A passenger flying Helsinki to Copenhagen on Monday clearly didn’t fit into the seat. From the photo it appears to me to be a Norwegian Boeing 737. The passenger sharing it offers that they felt sorry for the large gentleman who didn’t fit at the aisle “and the guy next to him in the middle seat.”
He appears to blame the airline rather than the passenger. I don’t, except in so far as they don’t require the larger passenger to buy an extra seat.
Fifteen years ago a passenger went viral when a flight attendant took a photo of him spilling over into the aisle. That photo was also taken from behind. He had the same colored shirt.. and the same hair. I think it might even be the same person?
The passenger in the middle seat bought a specific amount of space on their flight. They did not receive the space that they purchased.
Airlines commonly require passengers to purchase enough space for their travel. For instance, here’s the American Airlines policy though this frequently goes unenforced.
If a customer needs extra space outside a single seat to travel safely, another seat is required. We encourage customers to address all seating needs when booking.
- When you call to book, Reservations will make sure you get 2 adjacent seats at the same rate.
- If you didn’t book an extra seat in advance, ask an airport agent to find out if 2 adjacent seats are available.
- You may be offered a seat in a higher class of service that may provide more space; in this case, you’ll be responsible for the fare difference.
- If accommodations can’t be made on your original flight, you can buy seats on a different flight at the same price as your original seats.
I need to be consistent. I don’t believe that other passengers should bear the burden when someone brings on a support animal. The person bringing the animal should have to buy enough space on board to accommodate it.
Similarly, a person should have to buy enough space to fit in their seat, or require the airline to provide it (I do not endorse this), but certainly their size shouldn’t mean taking space that has been purchased by someone else.
Last year, a plus-sized influencer started a viral petition demanding free extra seats from airlines when passengers don’t fit into a standard seat.
Here “Big Curvy Olivia” points to a different issue entirely: she says it is discrimination that aircraft aisles are so narrow, and posts video of herself struggling to get through a United Airlines Polaris business class cabin.
Lol and the First Class cabin has much more space than economy pic.twitter.com/YCAh501hF3
— Ben Kew 🏌️♂️ (@ben_kew) May 18, 2023
The problem is that any solution would either mean (1) less space in the seat for everyone else (including for the person being accommodated!) or (2) fewer seats on board to make room for the larger aisles, which in turn would mean higher fares – so it’s passengers across the board who would still pay. There would be fewer flights, too, since not all routes and frequencies would support those higher fares.
The large guy seems to be encroaching on the aisle space, not his neighbor’s seat space. This is creating more difficulty for the stews than his seatmate.
I am a thin passenger (not a brag, just a fact). Recent flight, US airline with open seating. I always select an aisle seat. There was a passenger in the window seat, small to average frame. A plus size passenger asked if anyone was sitting in the middle seat, I cannot tell a lie so she asked to sit there. I knew she’d spill over. She raised the armrest and sat. After I sat I lowered the armrest, knowing it would not go all the way down. I acted as if it could and kept pushing. Her hips and thighs had taken over a quarter of my seat. The problem is that I wanted to sit in the middle of my seat. She asked if I really needed the armrest down. I replied absolutely. She said “well, this is not going to work for me so I guess I’ll keep going to the back”. I stood so she could exit. The woman at the window looked at me and smiled. A part of her seat was also being invaded. That airline used to have a trial chair that was out of public view. When a passenger couldn’t fit they were told they needed to purchase an extra seat. It is uncomfortable having someone else’s body invade your physical space. I also find it unsanitary that someone else is clothing or even worse their skin is pressed against my body. It is yet another reason that I always wear long sleeve shirts and jeans/pants on an airplane. It is a safety hazard as that person can compromise exiting the plane in emergency situations. It is also a mental health hazard for people who struggle with claustrophobia. I understand that there are rare metabolic disorders that cause excessive weight gain. However, these are adults flying alone which means that they have the mental capacity to understand that they are space invaders, yet they try to ignore the fact that they’re invading someone else’s space.
