Anonymous wrote:I feel like airlines could do this in a responsible way. Like have a weight limit. If you weigh over 225lbs, you have to buy the "hefty seats" or two seats.

Anonymous wrote:I've posted on this topic several times before about my coworker. We travel a lot for work. She's a bigger person (definitely in the obese category). Our company pays for our tickets, of course, and she will pay out of pocket for a second seat to have a buffer zone. The only time she doesn't do this is if we're in a two seat row and I'm in the seat next to her (upon my insistence as I don't mind some spillage; I grew up with an overweight sibling and parent so I'm used to it).

We flew 8 times in December alone and out of those eight times, she bought a second buffer seat 5 times. Out of those 5 extra seats that were purchased, do you know how many times that buffer seat wasn't taken from her? One. ONE time the airline did not tell her that the seat was needed due to an overbooked flight. And guess what? She doesn't get to say no when they ask to take the seat. The first time it happened she did say no and the flight attendant told her if she persisted in being a "problem" then she would have to notify the captain and she would be deplaned. The airlines have all the power.

There have been times when her buffer seat has been taken and given to another passenger and that person has complained about my coworker. I always speak up and let them know that the only reason they're on the flight is because the extra seat she paid for was taken from her and given to that person. That usually shuts them up pretty quickly.

Does my coworker get money back for the seat she purchased? Yes. Does she often get more than what she paid for the seat? Yes, sometimes, but I can guarantee you that she'd rather have the buffer seat than the money. You know, since she purchased it to begin with and all that.

Anonymous wrote:I've posted on this topic several times before about my coworker. We travel a lot for work. She's a bigger person (definitely in the obese category). Our company pays for our tickets, of course, and she will pay out of pocket for a second seat to have a buffer zone. The only time she doesn't do this is if we're in a two seat row and I'm in the seat next to her (upon my insistence as I don't mind some spillage; I grew up with an overweight sibling and parent so I'm used to it).

We flew 8 times in December alone and out of those eight times, she bought a second buffer seat 5 times. Out of those 5 extra seats that were purchased, do you know how many times that buffer seat wasn't taken from her? One. ONE time the airline did not tell her that the seat was needed due to an overbooked flight. And guess what? She doesn't get to say no when they ask to take the seat. The first time it happened she did say no and the flight attendant told her if she persisted in being a "problem" then she would have to notify the captain and she would be deplaned. The airlines have all the power.

There have been times when her buffer seat has been taken and given to another passenger and that person has complained about my coworker. I always speak up and let them know that the only reason they're on the flight is because the extra seat she paid for was taken from her and given to that person. That usually shuts them up pretty quickly.

Does my coworker get money back for the seat she purchased? Yes. Does she often get more than what she paid for the seat? Yes, sometimes, but I can guarantee you that she'd rather have the buffer seat than the money. You know, since she purchased it to begin with and all that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The couple started this whole drama by purposefully buying the window and aisle seat, knowing they needed the extra room.

Their bad.

Lady was rude. I wouldn't have been that way, but i avoid confrontation like the plague. I don't blame her for having that reaction.

Agreed. Also agree that if you need a seatbelt extended, you should be REQUIRED to purchase an extra seat. And why didn't one of them offer to take the middle seat so that she'd at least have a little breathing room on the aisle?? Flying is bad enough these days without being physically tortured.

How many of you pay extra for certain seats on a plane when you fly? ALMOST ALL OF YOU. This couple bought the window and aisle seats. They don't have to move.

Sitting the middle sucks no matter who you are. If you don't want to sit there, buy a window or aisle seat.

I've sat next to innumerable man-spreaders -- including men who actually think they can shove their foot under the seat in front of ME. I would say 90% of men think the armrest belongs to them regardless of which seat they're sitting in.

As PPs have noted -- if you want to be comfortable flying, fly private or first class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to stop all this petty infighting and force airlines to step up.

We need a CONGRESS who will enact sensible regulations on this issue. The FAA is controlled by the airline lobby and the FAA refuses to the address the issue. The FAA said something along the lines of "oh, the market will sort this out."

BS!

Actually, we should let me market deal with this.

I'd love to fly with the brave airline that says, "people over 300 pounds are very welcome once they buy 2 seats."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The couple started this whole drama by purposefully buying the window and aisle seat, knowing they needed the extra room.

Their bad.

Lady was rude. I wouldn't have been that way, but i avoid confrontation like the plague. I don't blame her for having that reaction.

Agreed. Also agree that if you need a seatbelt extended, you should be REQUIRED to purchase an extra seat. And why didn't one of them offer to take the middle seat so that she'd at least have a little breathing room on the aisle?? Flying is bad enough these days without being physically tortured.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have been more polite about it, but I also would have been as firm as possible that I needed to be moved. GO get a flight attendant, and say, "Look, I don't want to make a big deal about this, but the people on either side of me are infringing on my seat. I paid for a seat - a full seat - and I need to be moved." And take it from there, staying firm, but polite. I also would have resisted being rebooked - I am not the one who created this issue, and one of them needs to be rebooked if that's the only solution.

Good luck with that. You can be polite all day long but airline customer service STINKS. You’ll be the one getting rebooked.

Rightly so. She's the one with the problem. When has air travel ever been pleasant?

Sorry, no. When not one, but two people are spilling into my seat, I *have* the problem, but I am not the one who *created* the problem. The burden of the remedy should fall on the one who caused the situation. [/quote




The situation creators worked with the system and paid for the right to pick their seats. The middle seat sucks no matter who is in the aisle and window seat. You get what you pay for.