Purchasing an extra ticket due to weight...

[meloneyb21]

I wonder how people feel about this situation (if it has ever happened to you). It can be a very sensitive subject to some while not to others. I'm curious because I was watching Airline and the Customer Service Rep told a lady that she had to purchase an extra seat because she was too big and she had to consider her comfort and the comfort of others. She told them that she only had $5 on her but they still insisted, so she called her grandfather and told him (while crying) "They told me I have to buy another ticket because I'm fat!". He then paid for her ticket over the phone, but she was clearly heartbroken.

In another scene, a different woman complained that she had a very uncomfortable flight because the person seated next to her was big and their butt and arms were being squeezed into her seat. The Customer Service Rep then apologized for the inconvenience and gave her a $100 travel voucher.

I mean, I guess it's airline policy but it's gotta hurt being on the receiving end of the stick. Has anyone ever had an experience like this, on either side of the fence?

I have never flown before and didn't know that an airline could charge a person an extra seat if they are big.

 

[crzy4dsny]

Think of it this way. Airlines are selling space. The space you buy is your seat. Each person buys their own space on the plane. You are entilted to that space. It's not right if the person next to you is spilling over from their space and occupying your space, the space that you have paid for. If someone is too big to occupy just one space than they should have to purchase two spaces. It would be like your neighbor having too much stuff in his yard and just deciding on his own to store some of it in your yard.

 

[canwegosoon]

I have never been small...(I am very tall..but worse yet I have long legs...and cannot sit in an exit row due to traveling with children)...But I have had my knees jammed into the seat infront of me for almost every flight I have ever been on(sometimes it is due to someone reclining and some times they can not even recline due to my knees). As a result I get really bad leg cramps...but there's nothing I can do...I bring tonic water with Quinnaine to relieve the pain.
As far as size goes...if you are in a spot that is uncomfortable to you, ask the stewards if there is anyother open seats on the flight...before you take off if possible. SWA is the only one I know that really makes it an issue...(unless you are really big)...I think most other carriers like United, Usairways and Delta etc. will try to just switch you. I had one ticket agent look at me and automatically switched me to a row with extra leg room...that was my best flight ever!!!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

After my dad passed away we brought my mom out to Ks to be with us---well shes a big lady and when she arrived at Logan in Boston she was told because of her size she would need to purchase another ticket--she told them that she had no money and that I had purchased the ticket for her so they told her to call me to buy another ticket for her--my mom was so embarrassed and trying to hold back tears when I was on the phone with her--she didnt have her addy book on her so they went and got her luggage from wherever they had it and made her go thru it to find her book--all this happened at the counter in front of everyone--my mom said many complained to the counter people about what was going on and told her to keep her head up---well I didn't have the money to buy another ticket and had to hang up w/my mom while I tried to find someone to help us out--my Dh's friend gave me his cc# to do it and when I called them back they said they couldnt do it with his unless he called so he called and gave them the #--they called me back and said they could get her on a flight the next day (shes already there waiting for her flight)I said that was unacceptable that they either put her on her flight or found an airline that would bring her that day----well they put her on her flight and when she landed you could tell she must have cried the whole way---come to find out we had to pay for the 2nd ticket and the flight wasnt even full my mom said the flight was maybe half full and the seat she was in noone was in the 3rd seat...

I was mad and called the airline and filed a complaint-they said it was there policy for big ppl to buy 2 seats no real explanation as to why we had to when the plane wasn't even full--and no apology for the counter ppl in Boston

 

[ducklite]

I wonder if weight has something to do with the rationale as well.

more weight=more fuel=more cost

It's one of the reasons they ahve really started to clamp down on overweight bags.

I feel that if the flight is not full, they should try to accomodate an overweight pax without additional charge. however that person shold not expect to have anyone forced from the seat they are already happily settled into, or expect to be seated with their traveling companions if they are moved to accomodate them. In other words, they need to have reasonable expectations with any accomodation made for them.

If the flight is full, and they can not occupy their seat without spilling into the seat next to them, then they must deplane and wait for the next flight. It's utterly wrong to expect another passenger to share the seat they paid for with someone who could have taken the time to measure and be sure they would fit in the seat they booked if there was any doubt, and booked a second seat if they needed to.

I do feel that passengers of size should be treated with dignity, and this doesn't always happen.

Anne

 

[tmt martins]

I wonder if weight has something to do with the rationale as well.

more weight=more fuel=more cost

It's one of the reasons they ahve really started to clamp down on overweight bags.



Anne

Nope it has to do with them making money if they make money of you ( Heavy person or baggage ) or they will fill your flight with the bags of the next .

Then they will either fill with cargo or airline stuff that has to be moved from airport to airport.This is the biggest money maker for airlines now.

They are also haveing a lot of disability claims from baggage handlers saying the bags are to heavy and they threw their backs out.I can beleive that 75lbs is a lot to be heaving up to the plane.

 

[canwegosoon]

What cracks me up is smaller people don't pay less....

 

[jctwizzer]

what amuses me is that none of the comments give recognition to the fact that people of size are being rude by imposing their bulk on those next to them. Which, IMHO, is why they should have to buy two seats. If you don't fit in one, buy two.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Irishbosoxfan - how long ago, and what airline?

