Enormous Dude

[Gary M]

I just took a trip to WDW Dec. 6-12. I had a non-stop flight(SWA) at 6:25am, on Dec. 6, from Indy to Orlando. I paid my $12.50 for my early bird boarding and got number A-20. I got the aisle bulkhead seat in the first row. Another guy was in that row, next to the window. It was announced that every seat was sold. Everyone boarded and the middle seat next to me was still empty. At the last moment this dude waddled onto the plane and literally fell into the middle seat beside me. He was maybe 5' 10" and weighed anywhere between 350 to 400 lbs. or maybe more. I'm a big guy, but still fit into one seat without invading the persons space beside me. This guys fat was hanging over the arm rest well into my seat space. I feel like I'm paralyzed and can't move.

I was pressed against the aisle arm rest and bent side ways into the aisle. After a few minutes my lower back was starting to really hurt. With the seat belt on and the pressure from this guys fat pressing against me, I felt like I was breaking into. People had trouble walking past me because I was leaning so far into the aisle. After maybe 30 minutes the flight attendant saw my situation and said she could give me some more room by raising the aisle arm rest. All that did was let me hang a little further into the aisle and bend my back more. After 2 ½ hours we get to MCO. The big guy somehow gets out of his middle seat, gets his bag from the overhead storage and blocks the aisle. When I finally stand up I can barely walk because of the pain in my back. My 6 nights and 7 days at WDW were ruined because I had so much back pain and could hardly walk. After nearly 3 weeks my back is feeling better, but my stay at the GF and WDW was not so pleasant.

I keep thinking what could I have done to correct this situation. I couldn't move to another seat, because they were all filled. The door was closed almost as soon as the big dude got on the plane. I thought someone as large as this guy, had to buy two seats. I've flown more than 500 times in my life and never had this situation before. I feel like an idiot for not saying something, but what could have been done? I guess if they would have tried to sell this guy two seats, he would have screamed discrimination and the lawyers would have gotten involved. The PC police would also have been involved.

 

[Gracie09]

I just took a trip to WDW Dec. 6-12. I had a non-stop flight(SWA) at 6:25am, on Dec. 6, from Indy to Orlando. I paid my $12.50 for my early bird boarding and got number A-20. I got the aisle bulkhead seat in the first row. Another guy was in that row, next to the window. It was announced that every seat was sold. Everyone boarded and the middle seat next to me was still empty. At the last moment this dude waddled onto the plane and literally fell into the middle seat beside me. He was maybe 5' 10" and weighed anywhere between 350 to 400 lbs. or maybe more. I'm a big guy, but still fit into one seat without invading the persons space beside me. This guys fat was hanging over the arm rest well into my seat space. I feel like I'm paralyzed and can't move.

I was pressed against the aisle arm rest and bent side ways into the aisle. After a few minutes my lower back was starting to really hurt. With the seat belt on and the pressure from this guys fat pressing against me, I felt like I was breaking into. People had trouble walking past me because I was leaning so far into the aisle. After maybe 30 minutes the flight attendant saw my situation and said she could give me some more room by raising the aisle arm rest. All that did was let me hang a little further into the aisle and bend my back more. After 2 ½ hours we get to MCO. The big guy somehow gets out of his middle seat, gets his bag from the overhead storage and blocks the aisle. When I finally stand up I can barely walk because of the pain in my back. My 6 nights and 7 days at WDW were ruined because I had so much back pain and could hardly walk. After nearly 3 weeks my back is feeling better, but my stay at the GF and WDW was not so pleasant.

I keep thinking what could I have done to correct this situation. I couldn't move to another seat, because they were all filled. The door was closed almost as soon as the big dude got on the plane. I thought someone as large as this guy, had to buy two seats. I've flown more than 500 times in my life and never had this situation before. I feel like an idiot for not saying something, but what could have been done? I guess if they would have tried to sell this guy two seats, he would have screamed discrimination and the lawyers would have gotten involved. The PC police would also have been involved.

Sw policy is if someone does not fit in their own seat with both arm rests down they need to purchase a second seat. They then get on with early boarding to get the two seats together. If the flight is not sold out they are reimbursed for their seat (this varies by airline). Once it was apparent he could not fit in his seat I would have asked to speak with the head fligh attendant and quietly explain the situation. If they did not resolve the situation you can escalate.
I'm sorry this happened to you. It happened to my husband on JetBlue but it was made worse because JetBlue escorted the person on the plane so they knew she did not fit in her seat. Their solution was to send my husband on the next flight in two hours (not an option since we were traveling. With our kids and into Newark at night and our car was offsite. I would have had to sit in baggage claim until he arrived). It was only resolved by a stranger who saw what was going on and offered my husband his seat.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

 

[Gracie09]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

I'm sorry but if you know you don't fit in a seat, you buy a second. If he was as large as the op said, it should be obvious to him that he didn't fit. The fa should have done something other than lift the armrest, but the passenger bares much if not all of the responbility of knowing there is no way he will fit in an 18 inch seat.
And what would taking by the middle seat do other than push him into the guy with the window seat?

