Man forced to stand on 7 hr. flight due to obese neighbor.

[hadespussercats]

I strongly dislike situations that force me into close physical proximity to persons I don't know. I don't like being touched by people I don't know. Even if I could have remained in my seat but had to be smashed up against another person, I would be clamoring to get out. I'd have figured standing to be the lessor evil, but it is still unacceptable to have to make that choice.

Yeah, I have a hard time even with non-obese travel companions, feeling claustrophobic. And I've been pinned to the window on bus trips and such.

I don't understand why the airline didn't just bump him to the next flight so he could fit. Even if they weren't going to charge him for the second seat, they should have realized sometimes it's simply a matter a physics. The guy didn't fit.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Cunt wrote:

I had to choose a weight which would account for hefty Americans (and Canadians, and Brits, and...)

Well, the 400 pounder in the OP would be around 180 kg. I doubt very much that a human could be much more than 300 kg and still living...

1,000 pounds has been exceeded more than once. One guy as eating eight whole chickens at a meal.

[Coito ergo sum]

If he was impinging on the third seat too I'm pretty sure that he is used to needing two seats wherever he goes. He was just after something for nothing

I think the fat man was in the middle seat, spilling over into the seats on either side. The fact that the exchange student could manage by squeezing over to the window is one of the things that makes me skeptical whether the standing up was really forced, rather than being a choice.
.

I thought the non-obese man was already sitting, thought he had the good fortune of an empty seat next to him, and then the fat man arrived and sat down.

To me, that sounds right, because the fat man must've sat down, buckled in (no doubt with seat belt extensions) and then the plane took off with the non-obese guy in his seat but squashed but unable to address the situation. Once airborne, I think the guy had to stand up, tried to see about moving, and was simply told that he could not be reseated. So, there was nothing anyone could do at that point and he had to take it.

I'd probably have just grabbed my book, gone to the restroom, sat down, and read for a while. If they want me out of there, they'd have to seat me somewhere, whether it be the flight attendant's chair or whatever.

[Coito ergo sum]

And, don't get me started on the Samoans and the Sumo Wrestlers....

Coito ergo sum, it's simple arithmetic.

It costs more to lift more weight. The aircraft must carry more fuel to lift more weight.

Gravity discriminates, and fuck anyone who doesn't like it. That law won't change, even for fat people with a reasonable excuse.

I was not being serious.

[Coito ergo sum]

I travel a lot, and they're not unreasonable, really.

I flew three hundred thousand miles in five years.

The airlines never, ever get rid of a fee. Ever. No matter how bad they get pwnt for it. The only way a fee goes away is if someone makes a law prohibiting it. They collude and there's only one airline that doesn't, and that's Southwest. They should be taken to court (except Southwest) for violations of the Sherman act, but the US won't because of the sweet deals for transport of US military personnel. Yet another way private companies are ripping off the taxpayers after privatization.

But, flying airplanes costs money, and if you have 200 people on a plane flying from NY to LA, you have to pay for a portion of the initial cost of the plane, maintenance, insurance, fuel, labor costs (pilot, copilot, several flight attendants), baggage handlers, security check-in, ticket-check-in, gate fees...the list goes on and on...I am very amazed that the cost of flying around the US is as cheap as it is. I can get tickets from Tampa to Newark for from $250 to $400 - and for that someone will build an airplane, staff it, fuel it, stock it, maintain it, clean it, insure it, and handle my bags, and take me 1700 miles in about 2.5 hours.

Put it in the ticket fees. It was that way before. WTF is the deal with all the fees? I'll tell you: the same reason a dog licks its balls. Nothing more.

Making laws to prohibit fees like baggage fees is a pointless exercise. They will just raise some other fee or charge some new fee. And, if the law sets an allowable fee that is too low to support the business, then the company will go out of business unless it is subsidized. It never ends well. It winds up being a maze of government regulations and favoritism - this company will get an exception to the rule, and that company won't. This company will get a subsidy, and that company won't.

Now, you talk about "ripping off taxpayers." The reality is that air travel in the US became, after privatization, among the least expensive in the world. That's why it's so common to fly here in the US. Airplane tickets even today are very inexpensive. It costs about the same to fly from Newark to Detroit today as it did 20 years ago., and I've been flying for longer than that.

