Sometime I just don't like to share..

[MushyMushy]

Why is there so much anger and hostility towards obese people? It goes far beyond being squished in a seat (albeit a legitimate complaint).

 

[robinb]

Too bad, lose weight. I don't care if i get flamed, but there is no excuse for people being that big to not be able to fit into a seat. I was on a flight where the woman behind me asked me not to put my seat back becasue the tray was digging in her. I said too bad, i paid for the seat and i want to be comfortable. She called the stewardess over and i told her that i paid for it and that maybe she should move.

Gee ... that was really mean and selfish. It wouldn't have killed you to have an upright seat for the duration of the flight to avoid injuring the person behind you. Is she supposed to balance her drink, etc on her lap?

ETA: IMO, the pitch of the seats in a plane are unreasonably small. I am not pooh sized (I'm a size 12) and the tray comes close to digging into my belly when the person in front of me puts their seat back.

 

[kimmikayb]

(countdown to lock up?)

This thread was going good until "someone"

One of my favorite sayings is "God doesn't judge us till the day we die, so why should we judge anyone?"

OP, you won't get a flame from me. I believe you had the right to your full seat. PLUS I think you had a right to a flight without the hostility. What did the mom of the boy do when the man was so rude?

 

[MushyMushy]

Gee ... that was really mean and selfish. It wouldn't have killed you to have an upright seat for the duration of the flight to avoid injuring the person behind you. Is she supposed to balance her drink, etc on her lap?

ETA: IMO, the pitch of the seats in a plane are unreasonably small. I am not pooh sized (I'm a size 12) and the tray comes close to digging into my belly when the person in front of me puts their seat back.

I agree.

This is actually kind of funny. When we flew in June, the girls didn't notice that the seats reclined on the flight to Florida, but they asked about it on the flight home. A couple of people had reclined their seats. Well, I told the girls, "Don't recline your seats -- it's only a 2 hour flight, and you can sit up for that amount of time. It's really uncomfortable for the people behind you."

Well, everyone within about a 9 seat radius put their seats up. I honestly didn't mean it that way.

 

[luvmydogs]

YOu have every right to be upset. I would be PO if i couldn't sit comfortably in my own seat let alone have the arm rest down. If the person next to me was taking up some of my seat that i paid for and was rude to me, i would have called over the stewardess and tell them that i want that person to be moved or to move me. There is no way that my hard earned money would be spent sharing it with a rudeperson sitting in my seat. I am sorry, but anyone that cannot fit into one seat needs to buy 2 seats. I don't care, why should someone else have to be uncomfortable. There is no reason why anyone shouldn't sit into a seat. They are not unreasonably small. Too bad, lose weight. I don't care if i get flamed, but there is no excuse for people being that big to not be able to fit into a seat. I was on a flight where the woman behind me asked me not to put my seat back becasue the tray was digging in her. I said too bad, i paid for the seat and i want to be comfortable. She called the stewardess over and i told her that i paid for it and that maybe she should move. I had been overweight for most of my life so i know what it is like. If i knew there was a possibility that i wouldnt be able to fit into a seat you bet that would be enough for me to do something about it.
I would have demanded a refund.

So was I. I used to weigh 235 pounds, but now weigh 125-127. As thin as I am now, if I'm wearing a winter coat on a plane, I can still feel squished.

The OP does not deserve to be flamed in the least, for she has a very valid complaint. But let's not forget that the rest of us--regardless of size--have no right to be rude and denigrating to those around us based soley on size. This thread was really maintaining a respectful course--until this post. Hopefully, it will get back on track.

 

[Chicago526]

So was I. I used to weigh 235 pounds, but now weigh 125-127. As thin as I am now, if I'm wearing a winter coat on a plane, I can still feel squished.

The OP does not deserve to be flamed in the least, for she has a very valid complaint. But let's not forget that the rest of us--regardless of size--have no right to be rude and denigrating to those around us based soley on size. This thread was really maintaining a respectful course--until this post. Hopefully, it will get back on track.

Not that I don't beleive you, but I don't get it. I'm 5'7" and and I usually weigh between 150 and 165, and bounce between a size 10 and 12. I fly United/Ted exclusively and have never felt squished on a flight. I don't have oodles of extra room but I'm quite comfortable, and I have great big birthin' hips, I'm no skinny-mini! I guess it's all in how an individual preceives it!