 

[irishbosoxfan]

It was in June/July not sure of exact date in 2002--Flying on Delta

 

[bicker]

The specific scenes that the OP discussed should never occur. Passengers-of-size are obligated to self-identify in advance, and to voluntarily purchase two seats. (Check the contract.) Those horribly embarassing scenes should never be necessary. They are in imposition on the gate agents, who would rather pull out their own fingernails than have to confront a passenger like that.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

Hope I don't get flamed for my comments but I experienced the other side of the coin. When my son was four , he and I were flying from NJ. A gentleman sat beside me who was really, really big. My son and I had to share 1 1/2 seats then. We couldn't use the trays (which hindered him coloring etc... no big deal I know but...) which was awkward when meal time rolled around... I was sitting in most of his seat (my son's) the whole time because the gentleman was running over into mine. That was not fair because I paid for two whole seats on that flight and was very uncomfortable and squished the entire flight. He should not have been allowed to inconvenience us that way.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Just for the record - purchasing an extra seat/ticket is not based on weight, but rather on size. If you carry most of your weight in your abdomen, your bottom is still most likely going to fit comfortably in ONE seat. It's when one's hips overflow into the adjacent seat that the purchase of an additional seat is required (although not enforced by most airlines).
What viewers see on Airline is the extreme incidents. We don't see the passengers who, when told they need to purchase an additional seat, maturely, wisely and realistically do so with no argument (or else are not leaving from Midway, LAX, Baltimore or one of the other few airports at which taping occurs; or have already bought two seats during the initial transaction).

 

[CarolA]

I once had a seat that was so bad I could NOT fasten my seat belt. And American ALLOWED us to take off like that. The woman next to me took up so much of my seat we could not get the seat belt to work in my seat. She shouold have been charged and I should NEVER have been in that position. (they allowed me to sit in the jump seat while the plane was flying and the NASTY letter I wrote AA did get me my money back, but did NOTHING to deal with the safety issue!)

I agree with the other poster. I should not have to give up my seat which I paid for....

Anne, SW will refund the passenger the money if they wind up with unsold seats on the plane. However, if they have to deny boarding or can't sell that seat on a full flight then I agree that they should compensate the airline.

I have a friend who only flies First Class due to size issues. Yes, it costs her a LOT more money, but she feels much more comfortable.....

 

[seashoreCM]

I think weight only matters with very small planes, and the airline will usually leave luggage behind rather than deplane any people.

It remains up to any aggrieved passenger to complain, but I dare say that if someone does complain prior to departure, the airline must mitigate the problem. Have a Complaint Resolution Officer (there's always one) summoned if necessary.

Lower level airline personnel are sometimes reluctant to stand up for you because they will be disciplined if amything they did resulted in a late departure.

Note that if the plane is full, an airline does not have to give bump compensation for deplaning someone who purchased only one seat but took up more space.

Regarding taping for the Airline show at Chicago Midway, Baltimore, etc. I'm not sure where to draw the line regarding the general public being included. We all know that anything may be taped (or filmed) at WDW without obligation to pay guests as extras. We see a lot of possibly embarassing situations on TV news. But I would consider it inappropriate to tape,focusing on an actual incident involving members of the general public and of the kind discussed in this thread and put that on the Airline show.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Tinky]

Just another thought.... the size of the seats are on the smallish size IMHO... DH who is not by any stretch a person of size, travels at least twice a week and is always amazed at the size of the seats. His issue is the width, leg room (he's a flat 6') and the "whoever gets there first, gets the arm rest game" When you have two grown men in those seats side by side I'm sure its snug... And if you throw anyone of size into the mix, its miserable.
He loves getting upgraded for the extra room but that doesnt always happen.
Maybe the size of the seats need to be evaluated but I guess the more seats, the more revenue, etc...

 

[curiouser]

Regarding taping for the Airline show at Chicago Midway, Baltimore, etc. I'm not sure where to draw the line regarding the general public being included. We all know that anything may be taped (or filmed) at WDW without obligation to pay guests as extras. We see a lot of possibly embarassing situations on TV news. But I would consider it inappropriate to tape,focusing on an actual incident involving members of the general public and of the kind discussed in this thread and put that on the Airline show.

Each and every person featured on Airline signs a release form that allows the show and A&E to broadcast their story. If they are embarassed, they shouldn't have signed the release.

 

[bicker]

I'm not sure that's the case. There have been some discussions in some of the hardcore television forums that have speculated that Airline is presented as a documentary, and therefore is exempt from obtaining releases. It would be interesting to know for sure.

 

[CarolA]

I think weight only matters with very small planes, and the airline will usually leave luggage behind rather than deplane any people.

It remains up to any aggrieved passenger to complain, but I dare say that if someone does complain prior to departure, the airline must mitigate the problem. Have a Complaint Resolution Officer (there's always one) summoned if necessary.

Lower level airline personnel are sometimes reluctant to stand up for you because they will be disciplined if amything they did resulted in a late departure.

Note that if the plane is full, an airline does not have to give bump compensation for deplaning someone who purchased only one seat but took up more space.

.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Oh I complained. I had the AA manager out there. However, in Nashville, AA's idea of Customer Service was "Attack the passenger" This whole station at that point was run by folks who could care less about the passengers etc.... (Turned me off the airline forever! I once watched a gate agent call a passenger a "witch" to her face for asking a BASIC question!)


AA's ONLY suggestion was that I get off the plane and wait EIGHT hours for the next flight. They were NOT willing to deal with the offending passenger... So they allowed me to violate FAA regulations

 

[bicker]

Another no-win scenario. It seems, as time goes on, we manage to direct our society towards providing more and more no-win scenarios.