Thank you for your refreshing expression of compassion, Fordamist. I appreciate that the problem identified here really is a serious one, but shaming and name-calling is unnecessary and unhelpful. I’m sorry that folks who are heavy, many of whom struggle with their weight, would probably find reading many of these comments to be hurtful.
Laying on the guilt shaming and hyperbole a little thick today, eh? I’d like to see you post a picture of a regular sized adult only having half of their seat space. Please stop with this stuff. I’m moving toward just avoiding your Hate Posts. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding but I thought you were popular enough to not need the clicks for posts like this that are frankly beneath you.
This happens to me AT LEAST every third flight on United and in the exit row to boot! United does nothing about it. So much for being a 1K for 25 years.
And I definitely blame the passengers! They should have a seat like at Six Flags – if you can’t fit in, then you need to buy 2 seats. Problem is the US is so sue happy, the airlines cater to these folks.
I am 40 lbs past my ideal weight, yet I have NEVER encroached on another persons space – EVER!
I have to reflect on the idea of airlines gifting a second seat to obese passengers but I do believe passengers who need special accommodations and airlines need to work together on the solution. However, clearly, the one to initiate the request is the passenger upon booking the flight. I always reach out to my airline because I travel with my medical alert service dog. They always work with me in accommodating my request. I do so for my dog’s safety and comfort, my safety and comfort, the safety and comfort of those around me, and for the safety and comfort of the crew. Unless I pick up the phone, how in the world is the airline to know beforehand and why should they accommodate me on the spot, with no notice, the day of knowing full well they have an entire aircraft full of people to accommodate and keep safe as well, and it could be a full flight which limits options? I never feel embarrassed to call ahead of time and morbidly obese folks shouldn’t either. No one will be the wiser that you asked for special accommodation and you will avoid feeling mortified.
Adults who play tennis, not pickleball but tennis, live an average 9.5 years longer than those adults who don’t. And they fit into airline seats.
Badminton is next with 6.2 years. Going to the gym . . . 1.5.
Now, how many years does sitting at the computer take off your life when you could be active?
This discussion primarily drives conflict between large and nominal size passengers.
It’s interesting that we don’t apportion greater responsibility to the airlines themselves.
Seat sizes and aisles have continuously shrunk over the last 5 decades, while at the same time the waistline of the average American has only increased.
I appreciate airlines are businesses that need to make a profit and operate efficiently, but turning what used to be elegant travel into a Greyhound bus of the sky shouldn’t be rewarded.
When you go to UPS or FedEx they weigh the package. Hmmmm. Why is that? Because the weight determines the cost of shipping. Is this making any sense to anyone. Why is it that the petite 105 lb girl is paying the same price as the 300 lb guy. He weighs 3X her weight but only pays for a third of his share.
As an airline Captain I would not have departed the gate with the situation in the photo.
A blatant safety issue. In an emergency egress situation that person would be blocking the aisle and likely could not have even fit through the over wing exit.
The Captain is ultimately responsible for the safety of the entire crew and passengers by federal law. This example is a no-go.
Sorry…but Boeing narrow-body airliner fuselages are the same size today as they were over 60 years ago. Same 6 seats across.
If we are talking about morbidly obese passengers, that is one thing. But, some people are simply bigger than others.
Now…. whilst it is true that people are getting bigger, it is also true that aircraft space is getting smaller. Who is at fault then?
Let me give you two perfect examples: I have my Dad’s WWII battledress from the RAF. Even at the age he served I would never have fit into it. Similarly, I look at cars to today v cars 30 years ago. Did they shrink? Hell No!
And yet the airlines want to run against this stream and let everyone make it the passenger’s fault.
Something not right here.
Enough of the games. Airlines should charge by the pound or kilogram for seats. Why should in shape lean people be subsidizing the overweight people. All cargo is charged by weight no reason for not doing the same for people. More wright means more fuel to run the plane right.
Have a base rate for a seat set at 150 pounds / 68 kilograms, or 100 pounds / 45 kilograms.
I really don’t care what the base is just make it fair. Anyone over that pays more and if they are too wide for a seat charge for 2 seats. When someone is so large that they encroach on another’s seat space that is not right.
