Should some people have to buy 2 seats for air travel or should the airlines mak

1. 75

   daskittlez69posted 12 years ago

   Should some people have to buy 2 seats for air travel or should the airlines make their seats bigger
   
   

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2. 85

   My Esotericposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely.  I was almost one of those people once and made life miserable for myself and those next to me.  I wasn't so big that I needed two seats or that it wasn't possible for someone to sit next to me, except someone else my size, but I was getting there before doing something about it. 
   
   Having said all of that, I miss the days when the seats were wider, no, it is not me getting me bigger, and the leg room longer.  There as a time, before deregulation, when you couldn't lean over and kiss your wife ... across the aisle. 
   
   Now, as many who might recognize my handle, know, I have a huge bone-to-pick with large corporations, but, in this case, it is only a small one.  Consumers have a lot to do with the state of affairs inside the flight cabin and all of those intermanble add-on fees.  They actually have choices among airlines, Southwest, for example, for no baggage fees and an unbelievable passenger-friendly ticket cancellation policy, to choose from.  Others offer better leg room, etc, but for slightly higher prices.  Consumers won't pay it; so, to a large degree, the miserable conditions inside the cabin are our fault.
   
   To @JT, yes, I remember those days, but deregulation and competition changed all of that.  While regulation stifled choice and innovation and lower prices, it did offer a lot more comfort and stable, but higher, pricing.
   
   The more pragmatic reason is airlines base their fares on being able to fill up all of their seats.  If you take up two seats, you pay two fares, period; it is not their fault you let yourself get that big, save for the few people where the cause is actually a medical condition.  Then, with the proper documentation, it is an airline PR decision because you still have the two-seat, two-fare rationale.

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3. 0

   Old Empresarioposted 12 years ago

   I realize that obesity has now been added to the endless list of politically correct sensitive topics that impair honest people from stating their opinions; doubtless due to the fact that one-third of Americans are clinically obese and a total of 70% of Americans are overweight. But a commercial airliner is only going to be so big. Should they make the aisle smaller to find space for wider chairs? Should a commercial airliner be the size of a USAF C-5 Galaxy in order to accomodate?

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   wilbury4posted 12 years ago

   A regular talking point every time we travel...
   My conclusion is yes, there should be some extra wide seats for such persons.
   Charges; There should be a set weight for each passenger (as there is for luggage), lets say up to 15 stone, then anything above this set weight should be charged extra for (again, just the same as with luggage).
   Some may suggest that this is not a correct attitude (weightist?), but I think it would be a fair option.

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5. 81

   Danette Wattposted 12 years ago

   yes, they should make the seats a bit bigger and quit nickel and dime-ing us for every little thing! As has been noted earlier, flying was a pleasure, now I avoid it as much as possible.

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6. 83

   G.L.A.posted 12 years ago

   Airline seating is no different than any other commodity for sale or rent. It's not a matter of bigger or smaller seats. The airlines rent  'X'  amount of space for a specified fee. If you need additional space, you pay an additional fee. It's really no different than anything else for sale or rent.. If you want more, you pay more. It would be helpful to many people if larger seats were available.. Of course the customer would be expected to pay for the additional required space. Because space in airplanes is restrictive, lower fees for larger economy sizes would not apply!

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7. 57

   WindMaestroposted 12 years ago

   Yes they should. Do you realize why baggage limits keep decreasing? Because the size of passengers keeps increasing. An airplane is only designed to carry so much weight, and if that plane is over-weight, it doesn't fly. People may argue to increase the size of airplanes, and the size of seats in those airplanes. The size of airplanes can stay the same, its the people that need to change. People need to stop denying they are fat. Are you over your recommended weight for your height and body structure? You're fat. I'm sorry if you have a medical disability where your body cannot regulate how it burns its energy and fat stores, but chances are, you do not have a glandular problem. You're fat. So please don't inconvenience others while you are inconveniencing yourself. I think the airlines shouldn't change anything, but increase the amount of luggage weight. And, if you can't fit into a regular seat, you can pay for two. Sorry, but I can't help you. You need to start helping yourself.

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   .josh.posted 12 years ago

   While I do understand that seats might be getting smaller, and spaces more cramped - I'm 6'4, so I could use some additional leg room myself - if people cannot fit into their assigned seat, they should be charged more. It's not only about the idea that if you need to 'rent' additional space, you should pay a little more, but the fact that you are likely infringing on the comfort of other passengers. On my last flight, I was placed in a window seat beside an extremely large man (I would guess around 400 lbs), and not only did he take up two seats, but he was unable to stand up on his own. So when I had to go to the bathroom about half an hour into this 3-hour flight, I was out of luck. It was a nightmare.
   
   The fact is, the world is not made for morbidly obese people, and won't likely ever be. It's just not practical, particularly for airlines or other providers of transport. If airlines were forced to make seats that accommodated to 300+ pound passengers (without charging a premium), I suspect we'd have even fewer airlines left... if any...

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9. 94

   melbelposted 12 years ago

   I think larger people should be required to pay for the extra seat. Planes can only carry so much weight. The larger the passengers, the smaller the seating capacity which means ticket prices will be higher. I don't think it's fair for a non-large person to have to pay more because planes carry less people because people are larger.
   
   It comes down to:
   You pay more because you weigh more
   Or EVERYONE pays more because you weigh more
   
   That said, I do agree that airlines are getting ridiculous in some of their fee structures and luggage pricing.

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