airplane for large people

[Tamie]

My grandmother is rather large and I am looking for air transportation for her. I have heard that some airlines will charge you for two seats if you are overly large. Has anyone else heard about this. If so, are there any who don't? Or, ones that can accomodate her? Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

does she live in a city where midwest express services that airport? thats a first class airline. they have bigger seats. if she is too large for a regular coach class tkt she will have to pay for one and a half seats. for instance if the fare is 150 she will pay 150 plus 75 = 225 and she will get to sit in 2 seats.

 

[travelcoupons]

See:


http://www.cnn.com/2000/TRAVEL/VIEWS/elliott/08/30/index.html

 

[imgoingtodisney]

My husband is on the large side. (not overly though). I just thought maybe I'll put my 9yr old son between my husband and myself.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

Hon, as you can see by my signiture picture that I'm quite a large person. I have only flown on two occasions, (both of them to WDW) where I rode on American Airlines and then on United. At that time, I weighed 80 pounds heavier than I am now. United trip was fine, just couldn't use the lap tray, but I was stuck on the window side next to people that I didn't know on AA. That was so uncomfortable and awkward! I held my breath, squished my arms togather and suffered! Both airlines have seatbelt extenders, but you have to ask for them. Unfortunatly, some stuartdess are nice about it, while others aren't as nice. I pray that I have lost enough weight to not need the use of the extenders! I'm sure I still can't use the lap tray, but both my daughters are with me so I can share theirs
Gerri

 

[Baileymouse]

I'm a wide person (not tall, wide ) and the most uncomfortable flights have to be on Continental. There's no room anywhere, and they aren't very accommodating with the seatbelt extenders.

I fly with my son and husband, or with my mom, or anyone else and we lift up the armrest. It generally gives me enough room. I also have my own "purloined" seatbelt extender so I don't have to ask the cabin crew for one.

My extremely large (500lbs) cousin always sits in 1st class. He never buys anything less because of his bulk.

One of my friends likes to fly on the off-hours (late-nite to disney, early home) so that she can get a seat by herself.

Even if you're slim these flights are a pain. My husband is thin but tall and he's always uncomfortable, especially on Continental. We took TWA to Cancun and it was fine, btw. Delta Express is narrow, too but has a teensy bit more leg room than Continental.

 

[Disneylvr]

My DH and I are both large persons (I prefer to call it Pooh-sized ) and we do occassionally encounter problems when flying. I have had unfriendly flight attendents very openly hold up a selt belt extender and say "I think you might need this" in front of the other passengers. I always carry my own extender with me on all flights to avoid scenes like this. I also try and fly on planes that have a two seat side like the MD-80's, L1011's, 767, 777 and DC-9's. That way I am not squishing a stranger and the DH and I can lift up the arm rest and be comfortable. I hate the looks we have gotten when a passenger realizes he has to sit next to us. Folks, those hateful looks, mean stares and not so quietly whispered comments do cause hurt feelings. We may be larger than you but we are human and have feelings too.

My DH's tummy is small enough that he can get the tray down but I am not able to do so. I always put my drink/snack on his tray. Flying isn't really a pleasant experience for us Pooh-sized people but careful planning can make it more tolerable. I like to choose flights that depart late at night or very early in the morning. In May our plane left at 9:30pm and arrived at 1am Orlando time. There was maybe 25 people on the entire flight. Plenty of room for all of us to stretch out! Not the most desired flight times, but certainly more comfortable! Good luck!

 

[ducklite]

Midwest Express across the board has the widest coach seats. Pretty much all Boeing 737's have the narrowest, at as little as 16 3/4. Airbus and Boeing 777's seem to have the widest.

Basically, there is less room in an aiplace seat than your average office chair. So if you don't comfortably fit in that, then you will not fit in an airplane seat.

You can either purchase two seats (most carriers sell the second at a discount) or a first class seat if you can't fit into a standard coach seat. Or fly off hours when the plane is likely to be empty (but this doesn't always work--if an earlier flight was cancelled it will backfire for sure.)

Disneylvr, sorry people have been mean to you. That is uncalled for, especially if you are not in any way affecting them.

I think the problem is that a lot of larger people expect that others in their row will up the armrest in order to accomodate them, and this is where the problems start. I recall seeing two very large people with a very slim person between them in the row in front of me on a flight a couple years ago. The large people both demanded that they put up the armrest, and literally took over more than half of the middle seat between them. I believe it was a husband and wife who had booked window and aisle hoping that no one would be put between them. This was certainly not fair to anyone, regretfully it was a full flight. I felt very sorry for everyone, but I am sure that the person in the center was forever jaded by the experience.

Anne

 

[Disneylvr]

My office chair is 20" in width (about the size of a plane seat) but it also doesn't have arm rests. When my DH and I have been on planes with 3 seats on a side, the airline has assigned us to window and aisle. If a 3rd person is assigned that middle seat DH or I switches to that seat and offers the other passenger the aisle or window and we only lift up the arm rest between the two of us. You are right, it isn't fair to make that 3rd person uncomfortable BUT I really feel the fault lies with the airlines. I have come home with huge bruises on my legs from the arm rests. Why can't seats be a little wider! People come is ALL sizes and seats should *comfortably* accomodate almost everyone. Not just sizes 0-14.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Midwest Express is all first class. nothing coach about them. thats why they have the widest seats.

