Passengers happily ensconced in their seat are fun to watch during boarding. When an obviously obese person trundles down the aisle, a look of abject terror will momentarily cross their face. You can almost see the internal mantra of “Please walk past, please walk past!” reflected in their wide eyed stare. The barely concealed fear remains in their eyes until, with a sigh of relief, the rotund fellow traveller moves on.
The fear is real as being stuck beside a fuller figured person in economy class can make for a difficult flight. The question has come up from time to time – should an obese person be charged for an extra seat? Here are some of the arguments I have read over the years on online forums, both for and against.
Hell Yes, An Obese Person Should Pay For Two Seats!
Forget extension seat belts, if you are going to overflow the seat, buy a second seat. It’s only polite for fellow passengers plus it will be more comfortable for you as you will have more space. Besides, if you’re big it’s clearly your own fault for over eating so why should others suffer from your lack of self control? Invading someone else’s personal space thanks to your own choices is just not on!
No, Seats Are Sold Per Person So Why Discriminate?
It’s rare that a person is so big that they encroach on others space, so on those rare occasions people should just suck up any discomfort and deal with it. The person could be suffering from a medical or mental issue that has resulted in weight gain and who are you to judge another human being? Extension seat belts are available to ensure that larger people are safely strapped in. They are probably embarrassed to be trying to fit into the seat in the first place so why ruin their day by being rude?
Who Is To Blame?
Economics are to blame. Seats on aircraft are increasingly slim in order to fit more people in and make more money for the airline. With a Western population that is growing in size, it is counter intuitive to keep reducing passenger space. However, as people have an insatiable appetite for low fares, there really is no alternative. So, the market is ultimately to blame for this situation.
One example is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is advertised as having one of the most comfortable experiences in the air. The two Japanese airlines, launch customer ANA and Japan Air Lines have economy class configured as intended with 8 seats abreast. Virtually all others have decided to squeeze in 9 seats abreast meaning narrower seats. Not much of a dream once economics are involved, is it?
Overall Thoughts
Personally, I think people should not be required to buy an extra seat as I feel that is discriminatory. People too large for one seat should be provided with a second seat at no additional cost. If someone boards a flight and is too big for one seat, another passenger could be moved to provide the extra space.
What is your opinion on this matter? Should obese people be obliged to buy two seats? Should just one seat be okay? Please feel free to comment below. Thank you for reading!
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Seems crazy that you can be charged an extra £30 for having a bag that’s 100g overweight, but someone could be 100kg heavier than you and no one bats an eyelid…
It defies logic in a lot of ways doesn’t it? What is more hilarious is that you can move some things from your checked luggage to your carry-on in front of the desk and then you don’t get charged for an overweight bag. It’s actually madness when you think about it! Hope you’ve been keeping well!
I recently flew about 4 hours, ticketed in premium economy, aisle seat. Just before takeoff a very, very fat man walked by- to get a seat-belt extender, it turned out. He then returned to claim the middle seat!!! After I had the chance to appreciate how little room was left for me, a FA came up and asked if I’d be willing to switch to another aisle seat in regular economy. Of course I said yes. So- they gave my premium economy seat as a free second seat to the obese passenger. The saving grace was my new seat mates… Read more »
I think the Flight Attendant being proactive and asking you if you wished to move, leaving you with the choice, is a really nice way to handle it. It’s a credit to you that you moved to a lower class of seat without complaining but I guess it was the best option for you considering the space issue. Glad to hear you had a good flight – I love it when I randomly have very fun seat mates. Thanks very much for the comment!
I was headed for the DFW AA Admiral’s Club before flying first to Sao Paulo, then on BC to Johannesburg, all on miles. I could afford to be generous.
Sounds like a fantastic trip you had there. I would have been in the same generous mood with all of that glorious First and Business Class flying ahead of me!
If you know you are going to encroach on another passenger’s seat the correct thing to do would be to buy that second seat. Don’t be a public nuisance. Travelling for hours in increasingly cramped economy class cabins is enough of an ordeal already for most people.
Yes, I would probably feel the same way if I was going to do that. I also know that for some it would not be an option purely for budget reasons, so it’s a delicate line that people have to tread on this one!
“The two Japanese airlines, launch customer ANA and Japan Air Lines have
economy class configured as intended with 8 seats abreast.”
When was the last time you actually flew ANA’s Dreamliner? They are now 9 abreast on most intercon flights in economy.
Well that’s sad news that they decided to make the change. I guess it’s all about efficiency and that means the lowest costs and most people crammed in. Thanks for the comment!
It’s the airlines own decisions to make seats smaller (both width and pitch) while over all the population is getting taller over time, and definitely wider (at least in North America), so they should be responsible when their decisions make seats too small for people by forcing them to provide an extra seat when they have made seats too small. Incidentally, I’ve sat next to some pretty big guys that were reasonably fit but very broad shouldered and had a rather uncomfortable flight as a result. Frankly, this is one area where I think we may need to get government… Read more »
Yes, I did think about those people who are tall and broad and I think your argument makes sense. I would love to do some research to actually find out how many passengers are struggling with seat size in order to get some actual data behind the issue. Thanks for the comment!
Good points, and i won’t join on one side, but sincerely hope I never have to find out.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Sorry, but buy the extra seat or get business or coach. However, I don’t agree with your lack of self control argument posed in the Hell Yes discussion. Airlines don’t provide free of charge upgrades for the very tall, which is an accurate analogy given that tall people have incredibly uncomfortable to downright painful experiences in standard coach seats. In fact, airline don’t even place the very tall in available exit row seating. Spacious seats for people of all sizes would be fantastic…too bad we don’t live in such a world. If you’re spilling into your seatmates area – buy… Read more »
The “lack of self control” argument is certainly not mine, it’s something I have heard other people say when commenting on this topic and I disagree with it wholeheartedly. I was using it to here to reflect a comment I had read online from someone in the “yes” camp. You do make sense – arguably taller people have a much harder time as the seat pitch is extremely tight on some airlines. Agree with you that more spacious seats should be available for all – in an ideal world that would be the case. Thanks very much for the comment,… Read more »
Couldn’t have said it better myself. As someone who would be considered both big and tall, I always travel first or business when possible. What people who make the “government should step in” argument don’t seem to understand is that when they DO step in, the prices skyrocket. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 is the main reason that we all see affordable fares.
It is a shame that not all people would be able to afford first or business in order to take advantage of the extra space. If more people could, the entire aircraft would be able to be configured this way. I agree with your comments on government! Thanks for the comment.
There is another problem even with an upgrade. I was on a recent American MD 80 flight in first class window. I usually book aisle but it wasn’t available when my upgrade went through. An extremely obese man was seated in the aisle. No room problem. However, when we landed, he found it very difficult to get out of the seat – a flight attendant and another passenger ended up helping him. My thought was – what if we had been in an emergency situation and needed to evacuate? Would I have suffered harm when he couldn’t clear the seat… Read more »
I agree with you on this actually, as I had a similar experience recently. A very large lady was sat beside me in the middle seat and had been brought on board in a wheelchair. It crossed my mind that if anything happened, I would have to go over the seat in front or backwards as it was unlikely she would be able to move fast. I imagine in these cases it’s just hope for the best! Thanks for the comment.
Hi Trent, I don’t think obese people should be charged extra. Just like one does not charge a wheel chair bound passenger for the extra cost of providing the wheel chair assistance.
I completely agree with you on that – and you make a very good point! Thanks for the comment!