009 9:50:00 PM

^ suspend for racism (and homophobia)

6/27/2009 10:57:06 PM

*carl face*

6/27/2009 11:01:59 PM

Quote :

"WE ARE DELISHUS"

6/29/2009 8:35:56 AM

Quote :

"fuck tall people"

Jealous dwarf.

6/29/2009 2:23:40 PM

Quote :

"girth ? arm I'm taking girth to mean part of the person's waist or butt flab is encroaching in my personal space."

if a fat person encroaches into your seat, you're going to be uncomfortable. If a lean yet muscular and wide person is sitting beside you, you're going to be in pain because what they have doesn't compress and jiggle. And while that muscular person isn't going to be flopping over the arm rails, it's going to be a nuisance.

HUR, your concept makes me think you've never even been on anything other than a 737 or larger. A lot of commercial jets, especially smaller ones, start curving in on the window seat immediately after the arm rest. the hull forces you to lean into the neigboring seat if you happen to be more than 5 feet tall.

6/29/2009 11:23:57 PM

actually the last couple trips i've been on have been on the fucking puddle jumpers. I don't see how someone 6'5 fits on those ERJs.

Unfortunately i think my flight is on these POS again to ny next month

6/30/2009 12:07:24 AM

Quote :

""Two things. One, people and things who fly are "flyers." "Fliers" are papers promoting things.""

Main Entry:
fli·er
Variant(s):
also fly·er \'fli(-?)r\
Function:
noun
Date:
15th century
1: one that flies ; specifically : airman
2: a reckless or speculative venture —usually used in the phrase take a flier
3usually flyer : an advertising circular

6/30/2009 10:03:53 AM

The oxford dictionary agrees as well that both flyer and flier are used interchangeably.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/flyer?view=uk

However, my usage is the same as FroshKiller and I came in here expecting some sort of event where assholes were handing out little pieces of paper about obese folks.

6/30/2009 10:15:35 AM