Fat butts on planes

[Stoo]

So I'm watching all the scandal about some airlines starting to charge double for obese people who need to take up two seats. The "activists" are saying it is discrimination... people shouldn't be penalized because they have a "disability"...

As someone who travels a fair bit on planes, and has had to sit in half a seat because the "up-sized" human next to me hogs the other half of my seat, I think that this is a great idea.

I expect a law suit will follow and the airline's will loose, but why is being fat a "disability"? Stop eating so much! It's hardly the same as being a paraplegic or blind!

Maybe the way to deal with it is to make the armrests fixed so they can't be raised, and then have a limited number of oversized seats available at a premium price!

 

[ig-88]

The problem is that there are too many subjective factors at play.

What about tiny regional jet vs. 737+? You have to be pretty skinny to fit conveniently in a puddle jumper.

Some bigger folks fit just fine, some don't. This results in very humiliating confrontations at the airport, for both passenger and employee.

How about tall folks? Should they be charged extra for the seat in front of them?

How about people who recline? Should the person in front of you be charged extra because he reclined his seat and intruded on the space in front of you?

And charging double price ... based on what? The fare when the ticket was sold online? Or the fare on the day of the flight?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a disability, but there does seem to be a systemic psychological disorder. Overeating is used as an anti-depressant, and society wholeheartedly encourages this.

This combined with the expense and inaccessibility of healthy food and exercise facilities. And is it reasonable to expect the general public to really eat healthy and go to the gym? I don't think so, unless you start putting fruits & veggies in workplace vending machines, and making health club memberships tax deductible.

Of course, this is far too much for an airline to deal with, so they may practice this policy sparingly, or avoid it outright.

 

[onthebottom]

I fly quite a bit and have had similar situations. I find the arm rest is the best defense. If you need two seats - buy them.

OTB

 

[mac]

being fat is a choice and as such it should come with a price beyond high health care costs and over-size clothes. There are plenty of free and low cost alternatives to help fight weight issues beyond joining a high priced health club or shopping at Whole Foods. I don't buy the victim arguement that fat people would use to justify thier situation. It's a cop out and I say charge them for two seats. I've been between two while sitting in a centre row on a five hour flight and I was not a happy camper.

 

[Stoo]

being fat is a choice and as such it should come with a price beyond high health care costs and over-size clothes.

Agreed. It's different than a guy who is 6'7" but a normal weight. I've been on flights where the crew asked someone in a bulkhead seat to move so that a really tall guy could sit there. The person moved "under protest" but the tall dude really couldn't sit down.

Maybe the REALLY big folks could go as cargo...

 

[elmo]

The only disability people who are so fat they need two seats on an airplane have is not being able to say no at the all-you-can-eat buffet. Being fat is not a disability, it's a complete lack of self-control. If you choose to get that fat, you should expect to pay for two seats on a plane and be billed extra for being over the weight limit. Fuck if they can charge for heavy baggage they can charge for a huge ass.

 

[Sasha Jones]

And is it reasonable to expect the general public to really eat healthy and go to the gym?

Is it really reasonable to expect that I should give up a portion of MY SEAT that I PAID FOR so that someone who can't fit in their own damn seat can encroach on half of mine?

How is that reasonable?

Maybe they could compromise and sit two fat people in a row of 3 seats and make them each pay for 1.5 seats.
Either way it isn't reasonable to expect that those of us who can control ourselves at the dinner table should give up part of our seat to accommodate those of us who can't, and if it is that should mean that we can now only pay for 3/4 of our seat if we fall below certain weight limits.
It goes both ways ya know

 

[squash500]

I shouldn't post this story as I'll probably get flamed. A couple of years ago I was on a flight to Florida. At first I had to sit beside a medium size woman who had the worst body odor imaginable. I don't think she had showered or used deodorant in the last month before getting on this plane.

Being a somewhat inappropriate and impulsive person in real life I asked this woman politely if there was anyway she could put on some deodorant or something. My request didn't go over to well and she yelled for the flight attendent.

The flight was almost full. To make a very long story short the only other seat available was a middle seat between two 300 lb+ men . That was the most uncomfortable 3 hours I have ever spent on a flight. I'm over 200 lbs myself but these two guys made me feel like a spinner in comparison.

In hindsight maybe I should have kept my big mouth shut and kept sitting beside this stinky woman who wasn't fat by the way. However this woman smelled so bad that I don't think I could have stuck it out for the 3 hour flight sitting beside this woman.

It was kind of funny in hindsight because the guy sitting on the window seat next to this stink bomb kept make sniffing noises all the time throughout the flight but was too afraid to confront this woman.

I spoke to the flight attendant about this smelly woman but they said there was nothing they could do about it! All I know is that I will never forget this flight from hell as long as I live.

 

[LadyTY2Uall]

Not even going to touch this......

being fat is a choice and as such it should come with a price beyond high health care costs and over-size clothes. There are plenty of free and low cost alternatives to help fight weight issues beyond joining a high priced health club or shopping at Whole Foods. I don't buy the victim arguement that fat people would use to justify thier situation. It's a cop out and I say charge them for two seats. I've been between two while sitting in a centre row on a five hour flight and I was not a happy camper.

.....though the effort to keep my opinion to myself has resulted in my biting almost clean through my tongue......hey, who knows, maybe that will help in keeping me in line at the buffet table.....sore tongue, cannot eat. wow, new dieting technique.......sheesh

 

[KBear]

... This combined with the expense and inaccessibility of healthy food and exercise facilities. And is it reasonable to expect the general public to really eat healthy and go to the gym? ...