That would be a fair way to address the problem.
Then there is the weight & balance issue: Let’s say there are twenty or more of these porkers on a flight and they all stuff themselves into single seats at the rear of the cabin, that’s going to be a ton or more of weight that won’t show up on the preflight W/B calculations.
The result: aft CG, possible tail strike on takeoff and dangerous pitch-up after rotation…..scary and possibly deadly.
Overweight and obese people on flights are a safety liability and risk to everyone else on the plane. They clog up critical emergency exits and require specialized equipment to be moved in the event of a medical emergency. This is not fat shaming this is reality. If your weight exceeds normal body mass index and is not due to a medical issue then you gotta pay more. Or if you are fat and rich start your own fat airlines service. Sounds like their is a large niche for it now days.
I have a 55 gallon drum why can i not use a #10 Envelope to mail it in?
same as putting a 400# guy in a 18″ economy seat.
D. Brown is right – the legroom may have shrunk but the width hasn’t. A narrowbody 737 is the same today as 30 years ago, there are still six seats. The difference is the commonality of obesity. In 1990, the average adult weight was 160 lbs, in 2020 it is 180.
This is definitely a safety issue. I agree with the Captain’s comment above. Obese passengers need to buy 2 seats for their own comfort and safety, as well as the comfort and safety of others.
GLP-1 inhibitors solve this problem.
I was once on a flight overseas with a 3.5 hour leg, and booked in a middle seat,. The person at the window easily took up enough of my middle seat space that I could not sit with both shoulders against my own seat. BTW I am 5’7″. After reaching a near mental breaking point I tapped a text on my phone (asking the FA for relief) and offered my phone to the flight attendant who reacted with surprise, and subsequently offered me another open seat, which I gladly accepted. 2 points: 1); as an encroached passenger the airlines leave it up to you to ASK FOR ASSISTANCE!; and 2) the encroaching passenger that obviously needs extra space and elects to not self accommodate in this situation shows a lack of regard for the safety or wellness of Others, and the airlines should initiate some form of compensation to the disenfranchised passenger, not have to wait for a person to raise their hand.
Incidentally, no comment whatsoever from the encroaching passenger.
Until 8 years ago, I was considered morbidly obese. I am 5’:10” and was about 290 pounds. I was FAT, yet I never required the seatbelt extension. I was flying from Dulles to LAX on a Sunday to lead a conference of 3000 people. I was in a USAirways 757. The day before I was in a serious car accident and had severe whiplash. So I’m in my seat when the occupant of the center seat was looming over me. He was Asian and, I assumed, a Sumo wrestler. I had to get up to let him into the seat. The poor woman at the window looked terrified. I sat back down in my seat and asked the flight attendant for a pillow; they were out. There was 1 movie being shown as they did in those days. When the movie was over, I had to stand up. My neck and shoulders were in terrific pain. I couldn’t stand up, so I raised the armrest at the aisle, rolled out if my seat and onto my knees vans then pulled myself up. Somehow we all survived. Ultimately, the conference went fine although I didn’t get much sleep. Now to my reason for the post. Since then I lost 100 pounds and I discovered plane seats are really the same size they always were. Boeing’s single aisle planes are the same size they always were. It’s the Americans who have increased in size. I understand how that happens but I also know as we grow older, it’s killing us. Nobody is owed an extra seat or a wider aisle. But the rest of us shouldn’t be left uncomfortable for any length of time. If you’re that wide, buy 2 sears. If you can’t afford it, take redeye flights which are rarely full. Yes, the seat pitch has gotten ridiculous,
Seat width on US and European airlines has most certainly gotten narrower on average across such airlines than it used to be 20-40 years ago. Even every tiny fraction of an inch in seat width counts — even more so when the leg space in economy class has also been reduced.
When airlines treat the customers like animals to be packed liked sardines and go extra cheap on food and drink service in-flight, is it any surprise that passengers behave more poorly than they used to on the airlines? No, and it’s not just a function of increased democratization of air travel.
