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

[kiki5711]

Yup, you betcha. If regulations allowed it, airlines would be happy to look like seatless subways with poles, straps and strap-hangers so that they could maximize the load and minimize the costs

next thing we'll see is NO seat belts, and room for chickens and goats.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Yup, you betcha. If regulations allowed it, airlines would be happy to look like seatless subways with poles, straps and strap-hangers so that they could maximize the load and minimize the costs

next thing we'll see is NO seat belts, and room for chickens and goats.

Air Nicaragua.

[amused]

next thing we'll see is NO seat belts, and room for chickens and goats.

At least the chickens could get out and push during an emergency.

[charlou]

It could be easily sorted by a narrow gate at check in. If you don't fit through you have to buy another seat

I like this ... but I think it should be done at point of booking, and it should be how much space is needed while seated.

Fat people take up more space. PCness should not override the pragmatic acknowledgment and solutions that entails.

It's kind of difficult to make them go through a gate when booking online. From a practical standpoint, I think you'd need to do it at check in, even if in some cases you could do it earlier as well.

Ah online bookings ... Here's an idea. On booking, each customer is asked for their height and weight, and then assigned a seat and ticket based on the information given, and charged accordingly. The ticket holds the information. At check-in, the check-in staff check the ticket, verify whether the information given was correct by requiring travellers walk through a weight and height measuring gate, and only allow those travellers who were honest about their weight and height (give or take some small, pragmatic leeway on the weight aspect) to board the plane.

[Seth]

It could be easily sorted by a narrow gate at check in. If you don't fit through you have to buy another seat

I like this ... but I think it should be done at point of booking, and it should be how much space is needed while seated.

Fat people take up more space. PCness should not override the pragmatic acknowledgment and solutions that entails.

It's kind of difficult to make them go through a gate when booking online. From a practical standpoint, I think you'd need to do it at check in, even if in some cases you could do it earlier as well.

Ah online bookings ... Here's an idea. On booking, each customer is asked for their height and weight, and then assigned a seat and ticket based on the information given, and charged accordingly. The ticket holds the information. At check-in, the check-in staff check the ticket, verify whether the information given was correct by requiring travellers walk through a weight and height measuring gate, and only allow those travellers who were honest about their weight and height (give or take some small, pragmatic leeway on the weight aspect) to board the plane.

I'm fine with that. It's certainly no more intrusive than getting anally probed by TSA.

[charlou]

So am I. PCness here is silly ... it tries to deny the elephant in the room, so to speak.

People are different sizes. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that and taking it into account for comfort and fairness. I'm sure large people would appreciate being accommodated in a seat that suits their size, and I don't see why they shouldn't have to pay a bit more for the extra space they take up, if that's how airlines want to structure their fees.

[Seth]

So am I. PCness here is silly ... it tries to deny the elephant in the room, so to speak.

People are different sizes. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that and taking it into account for comfort and fairness. I'm sure large people would appreciate being accommodated in a seat that suits their size, and I don't see why they shouldn't have to pay a bit more for the extra space they take up.

Indeed. I'd like to see seats designed with sliding armrests and seat belts and adjustable pitch, so that one can purchase exactly the ass-room and leg-room one needs or desires. That's not practical, so they offer two or sometimes three standard sizes. But the airlines should also put firm barriers between seats so that an obese person cannot bulge over into another's space, or simply remove anyone who does so from the flight.

[Cunt]

I said earlier on, just charge for 700kg, and offer folks the opportunity to 'prove' they deserve a 'less than 700kg' discount. This has the added advantage of a 'vanity tax' on anyone who doesn't want to disclose their weight.

[kiki5711]

And on top of it all, you can't even push the seat back like you use to because then you're squashing the person behind you even more than they are already squashed.
Flying is not what it use to be. It's like taking an air bus.

[klr]

It could be easily sorted by a narrow gate at check in. If you don't fit through you have to buy another seat

I like this ... but I think it should be done at point of booking, and it should be how much space is needed while seated.

Fat people take up more space. PCness should not override the pragmatic acknowledgment and solutions that entails.

It's kind of difficult to make them go through a gate when booking online. From a practical standpoint, I think you'd need to do it at check in, even if in some cases you could do it earlier as well.

