Pooh sized plane phobia

[sTINKS]

Hello all -

We are planning a family trip to WDW and MIL has just confessed that she is terrified to travel again on an airplane because she is afraid they will make her buy two seat, and she is afraid of the embarassment if they make her do this on the flight. How does this work? What are airline weight/size requirements?

I have seen great advise on rides at WDW here that I can share with her, but nothing on airplanes.

Looking for some advice on helping MIL through this.

 

[jmartinez1895]

The seat sizes are different from airline to airline, but I'm sure they is some sort of adverage, but I'm not sure what it is. At one point the standard rule for plus sized passengers was that they had to be able to fit into the seat with the arm rest down with out squeezing into the seat or having there body hanging over the arm rest. Also the belt has to fit ( with the extention if needed). If the passenger has trouble fitting into the seat then the airline can require the person to purchase an additional seat. This is for the safety and comfort of the passenger. If a second ticket is required then the person whould get the seat next to them as well so they will have more room. I can understand how this could be embarassing, but I'm sure the flight crew would be sensitive and handle the matter descretly. While I was a the ticket counter for one of our flight a larger person came to the counter and asked if they could get on the plane while it was pre boarding and let a flight attendant see if he would need to buy a second seat. Maybe your airline would allow this as well. Also I would call the air line and ask them what there policy is for matters like this. Either way, I hope taht you can clam her fears nd help her see that many people deal with this and she will not be the first or the last.

 

[Mrsjvb]

and think of the person who would be sitting next to them on the flight.. if she is uncomfortable, the other person will be twice as uncomfortable as they won't even have the full use of the seat they paid for.

it really is a safety issue, you need to be able to get out of the seat quickly in case of evacuation.

 

[Renosiris]

If you book with an airline that allows you to decide where you want to sit and check in yourself couldn't that solve the problem. They would only need to make sure they were against the window, you beside them? Perhaps that would work?

 

[peemagg]

I would suggest that you fly with an airline who only have 2 seats together. Then if they sit with a family member (say a kid or smaller person) they would be more comfortable.


Just as an FYI I am also pooh sized (200+) and have not had an issue at all with the airlines, but I have only flown with Airtran or Delta.

 

[Disney Enabler]

I have flown Southwest and gotten the two seats. Since I come cross country it is actually nice to have my husband and I and the empty seat. Southwest will reinburse you the price of the second ticket if there is one othere empty seat on the plane. I know they have gotten a lot of bad press recently but it is actually nice that they have this refund option. If your family member is pretty sure they need the extra room I would suggest that you buy the extra ticket before getting to the airport. It makes the whole process much easier. You are also given the option of boarding the plane first. I just put my purse on the seat and when people ask me if the seat is taken I just simply say yes. The person usually moves on -- maybe they think the person is in the bathroom. I wish you well. Please feel free to contact me directly if you want more information.

 

[seashoreCM]

She can book both seats in advance. Some other family member can go up to the ticket counter with her "to help out" so nobody in line eavesdropping will find out that two boarding passes are both hers.

If she can select seats in advance to be next to other family members then it is likely no one in the plane will know she went out and bought two seats. Everyone will think that there was someone else assigned to the middle seat next to her who didn't show up.

 

[bookwormde]

If she can sit with only family members on either side and can effectively get the armrest down then if is exceptionally rare for there it be an issue. Be aware that seats on some airplanes (like 737s) are narrower in the rear 4-7 rows

bookwormde

 

[Mrsjvb]

If you book with an airline that allows you to decide where you want to sit and check in yourself couldn't that solve the problem. They would only need to make sure they were against the window, you beside them? Perhaps that would work?

not necessarily.. you won't t know until you get there if you will need to purchase a second seat.. and unless you pay the premium on SW to get guaranteed A group.. it might be darn difficult to find 2 seats together by the time you get down the aisle.. and if you find out at that point you need two seat.. there may NOT be a second unpurchased seat to buy.. which means somebody who did buy a ticket will have to sit on the Flight attendants' lap.

seriously every flight to Orlando on SW I have ever taken they have been MOST insistent that EVERY seat has been bought so the plane is FULL. I do choose to pay the premium, because for different reasons I need the front row or at least a (right side) aisle seat so I have to maximize my chances of getting one of those two. It's actually getting to the point where I need to upgrade to the business fare in order to ensure room for my non bendy left knee.

