Purchasing an extra ticket due to weight...

[Lewisc]

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.

Airline, which has been cancelled, gets releases. Once or twice I saw a face that had been pixelated, I assume it was a person that they didn't sign a release form.

 

[HappyLawyer]

i agree with the space thing, i am a big woman, i have never been asked to purchase another seat, maybe because my dtr and mom sit in the row with me and they are small, but i always had to ask for the seat belt extender-except for my last flight-yeah diet is working. I would say just be prepared, and if the seats are cheap, get one anyway just for the extra room especially if you are traveling with kids. Good luck if you have more personal ? pm me and i will answer then privately if i am able

 

[JDietz40]

We flew SW for the first time 11/05 and I purchased a 2nd seat for me because I wanted to avoid anything being said at the gate. I found that I really did not need it but the extra room was nice. DS(13) and I sat on on side with a seat between us and DW sat in the aisle seat across the row. We are flying SW again to get to our Easter Disney Magic cruise and I again booked the extra seat. To me the extra comfort is worth the extra cost. I am 6'1" and 260# and DS(13) is already 6'1"+ and 215# so even though we fit well into the seats it would not be comfortable for the 2 of us and DW or anyone else for that matter in one row.

At least one poster noted the size of the seats and I agree that they are to small. That being said we all like the low fares that SW and the other discount airlines offer and they can offer them by cramming as many bodies into as little space as possible.

John

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There are many other threads already on this topic. Just FYI:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1022524&highlight=pooh

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1019859&highlight=pooh

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=929638&highlight=pooh

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=895525&highlight=pooh

 

[DisneyDotty]

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

This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.
I think people should have to pay the person behind them if they want to put their seat back!

 

[seashoreCM]

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.
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

I reread your previous post and what you got, the jump seat and your money back would have satisfied me.

If you had to get off the plane, the airline would not be limited to paying the published bump compensation because the agents did not ask for volunteers.

Now if only many more people went as far as you did, the airlines would make changes for the better.

 

[curiouser]

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.

I read an article on it that said they did... it was in a magazine, but I can't remember which one, sadly. I was perusing magazines in a student lounge area at a nearby university while waiting on a friend. There was a small blurb about the show that caught my eye because I was a fan of the British version (and am now a fan of the American version).

Edit: this was not the article I read, but it addresses the release form issue. Read to page 2, down at the bottom: http://www.baltimoresun.com/enterta...e03sep03,1,1724940.story?coll=bal-artslife-tv

 

[meloneyb21]

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.

That is true, I never thought of it like that before.

 

[Lewisc]

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.

I agree with that opinion BUT there is another opinion. Some people say the airlines are selling transportation. Transporting a person from point A to point B. You don't see a bus or train charging extra for larger customers. You don't see a movie theater charging extra. Some people believe it's up to the airline to handle the situation. Supply a seat that's large enough, two seats or upgrade someone to business class. Universal has a row of larger seats in some of the coasters to accommodate larger guests. Suppose an airline decided to cut the size of the seats in half and the majority of the customers had to pay for 2 seats?

I agree with your point but there is an alternate point of view.

 

[CarolA]

I reread your previous post and what you got, the jump seat and your money back would have satisfied me.

If you had to get off the plane, the airline would not be limited to paying the published bump compensation because the agents did not ask for volunteers.

Now if only many more people went as far as you did, the airlines would make changes for the better.

I was not satisfied. Basically AA decided that my safety was NOT a concern. Seatbelts are used for a reason. I was unable to use mine. Had we had issues on landing or takeoff all I could hope is that the fact that I was WEDGED into my seat would have kept me from flying. Also, during the fight I was not really able to fasten my seat belt (since it's the over the head harness system in the jump seat.....)

 

[married2grumpy]

wrong board

 

[allboyz]

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

yeah, kids are full price. Not even a small discount! Nothing!

 

[ducklite]

yeah, kids are full price. Not even a small discount! Nothing!

Actually there are often half price fares for children age two and under, they aren't on the web site, you have to call. I know Delta offers them for sure.

Some carriers also offer student fares now and then, although they are usually higher than the deep discount fares.

Anne

 

[JDietz40]

AirTran has been advertising it's X fares that are for I believe 20-24 year olds where they can show up at the airport with an ID and fly stand by if there are open seats. I have not checked this out though since I am unfortunately way beyond the X generation.


John

 

[linda_loo]

I worry about this... I will be flying with my 2 kids in April, by myself and I am thinking I'll be more than angry if I have to pay extra. We 3 would be our own row, so it's not like I'll be bothering anyone. If you average our weight out, there is no way we are costing more in fuel. No matter how big my kids are, their combined weight of 64 pounds certainly offsets my weight.

 

[JDietz40]

I worry about this... I will be flying with my 2 kids in April, by myself and I am thinking I'll be more than angry if I have to pay extra. We 3 would be our own row, so it's not like I'll be bothering anyone. If you average our weight out, there is no way we are costing more in fuel. No matter how big my kids are, their combined weight of 64 pounds certainly offsets my weight.

From other posts that I have seen it appears that SWA does not consider that you will be sitting with your family. They feel that because of their boarding policy you may not necessarily be seated together and even if you are you should not infringe on your childrens seating. Personally I think that is a bit of a stretch but I don't make any decisions for the airlines.

Good luck on your upcoming trip.



John

 

[bicker]

Given how many people Southwest needs to serve, and that they are specifically offering a low fare experience, they cannot establish practices that have lots of 'case-by-case' determinations at the airport. They deliberately, in the interest of their customers' priority for low fares, direct case-by-case issues to their office staff, where overhead costs for providing customer service aren't so outrageously high.

 

[Lewisc]

Given how many people Southwest needs to serve, and that they are specifically offering a low fare experience, they cannot establish practices that have lots of 'case-by-case' determinations at the airport. They deliberately, in the interest of their customers' priority for low fares, direct case-by-case issues to their office staff, where overhead costs for providing customer service aren't so outrageously high.

Traditionally legacy airlines have had lower load levels, could upgrade some passengers to business or first class and could rely on assigned seating to help solve the problem with larger passengers.

SW has found allowing (requiring) the COS to purchase a second seat ensures the customer gets 2 seats next to each other. People purchasing two seats who've posted on places like disboards and flyertalk mention they almost always get a refund.

 

[ducklite]

I worry about this... I will be flying with my 2 kids in April, by myself and I am thinking I'll be more than angry if I have to pay extra. We 3 would be our own row, so it's not like I'll be bothering anyone. If you average our weight out, there is no way we are costing more in fuel. No matter how big my kids are, their combined weight of 64 pounds certainly offsets my weight.

But what will happen if you can't get seats next to each other? This is a real possibility with SW.

Anne

 

[nicdanh]

After flying into Orlando last year, we were sitting outside waiting for Mears and we got talking to a large man who said SW made him purchase 2 seats which he didi. Than SW had the nerve to sell his extra seat again to someone!!!! So they sold the seat twice. He told us he fit just fine in the seat and should of never had to purchase another. But how dare they sell his seat.