Ah online bookings ... Here's an idea. On booking, each customer is asked for their height and weight, and then assigned a seat and ticket based on the information given, and charged accordingly. The ticket holds the information. At check-in, the check-in staff check the ticket, verify whether the information given was correct by requiring travellers walk through a weight and height measuring gate, and only allow those travellers who were honest about their weight and height (give or take some small, pragmatic leeway on the weight aspect) to board the plane.

I'm fine with that. It's certainly no more intrusive than getting anally probed by TSA.

I think it's a good idea as well. If airlines are to act responsibly, then they need to know in advance if the seating arrangements need to be changed.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And on top of it all, you can't even push the seat back like you use to because then you're squashing the person behind you even more than they are already squashed.
Flying is not what it use to be. It's like taking an air bus.

Patty, a friend from the Wolf Center, just got back from Melbourne. One of her friends from high school, Class of '79, flew her and three other old classmates down there for a mini-meet. He came to the US in his jet so they could chat on the trip down and back. She said the plane had space for everybody to move around freely. I was thinking of this thread as she showed pictures around, including panoramic shots of the interior of the plane.

[kiki5711]

And on top of it all, you can't even push the seat back like you use to because then you're squashing the person behind you even more than they are already squashed.
Flying is not what it use to be. It's like taking an air bus.

Patty, a friend from the Wolf Center, just got back from Melbourne. One of her friends from high school, Class of '79, flew her and three other old classmates down there for a mini-meet. He came to the US in his jet so they could chat on the trip down and back. She said the plane had space for everybody to move around freely. I was thinking of this thread as she showed pictures around, including panoramic shots of the interior of the plane.

wow his own jet? have some pics of the interior? is he one of those 1% ers? LOL (just kidding)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And on top of it all, you can't even push the seat back like you use to because then you're squashing the person behind you even more than they are already squashed.
Flying is not what it use to be. It's like taking an air bus.

Patty, a friend from the Wolf Center, just got back from Melbourne. One of her friends from high school, Class of '79, flew her and three other old classmates down there for a mini-meet. He came to the US in his jet so they could chat on the trip down and back. She said the plane had space for everybody to move around freely. I was thinking of this thread as she showed pictures around, including panoramic shots of the interior of the plane.

wow his own jet? have some pics of the interior? is he one of those 1% ers? LOL (just kidding)

They were her pix, I didn't get copies, sorry. Very nice jet, eight passenger with galley. And yes, I guess he'd be a 1%er, the pix of the house were...impressive.

[Coito ergo sum]

In the article linked to in the OP, the airline admits that their ground-staff were at fault for allowing the obese man on board when he was clearly too big for a single seat and there was no extra seating available. I think the overall blame has been addressed quite handsomely. All that remains is how it should have been handled airside.

I think that, based on the article, the airline is clearly to blame, and the crew on board simply took the "path of least resistance." Nobody, I bet, was going to be willing to kick the fat guy off the plane...

[Coito ergo sum]

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.

You mean, "after deregulation", not "after privatization", right? And of course, if you want to know what airlines were like before deregulation, that's easy too - just fly business class. Both the price and the service will be similar to what was there "in the old days".

As for ripping off taxpayers, that of course was a ridiculous characterization - unlike the auto companies, the airlines have never been bailed out of their bankruptcies with taxpayer money.

Yes, that is what I meant.

And, sure, the service was supposedly a lot better, and the stewardesses a lot hotter, etc. Air travel prior to deregulation was for wealthy people and business travelers. It was something "special" to fly on an airplane. That's why people used to dress up to fly, and even to drop someone off at the airport and wish "bon voyage" was clearly something that was considered an "event." Some countries, where air travel remains rare, that is still the case - women will have their hair done to go to the airport. I once joked with someone, asking if she got dressed up to go to the bus station too.

And, as for ripping off customers, I think the airline industry makes like 2% profit, or something like that. It was very highly competitive, but is becoming less so, and the more government re-regulation we have, the less competition we will have because the "big guys" are always better able to manage government regulations and to afford them. They also unduly influence the regulations, because the "big guys" get a seat at the table.