Flying for the 1st time in years...Will I fit???

[HOGFAN]

not to start a fight, but I have sat next to you(or someone exactly like you). i was so miserable and and cramped because they spilled over in to my allotted space. As some one with severe joint issues( left knee, left arm and right hip being the worst due to past breaks) I was literally unable to get OUT of the seat at the end of the flight as I was unable to shift and relieve any stiffness. and it was worse because they insisted on lifting the arm rest.. so it became VERY easy to sneak one cheek over onto MY seat. longest 96 minutes of my life. had the flight been any longer I would have insisted that I be moved to another seat.

so if the seat next to you is NOT being occupied by a companion, please, consider the impact you have on the person occupying it.

I dont care WHO Im sitting next to, the armrest goes DOWN...

 

[aubriee]

I dont care WHO Im sitting next to, the armrest goes DOWN...

I agree! I think I've posted on here before about an incident that happened a couple of years ago. I was flying solo from DFW to MCO on Air Tran. I had purchased my preferred aisle seat close to the front of the plane. Another lady was sitting in the window seat, who was as big as me (both slightly Pooh size in other words), but we did fit with the arm rests down. This REALLY, really (over 300 lbs) large man boarded late and as he started complaining to the FA that he couldn't find overhead space for his carryon, he looked at the middle seat between us, laughed and said "Oh no ladies, no way is this going to work. We'll just raise these armrests so we all be comfortable". It was sort of funny because at the exact same time me and the other lady, both grabbed the armrests and said no, they were staying down. The man looked at the FA, pointed to the middle seat, and said no way was he going to be able to fit in that seat. You could hear a male voice further back, say "then you should have bought two seats or booked early enough to get an aisle seat". The man glared back toward the voice, but then asked the FA what she intended to do, that she either had to make us raise the arm rests, so he'd fit or they had to find him a bigger seat. She round up moving him up to first class, which I thought was just plain wrong. He chose not to pay for those $15.00 seats like me and the other lady had, instead choosing a middle seat that he knew he couldn't possibly fit into at the 24 hour mark (he mentioned when he chose his seat and that he'd done it, so he wouldn't have to pay the seat fee), then he asked the FA to deal with it. He then got rewarded with a free upgrade to first class.

 

[disneylandkitkat]

I just flew last week first time in a couple years... I 280 size 24... this is the first time i needed the extender. All four flights with conectors were realy nice about giving the extenders. Trust me at first when the seat belt didn't fit I was very embarest. I flew american air ways and frontier.

 

[book_junkie]

I think you are asking why don't the airlines make seatbelts long enough so seat belt extensions aren't needed? Think how much extra money it would cost to make every seat belt longer when most passengers don't need the extra length. It's much more cost effective to use the extenders when needed.

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Part of it has to do with when the plane was made. If it is an older plane, for some reason it's been my experience that the seat belts are smaller. A newer plane, larger belts.

I've ranged anywhere from a 22 to a 28, carrying it in the torso and hips and midsection, and in all sizes have had issues on flights where the belts would not work. We fly often so instead of asking the flight crew, I've purchased my own extenders to use- there's one that works with SWA, and one that works with most other airlines. It helps me because I have it if I need it, I don't have to ask anyone about it, and can just keep it in my pocket.

Case in point, our last trip was on SWA from Love Field (Dallas) to Portland via Albuquerque (no switching planes). On the way there, I just barely needed the extender, but no one asked about my size or suggested I needed another seat. I sat window, husband sat middle, we were close to the wing. On the way back (same in reverse, no switching planes), we were in the two "snuggle" seats in an exit row, and I didn't need the extender at all- plenty of room to spare. I definitely hadn't lost weight.

 

[PrincessSarah314]

not to start a fight, but I have sat next to you(or someone exactly like you). i was so miserable and and cramped because they spilled over in to my allotted space. As some one with severe joint issues( left knee, left arm and right hip being the worst due to past breaks) I was literally unable to get OUT of the seat at the end of the flight as I was unable to shift and relieve any stiffness. and it was worse because they insisted on lifting the arm rest.. so it became VERY easy to sneak one cheek over onto MY seat. longest 96 minutes of my life. had the flight been any longer I would have insisted that I be moved to another seat.

so if the seat next to you is NOT being occupied by a companion, please, consider the impact you have on the person occupying it.

While I understand your point, this was not the case. In fact, a gentleman chose to sit in the middle seat, next to me, long before the other seats were full. Obviously he didn't mind sitting next to a cute, chatty, chubby girl!