 

[sTINKS]

Thanks for all the input. We don't have SW airlines here, so that is not an option. Would most likely be Delta, Alligent or AirTran.

 

[M5ward]

You should check to see what the policy is on the airline you chose.
The following site indicates seat size on most airlines -
http://www.seatguru.com/

 

[shellybaxter]

not necessarily.. you won't t know until you get there if you will need to purchase a second seat.. and unless you pay the premium on SW to get guaranteed A group.. it might be darn difficult to find 2 seats together by the time you get down the aisle.. and if you find out at that point you need two seat.. there may NOT be a second unpurchased seat to buy.. which means somebody who did buy a ticket will have to sit on the Flight attendants' lap.

seriously every flight to Orlando on SW I have ever taken they have been MOST insistent that EVERY seat has been bought so the plane is FULL. I do choose to pay the premium, because for different reasons I need the front row or at least a (right side) aisle seat so I have to maximize my chances of getting one of those two. It's actually getting to the point where I need to upgrade to the business fare in order to ensure room for my non bendy left knee.

When you purchase two seats with Southwest you and your party (at least me, my husband and our niece) are allowed to preboard. That way you get the two seats together that you were forced to purchase

 

[fla4fun]

To find out what size seats will work, what we did was find an armchair that just fit comfortably, without any "overflow", then measured the distance between the arms. We knew any seat over that size would be fine. On seatguru, they give the seat sizes so you can see who might have 17" seats, 18" seats, etc. Since you do this in the privacy of your own home, there's no embarassment factor when you get to the airport. Also, if it turns out that someone does need two seats, that can also be taken care of at the time of purchase, so there's no fuss or embarassment at the airport.

 

[Disneylvr]

I am a person of size...and when it was just me and DH, I would buy an extra seat to prevent another passenger from having to sit next to us and allowing us to raise the arm rests. We avoid SWA at all costs and at that time flew AA who did not require us to buy 2 seats, we just did it for our own comfort and the comfort of other passengers. Now it is DH, DD and I flying together so for now we just purchase 3 seats since DD is still small. She sits in the middle seat and we raise the two middle arm rests. We are all 3 comfortable. If you are traveling with family and can make sure that MIL is not seated next to a stranger I don't think she will have any problems with the airlines you mentioned. I will know for sure in 6 days when we fly AirTran for the first time but our agent called the airline to ask them about large passengers having to purchase 2 seats and they said it was not a requirement, just a personal choice. We are on a plane that has 2 seats on one side and three on the other, we also paid extra to have assigned seats.

My advice is, DO NOT fly on SWA although I see that is not an option for you anyway. Second, if you are able to so do make sure she is seated next to family/friends only and not next to a stranger. Preferrably next to a smaller child and raise the arm rests. If needed, she can ask for a seat belt extender. The flight attendants have been very discreet about this in my flight exerpiences. On airlines where advance seat assignment is optional, pay the extra fee and get seat assignments. Make note that the arm rests on bulkhead seats usually do not raise. And most important, relax and enjoy your vacation! Hope this helps.

Hope this helps!

 

[SondraD11]

I decided not to chance it for my April trip. I can bring down the armrests but would be more comfortable with them up. Since my son is flying with me, I just booked us 3 seats together (AirTran) and paid for assigned seats. We will both enjoy our vacation more if we start it off without any unnecessary stress.

I don't think anyone will know that I purchased an extra seat for myself. I would have booked Southwest but AirTran's schedule worked better for our trip. I hope your mother-in-law doesn't let fear of embarrassment stop her from having a wonderful vacation at Disney.

Sondra

 

[honeydiane1953]

Hello all -

We are planning a family trip to WDW and MIL has just confessed that she is terrified to travel again on an airplane because she is afraid they will make her buy two seat, and she is afraid of the embarassment if they make her do this on the flight. How does this work? What are airline weight/size requirements?

I have seen great advise on rides at WDW here that I can share with her, but nothing on airplanes.

Looking for some advice on helping MIL through this.

I have to ask for an extender for seat belt. I have seen people larger than me not need one guessing because they are tall they tuck the seat belt under their belly. I am short and short waisted so I have to ask for an extender. I hate it but we can't all be Heidi Klum. I would check/call the airline and see if u need two seats prob having to give her weight. Wouldn't it be great when u purchased the tickets THEN got to the plane itself tell TPTB politely two seats are not acceptable and then they have to move her to first class. just a thought