Anyway, as far as I know, FAA regulations state that armrests must be fully down on take off and landing. If the person is so large that the armrest(s) cannot be fully down, they either have to have a second seat or be removed from the flight. So the OP would have been well within her rights to ask the FA for assistance (and the FA's shouldn't have let this person fly since the armrest could lower all the way, they should have spotted this on their safety check).

Also, seat belts MUST be fastened (the FA's are supposed to ask people to lift their jackets/blankets/sweaters if they can't see it buckled) on take off/landing and whenever else the "seat belt" light is on. If it cannot be buckled they do have extenders for those pooh sized passengers who need them (they can discreatly ask for one when boarding). This so important, not just for the pooh sized passenger but for everyone on the flight. In extreme turbulence or an emergency landing (or heaven forbid, a crash landing) anything not straped down becomes a projectile (and no, you can't just hang on!). Imagine a pooh sized person (or any person, for that matter!) flying through the cabin and landing on someone!

I do have compasion for large people, my best friend is morbidly obese and I see all the problems her size causes her. But when it comes to flying it's not just comfort of the other passengers, but safety too.

 

[monsterkitty]

The comments from arielsleepingbeauty are what I was afraid of.

Arielsleepingbeauty, I'm only 5'2 and if the seat in front of my comes back, it digs into my knees as well. This had nothing to do with seat pitch, just seat width. There are better ways to make your point.


kimmikayb, the little boy was flying with his older siblings, they were all around the ages of 7-15 and were flying unattended.

Once again, I would like to thank all those who have kept this thread respectful.

 

[monsterkitty]

Not that I don't beleive you, but I don't get it. I'm 5'7" and and I usually weigh between 150 and 165, and bounce between a size 10 and 12. I fly United/Ted exclusively and have never felt squished on a flight. I don't have oodles of extra room but I'm quite comfortable, and I have great big birthin' hips, I'm no skinny-mini! I guess it's all in how an individual preceives it, I guess!

Anyway, as far as I know, FAA regulations state that armrests must be fully down on take off and landing. If the person is so large that the armrest(s) cannot be fully down, they either have to have a second seat or be removed from the flight. So the OP would have been well within her rights to ask the FA for assistance (and the FA's shouldn't have let this person fly since the armrest could lower all the way, they should have spotted this on their safety check).

Like I just stated in my previous post, I am 5'2". I weigh 117 pounds (if you care) and I was very squished. I have felt this way on every TED flight I have taken. I don't feel as squished on regular United flights, or Frontier flights as I do on TED flights. These are normal flights I have taken, not this experience. Maybe the use the smaller Airbus from my airport.

As for the armrest being down per FAA regulations, there is no such regulation. You are thinking of the tray's which must be within the upright position. It would make no sense for airlines, such as SWA, to charge an overweight person for two seats if the person cannot put the armrest up.

 

[luvmydogs]

Not that I don't beleive you, but I don't get it. I'm 5'7" and and I usually weigh between 150 and 165, and bounce between a size 10 and 12. I fly United/Ted exclusively and have never felt squished on a flight. I don't have oodles of extra room but I'm quite comfortable, and I have great big birthin' hips, I'm no skinny-mini! I guess it's all in how an individual preceives it, I guess!

Anyway, as far as I know, FAA regulations state that armrests must be fully down on take off and landing. If the person is so large that the armrest(s) cannot be fully down, they either have to have a second seat or be removed from the flight. So the OP would have been well within her rights to ask the FA for assistance (and the FA's shouldn't have let this person fly since the armrest could lower all the way, they should have spotted this on their safety check).

Also, seat belts MUST be fastened (the FA's are supposed to ask people to lift their jackets/blankets/sweaters if they can't see it buckled) on take off/landing and whenever else the "seat belt" light is on. If it cannot be buckled they do have extenders for those pooh sized passengers who need them (they can discreatly ask for one when boarding). This so important, not just for the pooh sized passenger but for everyone on the flight. In extreme turbulence or an emergency landing (or heaven forbid, a crash landing) anything not straped down becomes a projectile (and no, you can't just hang on!). Imagine a pooh sized person (or any person, for that matter!) flying through the cabin and landing on someone!

