Was This US Airways passenger appropriately compensated?

[goofy!]

Is THAT the actual picture? He would barely fit in two seats!!! How could he not have been aware of his condition prior to boarding? Was he counting on an unfull plane? He had to have bought his ticket on line!

No, this is a picture of a guy on a flight awhile back that also caused quite a bit of controversy. The uproar at the time was that the flight personnel did not do anything about the fact that the obese person was causing a dangerous blockage of the aisle.

 

[Rabscuttle]

"man of size"? We are so politically correct aren't we?

That is the kindest thing I have seen on this forum.

 

[shaylyn]

According to this version of the story he was able to wedge himself into his seat for takeoff and landing.

The whole standing the whole flight seemed fishy to me. There is no way they would have allowed the flight to take off or land with a passenger standing up.

On the flights I've been on--the flight attendants won't let anyone stand in the aisles even to wait for the bathroom. Not sure if he could have stood in front of his seat?

 

[shalom]

I agree that the size of the seats are a problem. It is not just the severely obese, but I find many people are oversized in the shoulder area, which encroaches upon my space, causing me to sit slightly to the side or with one arm draped in front of me. I find this as bothersome as someone obese.

Ditto. I've got broad shoulders for a woman, and I've been forced to sit sideways when sitting by even skinny guys if they were broad shouldered. I've also known people who were 300 pounds who took up less space than I did when I was 130; it's not just the weight, it's how it's distributed and what kind of bones it hangs on.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Fat slob is just a thief - he stole a seat paid for by someone else.

I would love to address that comment but will bite my tongue instead. And no, I'm not overweight. I'm a size 10.

 

[ols386]

There must be something missing in this story, because I can't believe that the plane would even move much less take-off unless all passengers were in their seats with seatbelts fastened. And if that's the case, didn't the flight attendants notice that someone was standing?

 

[ChrisFL]

There must be something missing in this story, because I can't believe that the plane would even move much less take-off unless all passengers were in their seats with seatbelts fastened. And if that's the case, didn't the flight attendants notice that someone was standing?

Yes, they said he squeezed himself in for takeoff and landing, but was standing the rest of the flight.

I do agree that there needs to be test seats before people board a plane, to know whether they are going to fit.

Having lots of obese people crammed into single seats also makes the plane heavier and use more fuel.

 

[Andtototoo]

I am not sure why the airlines is not being fined by the FAA for this.

I have to wonder what they would have done if I (or someone like me) was the person they wanted to displace. I have a knee injury and simply cannot stand for that length of time. I can't do it. So in a situation like that -- what would they have done?

I have a coworker who is 400 pounds and he spends time dealing with the problems his size causes for seating in any number of venues, including air travel (he chooses to either fly first class or he drives himself places). I sincerely doubt that the 400 pound man did not know what he was doing. Aside from the fact that he announced he was the other passenger's "worst nightmare", flying is not the first time he's encountered a seating problem. He would have trouble fitting into seats at restaurants, at movie theaters, and many cars. Heck, I'm not even close to half his weight and I've had my hips hit another passenger's on these stupid teeny seats, so there is no way he could not have known what he was doing. He choose to inflict his problems on others and shameshameshame on the airline for punishing an innocent bystander and paying customer and violating safety regs rather than dealing with the problem.

 

[honeydiane1953]

I only read first page so apologize if this already has been mentioned. I am so sick of people suing for PITIFUL things however in this case I think the man should get a lawyer and hope he gets a lot of compensation. He is a human being and was treated a lot worse than an animal.

 

[SandrA9810]

I'm not broad shouldered or hips, but I've felt cramped in the middle seat between two men in business suits. Who I wouldn't call large.

Its funny how the rest of America is adapting to the larger average person, but yet airlines keep shrinking their seats.

 

[Ember]

It's amazing the judgement that can come out of four words. From, "I'm your worst nightmare," it has been inferred that this man walked onto that plane with the intent of disrupting someone else's flight. That he had flown before and knowingly only booked one ticket when he knew he needed two seats, thus making him an inconsiderate "fat slob." He's also clearly rude and selfish, as he wasn't the one standing.

Huh.

Alternatively: This man boarded the plane and was horrified when he realized how small the seats were. When his seat mate came, he apologized and tried to use self deprecating humor - hence the comment. As for standing, perhaps this man had a medical reason for sitting. There are a lot of health complications that come with obesity (no matter what the cause of obesity is). Or, as we don't know the story, the airline staff figured the other passenger would be less of a disturbance standing. (And before you dismiss that idea, how much intelligence have the staff shown so far?)