I can STILL get tickets from Florida to Newark for $230 sometimes, and the highest advance-purchase fair I'm seeing even to travel over the Christmas weekend is still under $500. As for "put in the ticket fees" - I included the ticket fees - all fees, except excess baggage. I've been pricing tickets for the Christmas weekend. So, I know it for a fact.

What would you do to reduce the fares and how low would you expect them to go? Would you be able to reduce the range to, say, $150 to $300 max? What is it that you think is fair?

What usual happens if we let the government "come to the rescue" to save us from the big bad capitalists is that the cost will actually go up. But, we'll feel better because it'll be "fair."

[Drewish]

hadespussercats,

Are you really suggesting that if the obese man was simply in denial about how much of an inconvenience his weight would be (despite recognizing it by admitting to being the mans' "worst nightmare") to others that this somehow exempts him from blame?

[hadespussercats]

hadespussercats,

Are you really suggesting that if the obese man was simply in denial about how much of an inconvenience his weight would be (despite recognizing it by admitting to being the mans' "worst nightmare") to others that this somehow exempts him from blame?

Blame for what?

[Drewish]

hadespussercats,

Are you really suggesting that if the obese man was simply in denial about how much of an inconvenience his weight would be (despite recognizing it by admitting to being the mans' "worst nightmare") to others that this somehow exempts him from blame?

Blame for what?

That right there answers my question

[Seth]

hadespussercats,

Are you really suggesting that if the obese man was simply in denial about how much of an inconvenience his weight would be (despite recognizing it by admitting to being the mans' "worst nightmare") to others that this somehow exempts him from blame?

Blame for what?

Blame for being a fucking dickhead and a thief, that's what. I'd have told the guy to get the fuck out of my seat space and I'd have made damned sure that the flight didn't take off till he was.

If his fat ass can slop over into my seat for his comfort, then I can sit sideways and put my legs in his seat space so he can't sit down for my comfort.

[Gallstones]

And, don't get me started on the Samoans and the Sumo Wrestlers....

Coito ergo sum, it's simple arithmetic.

It costs more to lift more weight. The aircraft must carry more fuel to lift more weight.

Gravity discriminates, and fuck anyone who doesn't like it. That law won't change, even for fat people with a reasonable excuse.

I was not being serious.

It is hard to tell sometimes.

[Schneibster]

Put it in the ticket fees. It was that way before. WTF is the deal with all the fees? I'll tell you: the same reason a dog licks its balls. Nothing more.

Not sure how they structure it over there, but I prefer a low-cost basic price with optional extras for lots of luggage, but then I travel light anyway. The budget airlines here work it that way, and for all their faults they're still better value than the established ones like BA.

The only one like that here on the West Coast is Southwest.

The key here is that they stick you with extra fees at checkin. That's so their price on the Internet is the lowest, so they can sucker you. It's deceptive, particularly for vacationers because there's no warning about it on their sites. Some of them charge for any bag except a carryon, and restrict carryons ridiculously to try to stick you with the fee.

RyanAir and the like do similar, in that they advertise incredibly low prices on the internet (flights for a penny, sometimes!), but all the extras are shown on the website, and charged in the online ticket, as long as you say how much luggage you're taking. Take more than that, though, and you're doomed!

The major airlines' tickets are sold on third party web sites that have no such facilities, and they wouldn't disclose such details to them if they did in order to keep ripping people off.

[Schneibster]

They collude and there's only one airline that doesn't, and that's Southwest.

The original article cited three other problematic cases in the box at the bottom. Two of the three cases were from Southwest.

Southwest isn't any better than the other airlines, just different.

That post was not about obese people but about luggage. You're changing the subject. That's OK; I never claimed Southwest didn't have other problems. The point is, they don't conceal them.

[Schneibster]

Making laws to prohibit fees like baggage fees is a pointless exercise.

Strawman. The Sherman Act makes monopolies illegal.

Now, you talk about "ripping off taxpayers." The reality is that air travel in the US became, after privatization, among the least expensive in the world.

Changing the subject. That doesn't change the fact they're ripping everyone off and getting away with violating the Sherman Act by colluding on pricing.

What would you do to reduce the fares and how low would you expect them to go? Would you be able to reduce the range to, say, $150 to $300 max? What is it that you think is fair?

Changing the subject. The subject is not getting hit with a surprise at the checkin counter. It's extortion.

[Schneibster]

Blame for being a fucking dickhead and a thief, that's what. I'd have told the guy to get the fuck out of my seat space and I'd have made damned sure that the flight didn't take off till he was.

[Drewish]