Well I think looking at the number of people who complain about no leg room etc they would be happy to pay a little more. Makes me glad I never fly to see how people are squashed into these things.
Same number of people wanting to fly + fewer people on each plane = more planes.
Airlines, like any other businesses are going to make mistakes.
However, I wonder if he specified, when booking the tickets, that he needed two adjacent seats, of if he just booked "two seats"?
Also, if he did explain that to the staff who "didn't have a clue", did he not notice until he got on the plane that the seats weren't adjoining? If one was an aisle and the other a window in a 3-seat row, surely the tickets would have said (for example) 9A and 9C. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out there might be a 9B between them!
The claim that he was told to "perch one buttock on row 17 and the other in row 19" sounds like absolute bull, for the same reason. Did he not check the tickets when he got them?
Even ignoring the fact that he wouldn't have been able to use a seatbelt, if the seats were on opposite sides of the aisle as seems to be the case, he'd have been blocking the aisle. Yeah, I'm sure one of the crew who need to use the aisle would have suggested that! :rolleyes:
I can't say I'm too surprised that he hasn't named the airline as, if he did, they might be able to tell their side of it.
Well I think looking at the number of people who complain about no leg room etc they would be happy to pay a little more. Makes me glad I never fly to see how people are squashed into these things.
There was an (American?) airline who did try out bigger seats in economy.... They found No one would pay for them and they made huge losses - so they reinstalled the old seats and put the prices back down.
There are a heck of a lot of people who won't pay anything other than the cheapest of cheap fares - then complain about the lack of space. Can't have it both ways!.
It's not just aeroplanes, I follow my footy team home & away and have often wondered how (ahem) 'large' folk fit into the little bucket seats at the footy.
I'm only 11 stones & about 5' 7" - and even I struggle with the lack of leg room at the footy.
I did have a large chum who used to come with us years ago when we stood on terraces back then - but he got stuck in the turnstiles one week & was too embarrassed to come again.
Yes, a friend of ours is 6 foot 5 and has leg room problems on planes so he tries to get a seat where he can stretch them out and mentions it when he books. Why can't obese people mention they are a bit big?
What difference would it make mentioning it - even the extra legroom seats would be too narrow for them. The only way round is to purchase 2 seats.
They should do, they charge about £50 if your luggage is an ounce overweight.:mad:
Yes, I was told at a New York airport (Newark) earlier this year that I would have to pay $200 as my luggage was 2-3 pounds overweight. I then proceeded to open my suitcase, transfer 3 pounds in weight worth of stuff from my suitcase into my hand luggage (also going onto the plane), all right in front of the check-in assistant's watching eyes and she let me through. :rolleyes:
It may be embarrassing for them - but it's very uncomfortable for the passengers who have to sit next to them.
I had the "pleasure" of being seated next to a passenger of size on a flight home from Egypt ( all 5 hrs and 30 minutes of it). My small daughter was in the window seat, I was in the middle and a large gentleman was in the aisle. When we arrived, he was already seated, and as he moved to let us in, I noticed he had the armrest up so as I took my seat, I pushed it back down. As I was helping my daughter with her seatbelt, I felt him trying to lift the armrest between us so I quickly turned round, pushed it down and said "sorry - but no, the armrest stays down!"
Well, he said that he HAD to Have the armrest up otherwise he wouldn't fit into the seat, and wasn't happy when I told him that was his problem and not mine. I had paid for our seats, and as I am no stick insect myself, I needed all my space for me and wasn't prepared to share it with him! By this time the stewardess had noticed the altercation and asked what the problem was. He again said that he needed the armrest up so he could sit down, and wanted me to move my daughter into the middle so he had more room. I pointed out that he was a stranger, and it wasn't prepared to have him getting up close and personal with either of us, and that we'd paid for two seats, not one and a half. The crew offered to swap his seat with someone at the back of the plane who had a spare middle seat next to them, but my neighbour wanted to sit at the front, and went on that he'd never had a problem flying with the armrest up before. He was given the option of taking the seat at the back or leaving the plane, and he very grudgingly moved, and I had a nice young woman come and sit with us.
Had it been a short flight, I might have just gritted my teeth and put up with it - but not for over 5 hours. He was just lucky that there WAS a spare seat he could sit next to - the plane was full otherwise!
I'm heavily overweight due to a incurable illness I'm aware of my size and how it effects other people although it's not my fault it's not theirs either. So in your situation I not only would had been happy to move so you could enjoy flight I would had asked if there was another seat myself he just sounds like he had a chip on his shoulder.
Thank you Simon - but unfortunately not everyone is as sensible as you!