 

[FireDancer]

I do agree that there needs to be test seats before people board a plane, to know whether they are going to fit.

Either that or provide the maximum width a person can be before they must buy two seats. People know how wide they are and if they don't it is easy to just measure yourself before you buy the ticket. If you are wider than the maximum and buy one seat you have the choice of buying a second at the gate (if available) or being turned away.

Anyone who is self aware would know if they are too big to fit. It isn't rocket science. When he realized he wouldn't fit in one seat the man should have gotten up and left the plane. You are free to do so until the doors close and since there were still people boarding I don't believe there wasn't time for him to leave the plane after he discovered he couldn't fit.

 

[goofy!]

It's amazing the judgement that can come out of four words. From, "I'm your worst nightmare," it has been inferred that this man walked onto that plane with the intent of disrupting someone else's flight. That he had flown before and knowingly only booked one ticket when he knew he needed two seats, thus making him an inconsiderate "fat slob." He's also clearly rude and selfish, as he wasn't the one standing.

Huh.

Alternatively: This man boarded the plane and was horrified when he realized how small the seats were. When his seat mate came, he apologized and tried to use self deprecating humor - hence the comment. As for standing, perhaps this man had a medical reason for sitting. There are a lot of health complications that come with obesity (no matter what the cause of obesity is). Or, as we don't know the story, the airline staff figured the other passenger would be less of a disturbance standing. (And before you dismiss that idea, how much intelligence have the staff shown so far?)

Then as soon as his seatmate arrived and he realized that he was encroaching on the seatmates paid for space, he should have immediately deplaned and requested another plane where he could purchase an additional seat.

The fact that he stayed in his seat and allowed another to be inconvenienced screams entitlement and basic theft.

 

[ols386]

Yes, they said he squeezed himself in for takeoff and landing, but was standing the rest of the flight.

I do agree that there needs to be test seats before people board a plane, to know whether they are going to fit.

Having lots of obese people crammed into single seats also makes the plane heavier and use more fuel.

Oh, excuse me. I thought the plane had departed with him standing.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm amazed that everyone is taking this article at face value.


The person who supposedly stood up reports what the other passenger said. Sorry, but you were doing something wrong by standing when you were told to sit (the msnbc article had info from the FAs, unlike this UK article), and therefore I do not trust what you are saying.

Who reported the weight of the man?

The picture of the man can not be THE man, and it's not labeled as such. It's just a random picture. The man in that picture in the artlcle is almost certainly NOT 400, just going from how much space is in front of him, he's less than 400.

The msnbc article stated that the man CHOSE to stand. NO ONE forced him to stand. He was uncomfortable, so he chose to stand.

This article states that he's a seasoned traveler...but he's paying $800 for a flight? A night flight, as someone noticed, at that? Highly doubtful.

And why would the situation keep him from fastening his seatbelt? The other man can stand up a bit, the smaller man can get the seatbelt situated, then the bigger man can sit back down. Easy.

If the bigger man was taking up HALF of the second seat, HOW is the THIRD passenger being "pinned" to anything? He's got his own seat plus the other half of the second seat.

Of course, I'm assuming that the bigger man is in the aisle seat, the one that CHOSE to stand is in the middle, and the third is in the window. If the bigger man was in the middle, then why on earth did the smaller guy not let him know he was leaving the seat, so he could sit in the aisle during the cruising portion of the flight????? If any of that is at all true, then the smaller man helped to cause the third passenger's discomfort, because he didn't have the courtesy to mention that he wouldn't be sitting to the other men.

I have a great deal more sympathy for the obese man than many people seem to. My mother was obese due to health complications (first thyroid, then cancer), and I saw first hand how humiliating it was for her. There needs to be a much more discrete way of dealing with situations like very heavy passengers, who are becoming more common in our society for whatever reasons. At the same time, they have got to stop shrinking the seats. I'm a size 10 (so two sizes smaller than the "average" woman) and I've had some issues with the small seats on some flights. The airlines have dug themselves into this hole, and they need to start thinking of ways to fix the situation.

You are awesome.

Wow, It really shame that some people think it okay to call others name

That is just NOT the guy. Even the URL shows that it was from 2 years ago. And that picture shows a man sitting ON the seatrest (because where else IS it), making him look bigger and more "looming" than he would have otherwise looked.

The whole standing the whole flight seemed fishy to me. There is no way they would have allowed the flight to take off or land with a passenger standing up.

Exactly.