I have never seen a grocery store that did not sell fruits and vegetables. Going for a walk is free. From what I have seen, most over weight people have kitchens full of pop, chips, cookies, ice cream, and other junk food that goes along with the TV with all the channels. It would be difficult to become over weight eating fruits and vegetables, fish, which are inexpensive and readily available.

People should be billed for the second seat, if the plane is full, if needed. Don’t know how they could figure that out though. It is hardly fair for someone to have to give up half his or her seat, and endure a more uncomfortable flight, or get bumped off the flight, because of someone else’s eating choice.

 

[squash500]

I have never seen a grocery store that did not sell fruits and vegetables. Going for a walk is free. From what I have seen, most over weight people have kitchens full of pop, chips, cookies, ice cream, and other junk food that goes along with the TV with all the channels. It would be difficult to become over weight eating fruits and vegetables, fish, which are inexpensive and readily available.

People should be billed for the second seat, if the plane is full, if needed. Don’t know how they could figure that out though. It is hardly fair for someone to have to give up half his or her seat, and endure a more uncomfortable flight, or get bumped off the flight, because of someone else’s eating choice.

KBear I do agree with most of your post . However IMHO the prices of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish in grocery stores are very high. the cheapest foods to buy in supermarkets are kraft dinner, pasta etc etc.

I agree that going for walks are free. However if you are on a limited income affording fresh produce every week can get very expensive. One alternative for these overweight people would be to give up the cable tv with all the bells and whistles channels and use that money instead to buy more nutritious foods!

 

[Ladyraven]

OMG. never have I heard or seen so much crap.. my mother who was 90 lbs soak and wet about 20 years ago , she went on some medication for some issues that caused her to gain weight .. now she is fat .. yes fat.. however I know how she eats .. diet soda if she drinks it .. lots of fruits and vegetables .. there is not always a reasonable excuse for someone being over weight.. but YOU should not be judging a book by its size.. you do not know these people and I am sure they have gone thru enuf in their lives reguarding thier weight.. we need to get over ourselves

 

[canada-man]

KBear I do agree with most of your post . However IMHO the prices of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish in grocery stores are very high. the cheapest foods to buy in supermarkets are kraft dinner, pasta etc etc.

I agree that going for walks are free. However if you are on a limited income affording fresh produce every week can get very expensive. One alternative for these overweight people would be to give up the cable tv with all the bells and whistles channels and use that money instead to buy more nutritious foods!

fresh fruits vegetables and healthier foods in grocery stores are not expensive

 

[squash500]

fresh fruits vegetables and healthier foods in grocery stores are not expensive

At Metro and Sobey's they are ?

 

[canada-man]

there are no frills price choppers, and other places like kensington market etc

 

[squash500]

there are no frills price choppers, and other places like kensington market etc

You're right . However I don't live within walking distance of any of those alternatives. Also I don't own a car so that would mean spending an extra $5 in subway tokens to get to these places. Spending that extra $5 would eliminate the cost savings of shopping for produce at NO-Frills for example.

What I've started doing is buying bags of frozen vegetables. I also buy tinned fruit and just drain off the syrup in a collander. I've lost some weight ever since i started employing this strategy.

what I used to do is buy all sorts of fresh produce and fruits and it would all go bad before I had a chance to eat it. From what I've read frozen veggies have all the nutrition that fresh veggies have!

 

[Carrie Moon]

KBear I do agree with most of your post . However IMHO the prices of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish in grocery stores are very high. the cheapest foods to buy in supermarkets are kraft dinner, pasta etc etc.

I agree that going for walks are free. However if you are on a limited income affording fresh produce every week can get very expensive. One alternative for these overweight people would be to give up the cable tv with all the bells and whistles channels and use that money instead to buy more nutritious foods!

baloney! 2 or 3 of apples costs less money than kraft dinner and are nutritious, extremely healthy and filling/full of fiber. Cheap nutritious meals are easy to prepare. A whole roast chicken is 7 bucks at most grocery stores as well. Cans of tuna.. very cheap. That and a few potatoes,rice etc.. seriously.. not that difficult if anyone wants to be full and healthy.

 

[roblestone]

As a fat ass I have to agree we should pay more for airline seating. But I don't need a whole other seat or even a half. Maybe a larger seat on the window for a premium price with 2 discounted smaller seats for skinny people or kids in the same row. Also if they raised the middle seat in a row it would allow more shoulder room. Until I loose my excess baggage I don't mind paying more for a larger seat but I am not paying 3 times a coach fare to sit in first class.

 

[Ref]

Is it really reasonable to expect that I should give up a portion of MY SEAT that I PAID FOR so that someone who can't fit in their own damn seat can encroach on half of mine?

How is that reasonable?

It isn't but you raise a good point.

Someone mentioned improved seat dividers - Perhaps ones that are solid from the arm rest down...This at least would force a large ass into their own compartment...Let them be uncomfortable, not the poor schmuck beside them!

 

[KBear]

At Metro and Sobey's they are ?

I also shop at Metro as it is convenient and I like the selection of food, but it is more expensive. That said, bags of apples, rice, potatoes, are not expensive and do keep. When I go to the Chinese stores in the less expensive areas I notice people buying lots of vegetables, small oranges, different types of fish, etc, and they are not that expensive, but you have to be able to get to those stores. Ps. Don't think Kraft dinner is a discount or health food.