Is it fair that fat people should be asked to pay for more than 1 seat on a plane, train, bus, etc?

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freesumpin

Let's put ALL the people who said, "Nope!" here in a plane in the middle seat with two 300 lbs + people sitting next to them. Then ask!

Janey

Yes. If they take up the amount that two normal sized people would, then they should have to pay that.

picopico

Well, I made an unpleasant plane trip one time where the person sitting next to me "overflowed" into my seat - could not even put the arm rest down. I should not have payed full price for half a seat.

However, I think the most "fair" - but not most economical -answer is to make the seats bigger - the average American is not the same size as he was twenty years ago and certainly is larger than, for example, the average Japanese.

notyou311

Yes. If they take up more than one seat, they should have to pay for 2. Try sitting next to a 300+ person in a tiny economy seat on an 8 hr. flight and see how it feels.

MattCan

Of course it is fair. Unfortunate, but fair. The large person is occupying the space that 2 normal sized people woudl fit in. That space is worth 2x the going fare to the company.

Angelfood

well, I will admit, I am not the skinniest person...AND if I were to need 2 sits, I would expect to pay the price of 2 seats. If I just took 1 sit they could sell the one next to me...why should they suffer if I am fat? But pay back is fair play...do I get to slap the poophead snoring in my ear? or the kid that won't shut up and his parent won't do anything about it? or the teenager with the loud music? or the butthead that comments on my weight when it is none of his business?

tsopolly

If someone takes up two spaces then it makes sense. I have had to sit by a really big person stuffed into a seat, and it was uncomfortable for both of us. I'm sure that person was miserable being all squished in, and I hated them flowing into my space.

tonyt

Yes it is fair.

tonalc1

If they can't fit into the seat safely, yes.

It's really the airlines' fault; they keep making their seats smaller. However, people are getting bigger as well.

John

There's a lot of talk on here about respecting the feelings of the person who's taking up two seats, but what about the right of the airline to be compensated for the extra seat, or the right of other passengers not to be crushed against armrests or sidewalls by a very obese passenger?

Airlines are in business to sell seats on airplanes. If a passenger buys a seat, then uses two, how is that different than paying for one newspaper and taking two from the box? The principle is exactly the same, but society is too politically correct to ask an obese person to take responsibility (in this case, financial responsibility) for their lifestyle choices.

Would anyone think the airline was being unreasonable if they asked a passenger to pay for a second seat if the passneger was carrying a priceless cello with him and wanted to strap its case into a seat?

A passenger large enough to occupy two seats costs the airline revenue because they can't sell the extra seat, and may have to deny boarding to another passneger (and pay him denied boarding compensation). The airline has a right to recover that loss.

I can hear someone saying, "But wait, what if the plane wasn't full? The extra seat was never sold in the first place." OK, fine. The airline's costs are still increased by carring the large passenger, because every extra pound a plane carries increases the fuel burn incrementally. If a passenger weighs twice what others weigh, why shouldn't he pay more? Given how thin the profit margins are in this business, it's not implausible that an airline could lose money on an obese passenger.

Incidentally, the FAA's rules say that a passneger must be able to sit in a seat and fasten the seatbelt using no more than one seatbelt extender. If they can't do that, they can't fly.

You wouldn't believe the shenanigans some folks pull trying to hide the fact that they can't buckle up, or the number of them who steal seatbelt extenders when they deplane. The extenders are required to be onboard, so when they're stolen, the plane is grounded. The airline I work for buys them by the pallet-load to replace the ones that grow legs.

choilein

with all due respect to oversized people- YES! they should have the decency to offer to pay for 2 if they are using two seats. Fat is understandable but i think wot we are talking here is being OBESE! sorry! mate but yes u gotta pay for 2 if u using facilities for two........

freakiesta

Gd question but no offence,fat people do need to pay extra. do you think the fat people will feel comfortable on one seat which is just nice for an average size people?They will suffocate man!!! N y do u think in Singapore,big vehicles pay more to drive on the roads?b'coz they occupy more of the roads space than d others...i'm not looking down on this fat people but it's for their convenience but if they still think its not fair, i have one thing to say," SLIM DOWN!!! ".

Wise ol' owl

Fair? What is fair? Let's be real. Hear me clearly. Is it fair that a person who is obese wears out a seat quicker than someone who is slim? No, it's not fair, but it's a fact.

I would not like to be in the board meeting when they made that call, but I can respect it to a certain degree. And why not? Because it is not fair? What is fair in life?

stevewbcanada

Absolutely -- transportation should be priced by the pound for people, the same as it is for freight.

avery

I think that would be so cruel to ask that. Regardless of his size he has feeling, and should have respect.

kaye

nope! that would be unfair..we should always put ourselves inside their shoe and we'll probably know how it feels..

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