If any of this really happened, the dude chose to remain unbelted (meaning he lied to FAs by omission of telling them the problem) until the seatbelt light went off, then CHOSE to go elsewhere. If it was really that big a problem, he should have told someone of it before the plane even thought of taxiing.


I'm just not buying his story.

 

[diznygirl]

That is just NOT the guy. Even the URL shows that it was from 2 years ago. And that picture shows a man sitting ON the seatrest (because where else IS it), making him look bigger and more "looming" than he would have otherwise looked.

Even if you lower him the height of the armrest, he's still a HUGE man and twice as wide as the airline seat.

 

[tasha99]

. . .

This article states that he's a seasoned traveler...but he's paying $800 for a flight? A night flight, as someone noticed, at that? Highly doubtful.

Flights to and from Anchorage are expensive, esp if it's high season for traveling or the flight was purchased late. Not hard to believe at all. Not everything can be purchased for lower 48 bargain prices.

 

[goofinoff]

That is just NOT the guy. Even the URL shows that it was from 2 years ago. And that picture shows a man sitting ON the seatrest (because where else IS it), making him look bigger and more "looming" than he would have otherwise looked.

It's not. The person who posted the picture even said it's not just a few posts up from your post!!

This situation is just another reason NOT to fly USAirways!! They SUCK!!! I was just on one of their flights a few weeks ago. Our first flight was from Cancun to Charlotte. The plane was very old (even still had ash trays in the arm rests) and the seats were so small. I barely had any leg room from my seat to the seat in front of me and it was worse when the person in front me reclined a bit!! My friends carry on didn't fit in the overhead because so many passengers were allowed to put purses, backpacks, sweatshirts etc in the overheads. She was forced to check it which in turn made us almost miss our connecting flight. When we were boarding our flight in Charlotte to Boston, we were in the last zone to board and the gate agent told all 3 of us that the overheads were full and we needed to check our carryons. We got on the plane and there was pleanty of space. When my friend (who is a travel agent) asked one of the flight attendants why we needed to check our bags she wasn't sure. She told us that no one at the gate had called them to ask if there was any room left. As a result, when we got to Boston 2 of us missed our bus going to Maine because we had to wait to get our bags. We had to wait for 2 1/2 hours for the next bus!!!! I was furious!!!!! I usually fly JetBlue and I know that the flight attendants are very aware of people using the overhead space for carryon bags only and are continually asking passengers to remove anything from the overhead space that can fit under the seat. I will NEVER fly USAirways again!!

 

[Rabscuttle]

I'm amazed that everyone is taking this article at face value.


The person who supposedly stood up reports what the other passenger said. Sorry, but you were doing something wrong by standing when you were told to sit (the msnbc article had info from the FAs, unlike this UK article), and therefore I do not trust what you are saying.

Who reported the weight of the man?

The picture of the man can not be THE man, and it's not labeled as such. It's just a random picture. The man in that picture in the artlcle is almost certainly NOT 400, just going from how much space is in front of him, he's less than 400.

The msnbc article stated that the man CHOSE to stand. NO ONE forced him to stand. He was uncomfortable, so he chose to stand.

This article states that he's a seasoned traveler...but he's paying $800 for a flight? A night flight, as someone noticed, at that? Highly doubtful.

And why would the situation keep him from fastening his seatbelt? The other man can stand up a bit, the smaller man can get the seatbelt situated, then the bigger man can sit back down. Easy.

If the bigger man was taking up HALF of the second seat, HOW is the THIRD passenger being "pinned" to anything? He's got his own seat plus the other half of the second seat.

Of course, I'm assuming that the bigger man is in the aisle seat, the one that CHOSE to stand is in the middle, and the third is in the window. If the bigger man was in the middle, then why on earth did the smaller guy not let him know he was leaving the seat, so he could sit in the aisle during the cruising portion of the flight????? If any of that is at all true, then the smaller man helped to cause the third passenger's discomfort, because he didn't have the courtesy to mention that he wouldn't be sitting to the other men.

The poster of the picture stated that it was not this man. It was an example of yet another man who should have been charged for two seats...but wasn't.

A ticket bought at the last minute, or week, etc could easily cost that much one way. Why does it matter if it was $80 or $8000. He didn't get what he paid for.

Thirdly, you figured out the seating arrangement. Did it occur to you that the standing passenger may not want someone's flesh covering him for any reason? Why should he even have to tolerate an inch of the fat guy. Yes, I will call him fat.

 

[HOGFAN]

Well I dont care who u are or how big/little u are..

the armrest is coming down.....period..