I fly a LOT, and have seen many situations where the size of some passengers causes issues for others, and most of it seems to be that the passenger of size has no thought for fellow passengers when booking their flights.
The funniest one I saw was a businessman boarding one flight in the US to find that his seat was the middle one between two large passengers....... They were so big that there was barely room for a matchstick between them, and definitely no way this bloke would be able to sit there. Unfortunately there was no spare seat on the plane (so often the case in the US these days), and the gentleman was offered IDB compensation if he agreed to take the next flight, but he said that he had an important meeting to go to and needed to be on our flight.
The cabin crew asked the plane if anyone else would agree to leave the plane, if compensated, and luckily another passenger was happy to give up his seat for the money, and all ended well, but it would have been better if the large passengers (who were husband and wife) had just booked the extra seat between them at the outset..
That wasn't fair on the airline or the other 2 passengers - the airline not only lost the revenue for a seat, they had to pay several hundred dollars to the passenger who gave up his seat, and he was inconvenienced by having to wait several hours for a seat on the next available flight.
I didn't watch the show, but I really don't think there is a consistent case of large people maliciously taking up other people's seat room on planes. I think most are probably very emabarrased by the situation, and a great many chose not to travel because of it.
Unfortuantely fat bashing is an easy sport these days.
I don't think there's any. Question of maliciousness involved Shappy - there's definitely thoughtlessness though.
It's a well known fact that people are getting bigger (average height is now 2-3" taller than it was in the 50s) but at the same time airline seats are getting smaller, especially in economy, as passengers want to travel more and further afield, and the airlines are trying to maximise their revenue.
That said - some larger passengers don't seem to realise that their size is an issue for those sitting next to them, and that putting it bluntly they just won't fit into a single seat in economy without encroaching on their neighbours space. Whilst I appreciate that not many folk can afford to fly in the premium cabins, a lot of airlines will sell a second seat for a reduced price (after all, at the very least you don't need to pay the taxes and fees on the second seat!) which would make life more comfortable for all concerned.
I have endured sitting next to a large person, all the way from Bahrain to Hong Kong and having had to lean sideways for the 7 or so hours, I was in agony with lower back pain and muscle spasms, from the strange position I was forced to sit in, which is why I now stand my ground as regarding my space on a plane.
I'm quite surprised in a way that airlines don't ask people's weight when booking plane seats. Recently I caught a very small plane to the Scilly Isles - fewer than 20 very cramped seats. It occurred to me that if a party of extremely obese people turned up, they simply would not be able to fit into the plane. There should be some kind of advance warning about the seat dimensions, to avoid embarrassment.
They should have crates at the check-in desk (like those used to test the size of handbaggage) for people too. If someone is too wide to fit into the "people crate", they should be required to buy an adjacent seat (if available) or refused permission to fly.
I don't think there's any. Question of maliciousness involved Shappy - there's definitely thoughtlessness though.
It's a well known fact that people are getting bigger (average height is now 2-3" taller than it was in the 50s) but at the same time airline seats are getting smaller, especially in economy, as passengers want to travel more and further afield, and the airlines are trying to maximise their revenue.
That said - some larger passengers don't seem to realise that their size is an issue for those sitting next to them, and that putting it bluntly they just won't fit into a single seat in economy without encroaching on their neighbours space. Whilst I appreciate that not many folk can afford to fly in the premium cabins, a lot of airlines will sell a second seat for a reduced price (after all, at the very least you don't need to pay the taxes and fees on the second seat!) which would make life more comfortable for all concerned.
I have endured sitting next to a large person, all the way from Bahrain to Hong Kong and having had to lean sideways for the 7 or so hours, I was in agony with lower back pain and muscle spasms, from the strange position I was forced to sit in, which is why I now stand my ground as regarding my space on a plane.
You do seem to have had your unfortunate share of being sat next to obese people.
They should have crates at the check-in desk (like those used to test the size of handbaggage) for people too. If someone is too wide to fit into the "people crate", they should be required to buy an adjacent seat (if available) or refused permission to fly.
What, at every airport in the world? There simply aren't enough obese people spilling over onto other's seats to justify that.
Digressing slightly, flying back from Corfu one year, my wife had to sit next to an elderly lady who stank to high heaven of urine. Turns out she had a catheter bag that was full. When quietly asked by a stewerdess if she would like to perhaps change it she refused. Before the end of the flight the whole plane stank. On another occasion on a night flight, my wife lowered her seat back to try and get some sleep and the passenger behind her, a rather "large" lady objected strongly. When a stewerdess pointed out that my wife had every right to lowr her seat, she made such a fuss that she had to be moved.
