Please note: This post was originally made on May 27, 2013 on willrunformiles.com, but has since been reposted after the move of this blog to first2board.com. In the time since the original post was made, the Delta Airlines social media team has contacted me in effort to rectify the situation, and the author thanks them for reaching out.
The issue of “Passengers of Size” is a sensitive topic. Most of the writing concerns whether an airline has a right to make a passenger purchase two seats, or has a right to charge such a passenger more based on his/her weight. It is not very often that the topic is examined from the perspective of the passenger seated next to a “passenger of size.”
Last week, I was on a flight on Delta Airlines. The plane was a Boeing 757, and although I was not upgraded, my seat was in the extra legroom area, Economy Comfort. I always book aisle seats, so I was surprised to have a window seat – 20 F – to be exact. I think I originally booked an aisle seat, but the aircraft and assigned seating was changed in the months prior to the flight, and I stupidly hadn’t thought to look back at my seat assignment.
Anyway, seated in the middle seat was a very large man. While I’m sympathetic to his plight and sure the arrangement was uncomfortable for him, I was anything but comfortable. I felt confined and cramped in what seemed like only half my seat.
I spoke to a flight attendant. I was told that, ordinarily, they might try to assign new seats, but the flight was fully booked, so there was nothing they could do. This is Delta’s policy, as stated on its website:
Customers Requiring Extra Seat Space
Delta does not require passengers who need a seatbelt extender or are unable to lower the armrest to purchase additional seats. However, for the safety and comfort of our other passengers, you may be asked to move to another location that provides additional space. In the event of a full flight you will be asked to take a later flight with available seating. To avoid this situation, we recommend that you purchase an additional seat. For assistance please call Delta Reservations at 1-800-221-1212 and they will be glad to assist.
I went on Twitter and tweeted about the problem. Surprisingly, neither @Delta nor @DeltaAssist responded to my tweets – they are generally most responsive.
@Airfarewatchdog, responded to my tweet, saying ” If you can’t lower the armrest between you, (s)he should have bought a second seat.” While the armrest between this passenger and myself was able to go down, there certainly was a lot of the gentleman both above and below the armrest that flowed onto my area. I crouched close to the window, and occasionally had to move his arm over to keep a little of my cramped space.
Some Twitter folks wanted me to take photos of the man, and suggested I go so far as to reverse the camera lens and pretend I’m taking a photo of the scene in front of me, while really taking his photo. They said, as a blogger, that’s my right. (query: is this like Poetic License… Blogger’s License?) But, I did not want to embarrass him. His size was not his fault. He was clean, and I honestly believe that he tried to respect my space. I did take a general photo, without a face or name. Still it does not feel right to post it. I don’t know what Blogger’s License means, but I know that, whatever I am doing, I have to be true to myself – trust my gut, so to speak, no pun intended. You know what a large person looks like. Please, just imagine him that way.
Grant Martin, the editor in chief of Gadling tweeted “What do you do if a large person is sitting next to you on the bus? Ask for your bus fare back?” I have a lot of respect for Grant Martin and admire his work, but I found his response flippant. I tweeted back to him, asking if he was referring to a public bus or a charter bus. Indeed, the issues are different. Comparing carriage on a plane to a general seat on a public bus is comparing apples and oranges.
In my research, I found a good article on Airfarewatchdog, written by its founder, George Hobica, entitled What Are Your Rights When You Fly?
Sharing your seat with a “passenger of size”
Scenario: You’re in the dreaded middle seat and a clinically obese passenger sits down next to you, raises the armrest, and spills over into a portion of your seat, squishing into the window seat passenger.
Recourse: While many airlines have language in their contracts of carriage that they will refuse to transport passengers who cannot fit into a single seat, or require them to buy two seats, such rules are rarely enforced. You can request to be reseated (perhaps in business or first class if there are no seats available in economy class), or to be put on the next flight out, but that’s about it. Some U.S. airlines have rules about this in their contracts, but they’re rarely enforced, and in Canada passengers of size are not required to buy two seats under disability clauses, so you’re out of luck.
