http://trib.al/h33pQig
QuoteMr Taylor was in the window seat but claimed the two large passengers encroached on his space.
I don't get that. How could his space be encroached by someone who wasn't actually beside him?
Some people invade other people's space not because they're overly large, but because they sprawl.
The sense of personal space varies in different cultures. Some people are annoyed by "space invaders" at a different distance than others.
When I flew on a tourist helicopter in Hawaii, they asked your weight when you booked your ticket and there was a surcharge for passengers over 250 pounds.
If there were two really big guys they could be pushing into each other, causing the one in the middle to go further into the space of the guy in the window seat.
10 years ago, when I was in my 270s, I was wedged between two men that were on the plus side of 350. Fortunately, it was just SF to Seattle.
>When I flew on a tourist helicopter in Hawaii, they asked your weight when you booked your ticket and there was a surcharge for passengers over 250 pounds.
I think airlines should do this as well if you want to. So, for example, if you WANT to be weighed and have your ticket price based upon your weight of you and your luggage, you can. This would give many children a full seat for a smaller price (but airlines would get a fair price because it is based upon weight.)
If you don't want to be weighed, you just pay the regular price. And, it's a choice. So you don't have to do it all.
Quote from: littleman on May 06, 2017, 06:07:54 PM
If there were two really big guys they could be pushing into each other, causing the one in the middle to go further into the space of the guy in the window seat.
I've had an obese person insist that I put up my arm rest because he couldn't fit in the seat with the armrest down. If aisle-guy does that, forcing middle-guy to do ask the same of window-guy, window-guy is squished.
It's a socially touchy thing - does the person next to me have a right to ask me to put up my arm rest (effectively demanding to be allowed to use part of the seat I paid for)? Being small, it wasn't a bit inconvenience to me to give the poor guy some extra comfort, but if I were a bigger person myself, I would really resent it. I did find it rather presumptuous even if I do understand his dilemma.
One friend of my mine is 6'5" (just shy of 2m) and 300 pounds. He has a simple rule: if he can't afford a first-class ticket, he won't get on a plane. Fortunately he makes a good income and doesn't fly much
>does the person next to me have a right to ask me to put up my arm rest (effectively demanding to be allowed to use part of the seat I paid for)?
In my mind, no. But, I usually do it because airline seats are the only seats that actually fit me. Seriously.
In a coach seat, my back is support AND my feet are flat on the ground at the same time. Which never happens in any other seat.
>>I've had an obese person insist that I put up my arm
Insist?
Wow
Quote from: ukgimp on May 09, 2017, 08:02:35 AM
Insist?
He said things like "I'm sorry, but I
have to put up the armrest, because I don't fit in the seat" and then put up the armrest. There was no request.
My reply to that:
"I'm sorry, but you only paid for your seat, not mine as well." *puts armrest down.*
Realistically it should just be a requirement for people on the plus side of say 270lbs. to either upgrade to business class seats, buy two economy seats, or pay a premium for one of those isolated seats by an emergency exit (assuming they can handle the exit responsibilities). On the way back from Wilmington there was a very large man (400+ lbs.) on one of the flights, it looked like he bought the entire row.
Quote from: grnidone on May 09, 2017, 04:06:48 PM
"I'm sorry, but you only paid for your seat, not mine as well." *puts armrest down.*
As I say, I'm small and he was uncomfortable. It was a small inconvenience to me to make the guy comfortable. And to be fair, he had a pained, apologetic look. My only objection was that it seemed presumptuous.
>> either upgrade to business class seats, buy two economy seats
Why would the airlines do that? It's far better to ratchet up the "calculated misery" and encourage all passengers to upgrade on the fear that they might have someone pouring over into their seat. That's where the money is for the airlines.
On the concept of "calculated misery" in the airline industry, see
- https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/14/15275642/united-airlines-calculated-misery-dragging-man-off-plane
- http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/airlines-want-you-to-suffer
or just Google it... many references