Actually when you think about it, you couold make a whole series about "horror" flights people have experienced. Drunken passengers, fighting partners, screaming babies etc etc.
You do seem to have had your unfortunate share of being sat next to obese people.
Well as I said - I do fly quite a lot so I guess the more you fly the more you get to see/ experience these sort of things. But yes, I've has the two experiences I mention - the first one where I ended up leaning sideways meant I was ready to defend my space the second time.....
Just don't get me started on smelly people, drunks and screaming kicking kids (I put up with babies screaming as there's not a lot you can do about them......)
Drunken passengers, fighting partners, screaming babies etc etc.
Exactly - I was going to say something similar. There are many people who cause inconvenience to others on planes.
I was once sat in a middle seat where the guy in the window seat threw up twice during the journey. The stench was horrible. Then there was the drunk guy on a night flight who was walking around the plane while everyone was asleep taking photos of women. Later the woman sat next to this drunk guy asked to be moved because of his disgusting behaviour (he was swearing at her and calling her names, having tried (unsuccessfully) to flirt with her the whole time) - luckily a gentleman agreed to swap with her.
I have flown many times in my life but have had more of these experiences than being squashed in my seat by a fat person.
Being quite wide in the hips, I often book what the airlines refer to as either an XTRA seat or a "comfort" seat. At worst, it's just double the cost of the flight. At best, you just get charged the base cost of the second seat (so no taxes or airline fees). It's not that I can't fit in 17", but frankly, I'd rather not have to feel like I'm being squeezed into a tube of toothpaste, especially on the 24 hour flights between Australia and UK.
The only problem I have though, is the top of the seats are quite narrow, around the shoulders. They're definitely built for slight people. Of course, with a second seat, you don't have that problem. In fact, you basically get a lovely big bed, especially if you're by the window, and it's only two seats.
What I really hate though, is when these self-righteous thin people get on and all of a sudden feel like they can take over my additional space that I paid for. Well, screw you buddy, you want additional space, pay for your own!
What was this show actually about? I watched it but got no insight into the title. The people all seemed to get on the flights didn't they?
Utterly pointless show. And I agree, bloody babies - and especially their useless parents annoy me much more than some fatty. People who can't "hold it in" constantly getting up, talking across me or the idiots that stick their asses in my face or on my armrest.
Thinking about it, it's not fatties, it's all the other behaviour whether thin or fat!
It was a dig at the size of airline seats...... And they picked 3 big (shhhh fat shhh) people to test the tiny seats like we didn't already KNOW they wouldn't fit!
It would have been far more useful to show more normal sized passengers maybe a tall bloke or a size 16 woman and how uncomfortable the seats are for everybody not just large passengers!
Comments
"They didn't have a clue. When I finally got on the plane one was an aisle seat and the other was by the window — in a three-seat row," .
"On the way back from Ireland one seat was in row 17 and the other in row 19," .
LINK
Same number of people wanting to fly + fewer people on each plane = more planes.
Hardly good for the environment!
Airlines, like any other businesses are going to make mistakes.
However, I wonder if he specified, when booking the tickets, that he needed two adjacent seats, of if he just booked "two seats"?
Also, if he did explain that to the staff who "didn't have a clue", did he not notice until he got on the plane that the seats weren't adjoining? If one was an aisle and the other a window in a 3-seat row, surely the tickets would have said (for example) 9A and 9C. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out there might be a 9B between them!
The claim that he was told to "perch one buttock on row 17 and the other in row 19" sounds like absolute bull, for the same reason. Did he not check the tickets when he got them?
Even ignoring the fact that he wouldn't have been able to use a seatbelt, if the seats were on opposite sides of the aisle as seems to be the case, he'd have been blocking the aisle. Yeah, I'm sure one of the crew who need to use the aisle would have suggested that! :rolleyes:
I can't say I'm too surprised that he hasn't named the airline as, if he did, they might be able to tell their side of it.
There was an (American?) airline who did try out bigger seats in economy.... They found No one would pay for them and they made huge losses - so they reinstalled the old seats and put the prices back down.
There are a heck of a lot of people who won't pay anything other than the cheapest of cheap fares - then complain about the lack of space. Can't have it both ways!.
I'm only 11 stones & about 5' 7" - and even I struggle with the lack of leg room at the footy.
I did have a large chum who used to come with us years ago when we stood on terraces back then - but he got stuck in the turnstiles one week & was too embarrassed to come again.
What difference would it make mentioning it - even the extra legroom seats would be too narrow for them. The only way round is to purchase 2 seats.