 

[Disneylvr]

Too bad Midwest Express doesn't have more flights out of STL Oh well, at least TWA (American) has more leg room now. Maybe I can finally get that tray table down! And the passenger in front of me who put their seat back won't be in my lap.

 

[ducklite]

I am sure the airlines configure their planes for the "average" persons comfort. The average male is 5'8", and wears the equivilant of a womans size 14. The average female is 5'4", and wears the equivalent of a womans size 12. From first hand experience, the average person will fit into an airplane seat with a reasonable amount of comfort, at least for a short haul flight.

Regretfully in order to make the seats wider, they would have to either pull out an entire seat in each row (watch your airfares SKYROCKET!) or buy all new planes. Neither is going to happen.

I like the idea of having a few rows on each flight with first class size seats, but not the other first class amenities, which would be vailable for purchase at a surcharged amount. (ie, two seats where three would be at 150% of the normal fare each--and this could also be the normal discounted fare, not just unrestricted.) This might solve part of the issue. First class is usually about three times the unrestricted coach fare, btw. I do want to say that first class seats are still not large enough to comfortably seat a person in the over 300 lb range, and the arm rests on them don't go up, so first is not at all the best way to go for some people.

Anne

 

[FergieTCat]

ducklite --

I am flying to West Palm Beach on September 1st. I paid $111 RT, but the average fare is $179.50 RT (at least as of today). I priced the same route in first class, as both restricted and unrestricted. The fare is $1,400. That's not 3 times more, it's more like 8 times more!

Donna

 

[Disneylvr]

Okay, so the airlines configure the plane for the "average" size person, both weight and height. But in order to have an "average" size there has to be a fair number passengers above and below the "average." Everyone above that average doesn't have the right to be comfortable I guess. Not at all fair in my opinion. I myself would be willing to pay a reasonable amount more for a wider seat and more leg room, but not 3+ times more! Heck, I'll buy two seats in coach before I would do that. That is one thing I like about Amtrak. You can choose Coach Class or Business Class(formerly called Comfort Class). The business class seats are a couple of inches wider and are very comfortable for me even if someone sits in the seat next to me. On Amtrak, Business Class just means free beverages, free newspaper and a $3.00 meal coupon in addition to the slightly wider seats. It cost me, from St. Louis to Chicago, only $14 more round trip over the coach fair. Perhaps airlines should offer a *comfort class* that is 10-20% higher fare than regular coach but still much lower than first class. *Comfort Class* seats should have arm rests that can be raised unlike First Class. In my opinion, this is the only fair solution. But life isn't always fair is it.

 

[ducklite]

Michelle--

That is why I was suggesting the rows in coach with the FC size seats, but not the rest of FC amenities. These seats would be 150% the size of a regular seat, in that they would take out a three across and replace them with two seats that fit the same space. They would then charge 150% of the fare for them. So lets say that you found a fare of $200 for a coach seat. Instead you would book the larger coach seats for $300. Does that make sense? You'd actually get a slightly wider than FC seat without all of the other FC perks, for a fraction of the FC cost.

Actually I guess I didn't word my previous post very well, I was trying to say that for 3x the amount of money, a FC seat isn't always the best option. In my solution one seat that was 150% wider than a regular coach seat but at a fraction of the cost of FC--would be an affordable and IMHO very equitable solution.

Anne

 

[Disneylvr]

Anne,

Yes that would be a good solution. Someday it will happen, maybe. Until then my DH and I will just try and choose planes that are most comfortable for us and take off-peak flights. We are fine in coach as long as the two of us can sit together and raise the arm rest. I know I wouldn't like being in first class at all!

Tamie, when you make your air reservation make sure you tell the agent that your grandmother is a larger person. I know that at least with TWA they will block the middle seat and only fill it if someone needs it on the day of the flight. For us it has worked about 50% of the time. And like I said above, if a 3rd person is assigned that middle seat, my DH or I will offer him/her the aisle or window seat.

 

[villainwdw]

ok...a few coments here...I fly American I am 5'10 and am a big girl!I am tall so I carry it ok...the seats on AA are 17' wide........so what I have to do is to fly First class..I save my pooints and move!! I am heaavyer now then my last trip in "coach" so this shuld be interesting!!I always ask for balkid seats and have always gotten them.....becasue of a panic disorder on top of it!!!! but it really stinks because the reality is that america is 65% heaavyer then normal!! I have never been abole to pull up the armrests on AA do not think they do!

 

[Disneylvr]

OH NO!!! You can't put the arm rests up on American Airlines??? I live in St. Louis and almost always fly TWA which you know is now owned by American. I sure hope they don't change the arm rests on the former TWA planes Can anyone else confirm that the arm rests on AA don't go up in coach???

 

[ducklite]

Michelle-

That is not the case. The armrests do go up in the coach seats, except some aisle seats. Some of the aisle seats are designated for disabled pax and they go up on those as well.

Anne

 

[FergieTCat]

VillainWDW --

I would love to upgrade to first class, but either I don't have enough mileage, or if I do, they don't have any seats available.

Donna