 

[North of Mouse]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

Sorry, but my sympathy is totally with the op - can't imagine what I'd do in that situation. He would have been totally squashed in the middle seat, for sure. I don't want to have someone squished up against me with their extra baggage. And, yes, at that size the correct word is waddled, no matter how politically incorrect it may be to obese people - that's the way they walk.

 

[Allison]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

Then he should have bought 2 seats to avoid feeling bad.

It isn't the responsibility of the 2 other people in the row to remedy the situation. It is the responsibility of the person of size.

 

[minnie mum]

The thing is, according to airline policy, the man WAS able to sit in his seat with the arm rests down, and buckle his seat belt, so technically he didn't have to buy 2 seats. The policy doesn't say that his upper body can't invade the adjoining spaces. At least the OP had some aisle space. Imagine the poor guy squashed up against the window wall for the whole flight. It sucks big time for the OP, but with a sold out flight, his only choice would have been to ask to be put on the next flight.

 

[dioxide45]

Sw policy is if someone does not fit in their own seat with both arm rests down they need to purchase a second seat. They then get on with early boarding to get the two seats together. If the flight is not sold out they are reimbursed for their seat (this varies by airline). Once it was apparent he could not fit in his seat I would have asked to speak with the head fligh attendant and quietly explain the situation. If they did not resolve the situation you can escalate.

Actually Southwest will refund the second seat fee regardless if the flight is sold out or not. They went from having one of the worst customer of size polices to one of the best. Buy two seats up front, get front of the line seating to guaranty two seats and then get refunded for the second seat. If flying as a couple, the customer of size can take one other person with them when they board the plane. So the couple ends up with an empty reserved seat between them.

We don't know the specific situation of the passenger referred to in the OP. Was he standby and was being given the last seat on the plane. Perhaps he had bought two seats but was delayed on a previous flight and got put on this one as a standby passenger. Obviously there wasn't much that the OP could have done once the door was closed and in the air. With no other seats on the plane there weren't many options. What about the person sitting in the window seat?

 

[goofy4prez]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

I'm going to keep my thoughts to myself on this whole thing as to what the op should or shouldn't have done. However, I will say this; the op could have said much worse than the word "waddled" about describing this person. As a former larger person most of my life I really didn't find the word "waddled' offensive. I heard many terms thrown out at me that truly hurt. I personally don't think the op needs to sit there and think about their life over this term. Trust me, 115 lbs ago you could describe me as often waddling.

 

[Accident]

I think you pretty much answered your own question, you could have said something sooner and given the airline an opportunity to find a solution that works for everyone.

I'm taller with broad shoulders and have been different weights in my life. It doesn't take someone of size to spill over the arm rests, my normal shoulder width does that on it's own. However as other posters have said, a lot of this does fall onto the gentlemen who may have needed some more room. I go out of my way to book where i'm comfortable and even stop at the desk while waiting to ensure they don't shift people around and create an uncomfortable situation on me.

Now if you ever end up in a situation like this where you can't avoid it again. Take more opportunities to stand up and stretch, even if just to walk back and ask for extra water or something if your uncomfortable just standing in the aisle for a few minutes.

 

[Gracie09]

The thing is, according to airline policy, the man WAS able to sit in his seat with the arm rests down, and buckle his seat belt, so technically he didn't have to buy 2 seats. The policy doesn't say that his upper body can't invade the adjoining spaces. At least the OP had some aisle space. Imagine the poor guy squashed up against the window wall for the whole flight. It sucks big time for the OP, but with a sold out flight, his only choice would have been to ask to be put on the next flight.

The actual rule is arm rests down and you don't encroach on the other seats. So eve of him armrest was down, he was still encroaching on the other seats. Therefore he should have bought two seats

 

[LilyWDW]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more cramped.

"waddled". Really think about your life if you feel it's OK to use such a word for another human being.

As someone who is overweight, it is 100% the fault of the man for putting others through dealing with this. No way should the OP be required to fix the situation that this man put them all in. How about some personal responsibility?! This guy KNEW he would be too big for the seat. He just didn't want to buy another seat that he was supposed to.

And yes, big people waddle. I used to waddle and I would make jokes about that fact. I hope to never waddle again.

