The dilemma of super-sized seat mates on flights – The Wall Street Journal

If we left it up to the airlines, they would probably strap us to an ironing board and pack us in like sardines. The re-appearance of the Skyrider seat that looks more like a saddle than a seat at the 2018 Aircraft Interiors Expo is an indication of the thinking for future plane seats. The more passengers that the airlines can fit into a flight, the more money they can make. But fitting more passengers into their cabins, does not only benefit airlines who have tiny profit margins; it makes flights affordable for people who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the benefit of air travel. But the problem is that seats are shrinking while the flying public is expanding. World Health Organisation figures indicate that 28.3% of South African adults are obese; it is the highest level of obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa. It creates a problem not only for people who are regarded as 'too fat too fly' but also for the Skinny Malinks who find themselves hemmed in as their bigger seat neighbours spill over the arm rests. There is off course also the issue of fat shaming; it is not only obese people who spill over seats as anybody who has found themselves in a seat next to a rugby forward can attest too. Some airlines charge bigger people for two seats while other airlines are more generous and allow bigger people an extra seat. Scott McCartney from the Wall Street Journal looks at some of the suggestions to accommodate the issues of bigger passengers and their seat mates. – Linda van Tilburg.When the plane seat doesn't fit.By Scott McCartney.___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Airlines have long struggled to figure out a way to put very large passengers in very small coach seats and not squeeze out the passenger in the adjacent seat..Ten years ago, airlines tried to get extra-large passengers to buy two seats, but that remains optional and rare at most carriers. Since then, seating has tightened, lavatories have shrunk, empty open seats have become rarer and obesity has increased. Travellers say instances of a seat mate overlapping the armrest and encroaching into their space are more frequent.."I don't think airlines are recognising the size of Americans," says Michelle Primm, a car dealer from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, who travels frequently..She got pinned in a window seat by an overweight passenger next to her on a recent flight from Cleveland to Washington, DC, and started to feel claustrophobic. "The plane was absolutely full. I looked around and decided there was nothing I could do but go to my Zen place," she says..Airlines say less than 1% of passengers need seat belt extenders. They encourage purchase of a second seat, but without a discount, there's no financial incentive. Airlines say if passengers are encroached upon, they should ask a flight attendant to be moved to another seat. But with planes so full, that's often impossible..Some travelers suggest airlines need to take action, providing a few wide seats at reasonable prices for people who require them or requiring passengers who need a seat belt extender to pay for a second seat. Passenger profiles could include the need for a seat belt extender and automatically make a wider seat available to reserve, perhaps at an added fee similar to an extra-legroom seat..Read also: The surprising secrets to a comfortable flight – The Wall Street Journal.Five months ago, Mary Calvert was seated next to a very large person on what would have been an eight-hour flight. The plane pushed back from the gate but had a long delay. "The crew asked if anyone wanted to get off. I did," she says. "I knew I couldn't make it eight hours.".Ms. Calvert, a human resources executive from California, notes airlines are required to save seats up front for people who need wheelchair assistance. Why not have a few wide seats saved for passengers of size? "It's to the point now where I guess airlines don't want to do anything," she says..Riding coach is just as miserable for the large person as for fliers in adjacent seats. Asking for a seat belt extender can be embarrassing, and not all seat mates are understanding.."People give you dirty looks," says Peggy Howell, spokeswoman for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, or NAAFA. "They see a fat person coming down the aisle and they glare at you. Then you see the look of relief when you walk on by if you look at them. After a while, I stopped looking at people. I don't look at their faces.''.Ms. Howell points out that many fliers can get squeezed in coach, including tall people..The Transportation Department told airlines in 2005 that if a passenger occupies more than one seat, "airlines may charge that passenger for the number of seats" occupied. Not all countries allow that. Canada, for example, prevents discrimination by body size, so airlines can't charge extra based on passenger size..Ms. Howell says if airlines did require purchase of an extra seat, which might cost hundreds of extra dollars, "that would prevent a lot of people from flying." Such a policy could affect employment if travel is part of a job, or keep someone from getting to the funeral of a loved one..John Doyle, who lives in Philadelphia and works to develop affordable housing, asked a man on a recent flight to keep to his own seating space. He couldn't, coming 2 to 3 inches over the armrest. Mr. Doyle asked a flight attendant for help, but there was no solution on the full flight.."I felt that if I complained anymore, they'd pull me off the plane," says Mr. Doyle, who says he is 6-foot-2, 182 pounds. "I look at it like a real estate transaction, because that's my business. I'm renting a certain amount of square inches and if I don't get that, that's just not right.".Technically when you buy an airline ticket, you get no guarantee of space. Each airline's contract of carriage – the rules governing the ticket – says what you buy is transportation from one city to another. The same issue comes up with seat reclining. Passengers think they purchased a seat and the space that comes with it, so how can someone recline into "their" space?.NAAFA encourages plus-size passengers to fly Southwest Airlines, which the group says has the most accommodating policy after a significant change a few years ago that allows a free second or even third seat to passengers who don't fit in one seat..Southwest allows passengers to buy a second seat under the same name and then get refunded after the flight. That way the airline's booking system blocks out the extra seat for them. Previously Southwest refunded the second seat only if the flight wasn't completely full..The Southwest policy is unusually specific. "The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats," it says, noting that seat width is 17 inches on Southwest airplanes..Under the new policy, if a large passenger doesn't reserve a second seat early, it can be done at the gate, even if the flight is full. Southwest says gate agents will ask for a volunteer to take a later flight for compensation to open up an empty seat, or even involuntarily bump a passenger if necessary. The passenger who needs two seats gets a "Reserved" card to put on the vacant seat during boarding.."Since we made this change, we see very few issues related to our policy," Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz says..At other airlines, policies are often less specific. A Delta spokeswoman says the airline doesn't have a written policy, but employees can "move the customer to another location that provides additional space, offer a later flight with available seating or allow the customer to purchase an extra seat.".United says its written policy is that all passengers are required to fit in their seat with seat belts fastened and armrests down and "not encroach upon any adjoining seat." But the policy says if passengers are unable to meet the requirements, they can purchase an additional seat or upgrade if space is available. Nothing says they have to. Enforcement is left to front-line employees.."We trust our employees to use their judgment to determine when situations are unsafe, including instances when passengers are unable to fit securely in their seat," a United spokeswoman says.

The dilemma of super-sized seat mates on flights – The Wall Street Journal

Related Stories

Meet Tshepo Mahloele – Big Capitec shareholder, ABSIP’s “CEO of the Decade” now accused by Holomisa as kingpin of corrupt network

PREMIUM: Making of a great editor – the George Palmer playbook

Premium – BizNews global portfolio: ASML joins – so does Adobe as Bull takes hold again

Alec Hogg: Helen Zille predicts SA choice will be DA or EFF