Yes, I was told at a New York airport (Newark) earlier this year that I would have to pay $200 as my luggage was 2-3 pounds overweight. I then proceeded to open my suitcase, transfer 3 pounds in weight worth of stuff from my suitcase into my hand luggage (also going onto the plane), all right in front of the check-in assistant's watching eyes and she let me through. :rolleyes:
I'm heavily overweight due to a incurable illness I'm aware of my size and how it effects other people although it's not my fault it's not theirs either. So in your situation I not only would had been happy to move so you could enjoy flight I would had asked if there was another seat myself he just sounds like he had a chip on his shoulder.
I fly a LOT, and have seen many situations where the size of some passengers causes issues for others, and most of it seems to be that the passenger of size has no thought for fellow passengers when booking their flights.
The funniest one I saw was a businessman boarding one flight in the US to find that his seat was the middle one between two large passengers....... They were so big that there was barely room for a matchstick between them, and definitely no way this bloke would be able to sit there. Unfortunately there was no spare seat on the plane (so often the case in the US these days), and the gentleman was offered IDB compensation if he agreed to take the next flight, but he said that he had an important meeting to go to and needed to be on our flight.
The cabin crew asked the plane if anyone else would agree to leave the plane, if compensated, and luckily another passenger was happy to give up his seat for the money, and all ended well, but it would have been better if the large passengers (who were husband and wife) had just booked the extra seat between them at the outset..
That wasn't fair on the airline or the other 2 passengers - the airline not only lost the revenue for a seat, they had to pay several hundred dollars to the passenger who gave up his seat, and he was inconvenienced by having to wait several hours for a seat on the next available flight.
Unfortuantely fat bashing is an easy sport these days.
It's a well known fact that people are getting bigger (average height is now 2-3" taller than it was in the 50s) but at the same time airline seats are getting smaller, especially in economy, as passengers want to travel more and further afield, and the airlines are trying to maximise their revenue.
That said - some larger passengers don't seem to realise that their size is an issue for those sitting next to them, and that putting it bluntly they just won't fit into a single seat in economy without encroaching on their neighbours space. Whilst I appreciate that not many folk can afford to fly in the premium cabins, a lot of airlines will sell a second seat for a reduced price (after all, at the very least you don't need to pay the taxes and fees on the second seat!) which would make life more comfortable for all concerned.
I have endured sitting next to a large person, all the way from Bahrain to Hong Kong and having had to lean sideways for the 7 or so hours, I was in agony with lower back pain and muscle spasms, from the strange position I was forced to sit in, which is why I now stand my ground as regarding my space on a plane.
You do seem to have had your unfortunate share of being sat next to obese people.
What, at every airport in the world? There simply aren't enough obese people spilling over onto other's seats to justify that.
Actually when you think about it, you couold make a whole series about "horror" flights people have experienced. Drunken passengers, fighting partners, screaming babies etc etc.
Well as I said - I do fly quite a lot so I guess the more you fly the more you get to see/ experience these sort of things. But yes, I've has the two experiences I mention - the first one where I ended up leaning sideways meant I was ready to defend my space the second time.....
Just don't get me started on smelly people, drunks and screaming kicking kids (I put up with babies screaming as there's not a lot you can do about them......)
Exactly - I was going to say something similar. There are many people who cause inconvenience to others on planes.
I was once sat in a middle seat where the guy in the window seat threw up twice during the journey. The stench was horrible. Then there was the drunk guy on a night flight who was walking around the plane while everyone was asleep taking photos of women. Later the woman sat next to this drunk guy asked to be moved because of his disgusting behaviour (he was swearing at her and calling her names, having tried (unsuccessfully) to flirt with her the whole time) - luckily a gentleman agreed to swap with her.
I have flown many times in my life but have had more of these experiences than being squashed in my seat by a fat person.
The only problem I have though, is the top of the seats are quite narrow, around the shoulders. They're definitely built for slight people. Of course, with a second seat, you don't have that problem. In fact, you basically get a lovely big bed, especially if you're by the window, and it's only two seats.
What I really hate though, is when these self-righteous thin people get on and all of a sudden feel like they can take over my additional space that I paid for. Well, screw you buddy, you want additional space, pay for your own!
Utterly pointless show. And I agree, bloody babies - and especially their useless parents annoy me much more than some fatty. People who can't "hold it in" constantly getting up, talking across me or the idiots that stick their asses in my face or on my armrest.
Thinking about it, it's not fatties, it's all the other behaviour whether thin or fat!
It would have been far more useful to show more normal sized passengers maybe a tall bloke or a size 16 woman and how uncomfortable the seats are for everybody not just large passengers!