So, that’s basically it. Viewed by some as an annoying weight issue, by others as a disability. Most just tiptoe around the topic. Recently, I saw a proposal that airlines should create a certain amount of “large seats” per plane in order to accommodate such passengers. I don’t know the answer.
I did phone Delta’s Customer Service line after the flight was completed. I relayed my information about the circumstances of my flight to the agent. She was most kind and offered me 7,500 miles as compensation. I accepted and said thank you.
Coincidentally, Just Another Points Traveler has recently written on this topic too.
Do you have an opinion on this issue?
–>
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
I think you need more “Fun Run’s” so you will be PM+ and be up front with me next time 😉
Nice call not posting the picture.
It just didn’t feel right to post a photo, even if without his face.
Interesting that you state “His size was not his fault”. Who’s fault was it? McDonald’s?
Expecting a POS to fit in a middle seat is magical thinking at the most egregious level. The issue of seating fat folks on planes is, as you noted, one often discussed and tends to make otherwise civil posters into vituperative trolls. It is obviously still OK to hate fat and fat people in our society — so I applaud your restraint in not posting photos or creating a more contentious blog post.
One thing you could have tried is to change seats with the man. Window seats allow for more “spillage” and he may have been able to budge up to the wall and allow you more room in the middle seat.
I think expecting POS to purchase two seats is unjust, so I won’t endorse it. Most POS don’t need an entire extra seat, and the idea that a very large person should be expected to straddle two seats is downright cruel. (Try it if you think it is a solution.) It is also not safe.
One thing is clear — the airlines need to come up with a policy that can be utilized by all, just as they have for disabled passengers. Fat people have a right to fly and statistics show more of us are becoming obese these days. Whether or not you want to blame a fat person for their size or not, the bottom line (pun intended) is that punitive attitudes won’t solve the problem for airlines or passengers. Having a few larger seats that could be sold at premium prices (less than two fares, though) is one idea. These seats would also more adequately seat some handicapped people, as well as people traveling with “lap infants.” Even two such seats on a plane would be more than practical.
There have been solutions floated around for years, they are out there. The airlines are the ones who need to look at all of the ideas and come up with a plan. In the meantime, I’m glad you got your 7,500 miles. It doesn’t seem like enough compensation, but perhaps it does serve to create a statistic at the airline that will underscore the need to find a viable solution.
thank you for posting such a detailed and thoughtful comment.
If you want to split the 7500 miles next time, I’d be happy to fly next to you 😉
This is one of those topics, you know, like abortion and affiliate links lol…that passions are running high and, I am afraid, there will ALWAYS be! I am sorry it happened to you and I am sorry when it happens to everyone.
Looks like another Delta flight packed them in…I wonder why you fly them sobs:-)
They always throw crappy pesos to appease customers. Based in NYC I wonder why you give them money with so many better choices.
reminds me of when I blogged about emotional support animals….
Is there a weight or BMI cutoff to be named a person of size? While my doctor might call me obese, I can buckle my seat belt and put the armrest down. It’s not always comfortable for me and I concede it’s sometimes the same for the passenger next to me. I don’t see airlines taking seats off the plane to put in bigger seats in the same size plane. Finally, with overbooking, I predict that the first time I gladly buy two seats, I’m asked to surrender one of them for one of the five people on standby or end up looking like the evil fat guy.
So we are left with charging me more for my seat and not really solving the problem of your comfort. I don’t know what the answer is but I don’t think any of the options I’ve mentioned will work.
Its a very difficult issue. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
“His size was not his fault.”
While possibly in a *minority* of cases a person’s size is entirely beyond his/her control, there is almost always an element of “fault” (your term). One can exercise more, eat less, seek medical/surgical treatment, etc. Not everyone is born with a supermodel figure, but most everyone has the opportunity to control their lifestyle and eating choices to some degree.
you might be right and you might be wrong. I am not an expert and purposely chose to leave the issue of fault out of the post.