 

[seashoreCM]

I'm disappointed that I didn't find your email address early enough to spam you with my suggestions to get around this problem before you got to the airport.

Even if the door is closed as soon as the last (here, quite large) person enters, you may still complain when he tries to sit next to you.

It is better to complain out of earshot of the larger person but complaining fast is better than finding some alcove to take the flight attendant to before saying anything.

Most likely the flight crew will get together to solve the problem but you need to be prepared to:
1. Summon the captain and the ground complaint resolution officer for a conference,
2. Accept any other empty seat in the plane yourself.

You should not make any suggestions yourself except the suggestion that they ask for volunteers to take a later flight after the subject has been bantered back and forth for awhile without success. Ergo there are severe limitations on how you can "fix" the situation. But you need to at least start the ball rolling calling attention to the problem.

Be aware that "There is nothing we can do" is a false statement in this situation (and also in most situations of any description).

By the way, the airline has an ace up its sleeve that you should not mention or comment on. It can bump a larger passenger who could not fit in the seat(s) he booked and not give him any compensation.

Added later: I think you should write to the airline and ask for some compensation yourself.

 

[maxiesmom]

OP--I had a similar problem on my last flight, except I was in the middle seat. It was a short flight though, only an hour, or else I would have been very miserable. I didn't say anything either as it was only an hour flight. I'm sorry you had to deal with it, it is a hard spot to be in. You don't want to make a fuss but you sit there being squished. Not fun.

 

[Woodview]

Here is another scene.

Suppose the passenger in the window seat was a heavily built person .... and just fitted into the seat .... & the Aisle

person also " filled " his seat what would have happened to the " dude " then when he could not squeeze into His seat ?

 

[crzy4dsny]

If you felt bad, imagine for just one tiny second how bad HE felt.

Perhaps you could have taken the middle seat and helped out everyone. The way you and your window seat person left it, everyone was more

Zero sympathy, taking the middle seat wouldn't have helped one bit. All the seats are the same size he wouldn't have fit either way. Taking the end seat means he would have been blocking the isle if they lifted the arm rest, the drink cart wouldn't have fit thru. I'll say it again, if you don't fit in one seat you better buy two, if you can't afford two drive your car! Now the op had to suffer because of someone else's selfishness. The airlines should be enforcing this, they have spots where you put your bag in to make sure it fits, they should have seats for the same thing. If you don't fit you buy two seats or don't get on the plane. I pay good money for my seat I don't want anybody else sitting in it.

 

[Poohcandi]

What about when you get on an airplane and the passenger beside you reeks of BO. I am talking make you sick to your stomach because the smell is so bad.
Fortunately for me, my plane was not sold out and I was able to move to another seat quite a few rows back.

I agree with others that the customer in question probably felt just as uncomfortable and we don't know what his scenario/situation was to be crammed into that seat.

I also believe the airline has to be accountable in both scenarios and work to accommodate its customers. That doesn't seem to be the priority as they continue to reduce the size of airline seats in order to pack more in.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think the width of seats has changed as much as the legroom. Southwest has always been 3x3 seating so reducing the width wouldn't add seats.

 

[goofy4tink]

Large people know they are large. They also fully realize whether or not they will fit into a seat comfortably. It is unfair of a 'person of size' to make others uncomfortable due to their size. I've been in a similar situation....had a larger man in the middle seat next to me, in the aisle seat. I have no issue with the person in the middle seat using both arm rests...but seriously? To keep jabbing me with your elbow, stretching your leg into the space where my legs are, wiggling around constantly in order to not be pinched by the arm rests??? Tells me you may need to pay for an addtl seat!!
I would email/phone SW and explain to them what happened. Sure, that passenger could have had 'extenuating' circumstances....but that doesn't mean the people seated on either side of him have to be miserable. If he had, in fact, paid for two seats, and something happened that didn't allow for those two seats, he should have been put on another flight.

 

[PatMcDuck]

If this man was boarded last, then Southwest was well aware that the plane was full, and that there was only one seat left, and that one seat would not work for this fellow. That is why I would hold SW partially responsible. The "big guy" may not have been aware that there was only one seat left. Even if there were just 2 left, people on the plane would probably shifted around to let him use 2 seats.

However, if it was me as the bigger person, I would have known I needed 2 seats, and even asked SW as I boarded, if there were 2 seats available for me. If they said no, only one seat, I would not have gotten on that plane. And I would way rather pay for 2 seats, or ask for 2 seats, than spill over onto other people. (I am not thin, but fit inside my seat fine on planes, so I have sympathy for the overweight).

Sorry this situation had to impact your trip, OP.