Happened to me twice Southwest,
The lady could have put her child in the middle seat. The attendant threat me with police. Corporate stated that children could not sit in
Middle seats. Fishy
Big Olivia has a disability. She either cannot stop eating or she has unaddressed medical issues. She has made choices that she expects others to accomodate. Sorry, I am unwilling to give up my space and accept an increase in my fare to satisfy her wants and needs. But, unfortunately that is what she expects because she has likely been educated all her life to believe that others should pay for her to play. As far as the humongously huge guy partially seated and hanging out in the aisle-that is not just an inconvenience, it is a safety issue. Imagine trying to get past him in an emergency. Just trying to wheel a cart past must have been an issue. I have absolutely no tolerance for his disregard of others and the same lack of tolerance for the airline that permitted him to board. All the employees who saw him board could have prevented his access to an aisle that was too narrow and seating that could not accomodate him.
I find it difficult to imagine that the individual featured here would have fitted in any previous generation of seating, so it is not a new issue.
Before he boarded did nobody in authority see the inevitable on board problem and stop it before it was inflicted on other innocent passengers?
Perhaps, when it had got so far, he should have to pay for the extra space that he claimed for his use, and that money given to those inconvenienced by his selfish actions as recompense.
Large passengers know they are large. They should be REQUIRED to purchase two seats. Unless it is their first time ever flying, they know well in advance if they can fit into the standard seat, so it is up to them. And gate agents should enforce two-seat rules for large passengers. It isn’t “shaming”, it’s just facts. Stop mollycoddling people, which ends up making everyone miserable.
I’m over 2m tall (6′ 8″) so paying more for stretch seating is usually a necessity, not a luxury. I’ve never complained to the airlines or thought it was unfair, it’s just the reality of asking the airlines to transport me, an unusually tall man, and I wouldn’t ask for stretch seating for free. I don’t understand how this is different for those who are wider than average, whether or not their width is by their own choice?
Even requiring two seats for morbidly obese passengers may not be a great solution to the ability of the plane to be evacuated quickly in the event of an emergency. Also, some of these large passengers definitely cannot fit inside most plane lavatories.
I’ve been on a very large number of Norwegian short-haul flights, and the plane lavatories are not “generous of size” for passengers who are very oversized for a seat or two.
Norwegian ground service employees in the region tend to be very non-confrontational and non-preemptive unless and until it has to do with baggage fees or something else commonly charged by the airline.
And while airlines and the agents for airlines sell passengers a seat for the ticketed flight cabin, do they specify in their contracts of carriage what passenger size limit there is for the sold seat?
Why not just set aside two or three rows of the furthest back seats for wide body people. These will not be sold on line and when a super plus size person checks in they will be reassigned to one of the back seats. In the event any seats are still open after boarding any passenger can pay an upgrade fee for the bigger seat.
See how easy that is. Problem solved.
Happened to me on a 6 hour EWR – SEA. I was middle seat and had to get off the flight because of TWO fat guys on either side. There literally was no middle seat.
These passengers know they are large and are very aware of the problem. It’s too bad people have to be sooo rude to them. I don’t understand why they have to shame them, shows how infantile they are. Having said that the oversize passenger could save themselves from a lot of this abuse if they would make proper arrangements with the airlines in advance. Still there is a safety issue, no disagreement there and no easy solution.
A number of folks keep commenting that the seats have gotten smaller. That simply is not true. Seat widths have not changed. 6-across seating on single-aisle aircraft is the same in 2024 as it was in 1960. The only difference is that legroom has dramatically decreased. Instead of rows being 36″ apart back in 1960, they’re now typically 30″ (or less on budget airlines). This also contributes to the problem.
The truth is, as a society, we’ve gotten wider. As a larger-than-normal person, I’m very aware of the space I take up and will always upgrade where affordable options exist. I’ve also made a concerted effort to shed the weight to at least the point where I don’t spill over beyond my own seat width.
Personal responsibility must play a role, but the airline industry as a whole needs to develop consistent and uniform policies and procedures. Resolving these issues shouldn’t be left to individual gate agents or flight attendants.