They have a box at every airline check-in that’s there to determine if your carry-on will fit. If it doesn’t fit in the box – you have to check it.
It wouldn’t be that hard to set up something similar for big and/or fat people. Wouldn’t have to put it out in the public eye so as not to cause unnecessary embarrassment, but it’s the simplest solution. Can’t fit in the seat – either buy a second seat or find alternate means of transpo. It should not be an issue that has to be solved once everyone is already on the plane.
Very creative, but I somehow think this idea wouldn’t pass muster on so many levels.
Kathy, what happened with you being on first2board? I went to check your blog there and it says it is gone.
I see a niche market here in the miles/points sector to promote credit card deals and status for upgrades to first class.
I’m not sure what you mean – but thanks for posting. (p.s. I like your blog).
Why is “POS” such a “sensative” subject? Fat, large, big boned, obese, POS, etc. If they can’t fit in their seat ( and take up some of yours) then there IS an issue and it needs to be dealt with by the airlines.
BTW.. how do you know his size was not his fault? There are plenty of people out there, who with a little self control, would not be a POS.
Why do we need to dance around this? It’s not about “fault” of being a POS, it’s about infringement on the affected passenger’s real estate & customer experience, period.
I’ve been in this situation countless times, it’s always awkward… but the bottom line is – why should *I* be uncomfortable? Either the POS should compensate the airline for a wider seat, double seat… whatever – or the airline should identify this as a cost of doing business and accomodate jumbo passengers in a way which does not affect other paying passengers. If there is a mechanism to determine “fault” (medical excuse, etc) — then leave that between the commercial transaction between POS and airline.
I think I’d rather sit next to your “passenger of size” vs the kid who hadn’t showered in at least a week that I had to sit next to coming home from Houston a few weeks back. The stench was so bad even the people in the row behind me said something- so I can sympathize with the being crammed against the window syndrome you described. I think part of flying is that sometimes you get stuck next to undesirable neighbors, although I definitely have more sympathy for your guy. You did the right thing by going to the airline about it. What else can you do really?
I think you handled this topic with a lot of class. For an active person who takes health and fitness seriously, sometimes it is difficult to be compassionate. While his “condition” might very well have not been his fault (and good for you for giving him the benefit of the doubt), sadly the “growing” obesity epidemic in this country suggests otherwise. I wish more people would follow your example of leading an active and healthy lifestyle- maybe then this wouldn’t be so much of an issue.
I am a big guy, and qualify as a POS for the airlines. First off, I’d say the matter of “fault” in this case doesn’t really matter. A big guy still has a right to fly somewhere, but I agree that he doesn’t have the right to take up some of the precious little space that you paid for. The airlines know that there are some people who just do not fit in their tiny little seat.
When I fly, I always try to buy a second seat, so I do not inconvenience the person next to me. I’d like to see the airlines give me a different option. I don’t need 2 whole seats, I just need a couple extra inches. The airlines remain unresponsive to this dilemma. Imagine if the airline decided to make the seat 2 inches narrower than you, then told you you had to pay double to fly. The airline can make a bigger seat, and require bigger passengers to pay more to sit in it. Right now, they act as if their current seat configuration is the only one possible.
If the fare on a plane is $300, I have to pay $600, because I take up a few extra inches of the second seat. Why not make a bigger seat, and charge me $450?
I am a Person and I am a Size. We are all People of Size, for heaven’s sake, with the emphasis on PEOPLE. We are all people — larger, smaller, taller, shorter. I don’t see why it’s the people (of any size or shape) who are always the issue in this discussion, rather than the AIRLINES. They are greedily trying to squeeze more seats into a small space and charge us more money for less service. Instead of turning on each other, as passengers, why don’t we demand that the airlines provide comfortable seats for ALL PEOPLE? They will whine that they will then have to raise their fares, but I don’t buy it. Passengers need to start demanding better service from airlines all round.