Do you think something has to be done with the size of airline seats?

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potatochip

Though I feel bad for the passenger who was told that he would have to pay for a second ticket as some overweight people are sensitive about their weight, you also have to look at it from an airline's perspective. They are a business and want to make money to satisfy their shareholders. If the airlines made seats wider to accommodate all passengers, then an aircraft that can fit six seats per row may only fit 5 or 4. Therefore the airplane cannot carry as many passengers and therefore the airline will not make as much money. If that happens, the airlines will have to raise airfare so everyone pays more. People are already complaining that airfare is too expensive as it is.

Also airlines have Business Class if you want wider seats though not everyone can afford it.

SJS

Ugh. And what came to my mind when reading this was that it's not just fat that "overweight" people might have more of. They could be muscular, they could have broader shoulders than the airlines think is normal, and so forth. Imagine an NFL or College Linebacker trying to fit into coach class!

You're right, the airlines won't do anything about it because they make more money. And a moratorium won't happen to make them do anything about it because "being too big" is not only automatically assumed to mean "fat," fat is then assumed to be the fault of the person in question, without a second thought. Some harsher critics would say that the embarrassment of the "fat" person is necessary sometimes to really prompt them to make the changes to lose the weight. Of course, the fallacy there is that anyone who starts to diet or anything (try to quit smoking is another good example) for any reason outside of themselves will not follow through with it.

Sad, but I can't think of any way to make it not true anymore. Not in our currently thin-obsessed society (that's thin-obsessed, not health-obsessed, I note. You're golden if you're thin, even if you're so unhealthy you can't do anything strenuous).

:-(

Violators will be prosecuted

That is cruel of them to do, but that is how they make their money, they sell "by the seat" if certain people take up more than one seat, especially if the flight is pretty much booked, then they are going to do what they have to do to make the money for the seat that they were not able to use. It is very cruel and disheartening. I feel bad for that poor man. And I have to commend you for letting him come over to sit by you without making him feel bad about himself.

It is a corporation with the main goal of maximizing profits for its shareholders so I will do what it needs to in order to make the most profits. If it is able to charge a person for two seats instead of one then it will instead of making larger seats of less quantity and only charging the regular rate for a single person which would reduce profits.

It is a corporation and its primary goal is profit maximization so they don't care at what cost that comes to others.

nickipettis

airlines have been shrinking knee room for years, decades.

they aren't going to give us more room, room to be comfortable until there is money in it for them. and, the way they do it know, there is extra money in it for them, from some passengers.

They could not care less if they humiliate someone - but they wouldn't do that to one of their one-million -miles-a-year passengers.

Joe B

sure

Raven

The problem with common sense is that it is not common. It is a simple scientific fact - excess weight stems from eating more calories then you burn, that can not be debated.

It is also a well known fact that if the airlines turned the seats around backwards, facing the rear, they would greatly increase the survival rates in a crash, yet they don't do this either, go figure.

sunday morning

Something HAS to be done, but what's just as important is making every seat the quality of first class. It's not fair to make us poor kids uncomfortable

Bong Marley!

I think it's absolutely rediculous. Airplanes need less but bigger seats. Oh and better leg room.

smashbros_gta4

Something has to be done about the size of your butt

tlip90

I think the guy should probably go on a diet, but you do make a good point. Air liners do have more comfortable seating in 2nd and 1st class but they do cost a lot more. airliners should make these ticket prices cheaper so that more of the "average joe" is able to purchase these tickets.

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