@GUWonder “Seat width on US and European airlines has most certainly gotten narrower on average across such airlines than it used to be 20-40 years ago.” Come on, you know better. The interior cabin width on a 737 has never been wider than today. The coach seating was 3-3 then and now. Forty years ago, none of the narrowbodies were the 320 family, which is, of course, wider than Boeing-designed narrowbodies. So, on average narrowbody coach seating is wider today than 40 years ago. (I assume the proportion of 220/320/717 narrowbodies to the rest is higher thant the DC9/MD80 to the rest 40 years ago.)
The rest of us do not need to accommodate your addiction.
I am afraid that oversize passengers in the class we have seen above, including Olivia, pose a threat to the safety of all passengers. In case an evacuation is needed the will hardly fit the overwing exits and could block these exits for other passengers. Certification requirements dictate that a passenger aircraft should be evacuated in 90 seconds. The issue is not the fault of passengers, large size or not, but of the aircraft construction companies. The solution could be to assign the larger sized passengers seats near normal exits and to have a row or two adaptable to XXL people.
“Adults who play tennis, not pickleball but tennis, live an average 9.5 years longer than those adults who don’t. And they fit into airline seats.
Badminton is next with 6.2 years. Going to the gym . . . 1.5.”
“I am shocked, shocked to find that….” there is a correlation between income/wealth (including in time for fitness leisure activities) and lifespan in America. :rolleyes:
There is correlation between income/wealth and lifespan in America, but what else can be expected when the country has the massive healthcare and healthy food access disparities which are directly tied to socio-economic disparities.
The narrowbodies include the Barbie jets packed to the gills too.
The widebodies is where seat width has become far more miserable on average than it used to be.
The last row of the Norwegian planes flown on this route don’t have much room to recline back. A massive passenger sent to the last row on that flight would mean that they are possibly more likely to be a problem for the passengers in the row in front of them. Also, it’s not very pleasant to have a lot of seated people getting sort of bumped by a massive passenger going down the narrow aisles of the whole plane. Add to it that obese people are more likely to sweat profusely while moving about at airports and on planes, then it’s probably better for most passengers when the oversized passengers are placed far closer to the front of the plane.
Fortunately these kind of passengers are far less commonly found on intra-Nordic flights than on intra-North America flights, the main exception being around the time when lots of Americans and Canadians come to take cruises or ferry trips around the region.
@ GUWonder. ” . . . what else can be expected when the country has the massive healthcare and healthy food access disparities which are directly tied to socio-economic disparities.” What a croc of crap. If Americans desire to find a healthy lifestyle it’s readily available. If they decide to take a Norwegian cruise and pig out on the buffets . . . it’s available. How about instead of being sedentary become more active like all previous generations were.
BTW, healthcare is available to every American . . . it’s the law. Check with 3 million new “undocumented guests.”
Maybe if they can’t fit in a seat on an airline and don’t want to buy the 2nd or 3rd seat to accommodate their girth, they should load up in a cattle trailer for their cross country trips.
Here’s an opportunity for all of to learn from. Personal accountability for sure. The person purchasing the ticket needs to take responsibility for themselves to ensure they are not imposing on another person’s comfort and personal paid seat. Why should another person anyone else pay the price.
It’s inevitable: Your BMI is your ticket price — the next dimension in airline pricing.
https://brothke.medium.com/your-bmi-is-your-ticket-price-the-next-dimension-in-airline-pricing-c0592c755a8f?sk=6d63de598dbaa96540b9f3fc9255e571
I have a lot of empathy for larger individuals. I’m a big guy, myself, but I fit into the average economy seat, more of a broad shouldered type than morbidly obese. Having said this, the airlines need to stop catering to persons of size in this manner. Someone that large is that large by choice. Hormones and medical issues tend to not make someone that big. They need to buy more than one seat, period. I’m sorry that someone is that large, I truly am, but the rest of us shouldn’t have to deal with the inconvenience, including the poor flight attendants. Yes, I’m fully aware of how I sound.