I do have compasion for large people, my best friend is morbidly obese and I see all the problems her size causes. But when it comes to flying it's not just comfort of the other passengers, but safety too.

If you want to check it out, you may go to the WISH Board--I posted about my weight loss there for years. I'm 5'6 and a size 6/8, and yes, when I fly in the winter and leave my coat on, I fill a seat. I don't overfill, but I fill it up width-wise. Maybe it's the airline I fly--ASA, a connector service of Delta...don't know for sure, as I haven't flown any other airline since my weight loss.

I agree it's a question of safety and comfort for evereyone--but purposeful, intent rudeness is very rarely needed in making a point. It tends to ruin one's credibility and creates uneasiness for those involved.

Just my experience.

 

[Syrreal]

No flames here either, and I do think that you might have been less irritated by the man had he not been hostile to those around him.
Was the arm rest broken or did this man's size prevent it from lowering? I know I have been on flights where the armrest was broken and it was just me and DH next to each other (neither of us pooh sized) and it gets uncomfortable so I can only imagine how it was with you. <hugs>

I remember when I was younger I was able to sleep in the floor space between the seats. My mother would put me on the floor and my little brother on the seats and we would sleep through the whole 8 hour flight. Now, I can't imagine being able to do that even with kids! Everything seems so much smaller! And the 2 inch "recline" they give you might as well not even be there most of the time.

 

[Chicago526]

If you want to check it out, you may go to the WISH Board--I posted about my weight loss there for years. I'm 5'6 and a size 6/8, and yes, when I fly in the winter and leave my coat on, I fill a seat. I don't overfill, but I fill it up width-wise. Maybe it's the airline I fly--ASA, a connector service of Delta...don't know for sure, as I haven't flown any other airline since my weight loss.

I agree it's a question of safety and comfort for evereyone--but purposeful, intent rudeness is very rarely needed in making a point. It tends to ruin one's credibility and creates uneasiness for those involved.

Just my experience.

I'm not sure where I was rude, all I said was that I'm larger than serveral people here who have posted and that I was perfectly comfortable on both United and Ted flights and how "comfort" may be, in part, a person's perception. If you weren't refering to me, then never mind, I only assumed you were since you quoted my post.

Like I just stated in my previous post, I am 5'2". I weigh 117 pounds (if you care) and I was very squished. I have felt this way on every TED flight I have taken. I don't feel as squished on regular United flights, or Frontier flights as I do on TED flights. These are normal flights I have taken, not this experience. Maybe the use the smaller Airbus from my airport.

As for the armrest being down per FAA regulations, there is no such regulation. You are thinking of the tray's which must be within the upright position. It would make no sense for airlines, such as SWA, to charge an overweight person for two seats if the person cannot put the armrest up.

I said I believed you when you said you felt squished, just that I didn't understand where you were coming from (and I mean in a genuinely puzzled kind of way, not a "oh that person is just hyper sensitive" way, I'm fancinated by differant perceptions of the same situation). Logicly speaking, given the same seat, the larger person would be more likely to be uncomfortable than a smaller person. As for the arm rest, all I can relate is what I've heard SWA advise their customers, that it's an FAA regulation. Being they're a major airline, I figured they'd know! If it isn't a regulation, I stand corrected, but someone needs to tell SWA that too!

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

So was I. I used to weigh 235 pounds, but now weigh 125-127. As thin as I am now, if I'm wearing a winter coat on a plane, I can still feel squished.

The OP does not deserve to be flamed in the least, for she has a very valid complaint. But let's not forget that the rest of us--regardless of size--have no right to be rude and denigrating to those around us based soley on size. This thread was really maintaining a respectful course--until this post. Hopefully, it will get back on track.

Sorry if it came out badly , but I wasn't flaming the OP at all, I was trying to say that i would too feel frustrated if i had to share part of my seat with someone that was rude and touching me. I also wouldn't like the fact that the arm rest wouldn't go down because that would not be comfortable to me. It sounded as if that person clearly didn't fit into just one seat and should have had to purchase an additonal ticket. I am truly sorry if what i was trying to say came out sounding rude. I do not, however, apologize for my opinions because every person is entitled to their own. I am 5'0 and even when i weighed 176, i was still able to fit into one seat without any comfort problems. Again i apologize to the OP, i was not flaming you at all so i hope that you did not take it that way.