Flier, displaced by obese seatmate, forced to stand.

[Pelios]

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_ne...orced-to-stand

A passenger on a US Airways flight said he was forced to stand for seven hours after he was squeezed out of his seat by an obese man sitting next to him.

I cannot believe this happened, what is wrong with this logic?
Thoughts? What would you do if this happened to you?

[chickenonsteroids]

hahahahahahhahahahaha

I guess that's when you know you eat too much

[The Goblins Blade]

If you are obese then thats your own fault. Reap what you sow.

[Snufkin]

It wasn't the obese person that stood, it was the person next to him.

Was it Kevin Smith that got thrown off a flight once for not buying two tickets instead of one because of his weight? Or something like that.

I don't know what to think. The seats on planes aren't comfortable at all, even if you're a healthy size. You shouldn't be made to stand because the person next to you is too big for their seat, but what do you do about them? I guess the "buy two tickets" thing kind of makes sense to me now, as unfair as it sounds.

[Cosmo]

If you take up two seats with your size, pay for them. Don't expect others to cater for your gluttony and selfishness. This is absolutely indefensible , this man should have been able to keep his place. The fat man should have either forced himself into his place, stood or not flew.

[JKmadu619]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

If you take up two seats with your size, pay for them. Don't expect others to cater for your gluttony and selfishness. This is absolutely indefensible , this man should have been able to keep his place. The fat man should have either forced himself into his place, stood or not flew.

B-B-But...

It's not his fault that he is grossly obese! He probably has an eating disorder, or emotional trauma! How about we make black people stand too, because it's gross they are black! He had no control what he ate/how much of it, and it's completely unfair that you expect an adult to be responsible for his actions.

You racist bastard.

- Justin

This was a complete joke. I fully agree.

[Pelios]

I had the same problem as him when I went to the USA ones on the way back I got the center seat and next to me was a big man. He was taking up my shoulder space, legs space and every other space there is, he actually needed an extension for his seat belt. I had to share 1.5 seats with my sister when we paid for 2 seats. It make me mad that I didn't say anything because this is obioulsy getting out of control because "If we say something we might hurt their feelings"

[The Goblins Blade]

Try sitting between two really fat people at one time. Then you will understand how a sandwich feels -_-

[BDF]

Originally Posted by JKmadu619

B-B-But...

It's not his fault that he is grossly obese! He probably has an eating disorder, or emotional trauma! How about we make black people stand too, because it's gross they are black! He had no control what he ate/how much of it, and it's completely unfair that you expect an adult to be responsible for his actions.

You racist bastard.

- Justin

This was a complete joke. I fully agree.

I wanted to say something very similar. What's worrying is that some people seriously take this approach towards everything and everyone. It'd be nice if we could keep everyone happy at once, but it's impossible... so it only makes sense to focus on keeping the majority, non-morbidly-obese customers happy, instead of the other way round.

I bet if the thread was about the fat guy getting kicked off the plane for not paying for two seats (as he should have), the thread would have probably quite happily started off with everyone sympathising with him.

[Snufkin]

I'd be pretty outraged if the guy got kicked off the flight. Fat or not, he should still be able to fly. But if he's disrupting the flight for other people, then there's a problem. Creating a seperate area for fat people just seems like nasty segregation...

[Marguerite]

Okay everyone's having a go at the obese guy but I don't see how it is his fault. It's not like he could magically shrink down to accommodate the other guy. It is completely the airlines fault. They should have made him aware that he would need two seats. The fact that this guy had to stand and made such a big deal out of it probably humiliated the overweight guy so in my mind they are both victims of the airlines stupidity.

However, though I understand the guy who stood's frustration, I think he sounds like kind of a drama queen. Sitting next to someone who is so overweight their body is pressed againsts you and taking up your seat is kind of gross and uncomfortable but it sounds to me like this guy made a choice between standing and being uncomfortable on the seat. Neither is a very great option but I'd rather be seated uncomfortably than not at all. He seems like the kind of person who does that kind of shit so they can say woe is me afterwards. The fact that he went straight to the media about it afterwards confirms that for me.

[Acheron]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

However, though I understand the guy who stood's frustration, I think he sounds like kind of a drama queen. Sitting next to someone who is so overweight their body is pressed againsts you and taking up your seat is kind of gross and uncomfortable but it sounds to me like this guy made a choice between standing and being uncomfortable on the seat. Neither is a very great option but I'd rather be seated uncomfortably than not at all. He seems like the kind of person who does that kind of shit so they can say woe is me afterwards. The fact that he went straight to the media about it afterwards confirms that for me.

It isn't necessarily just a matter of discomfort. Being crushed for an entire seven-hour flight can actually cause permanent injury.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2346319.stm

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Okay everyone's having a go at the obese guy but I don't see how it is his fault. It's not like he could magically shrink down to accommodate the other guy. It is completely the airlines fault. They should have made him aware that he would need two seats. The fact that this guy had to stand and made such a big deal out of it probably humiliated the overweight guy so in my mind they are both victims of the airlines stupidity.

Nobody is saying he should shrink or diet or anything. We're saying that because he is beg enough that he needs two seats, he should pay for those two seats. Also, people buy plane tickets online, so it's really up to him to tell them that he needs two seats. They can't tell if he does or not.

Originally Posted by Marguerite

However, though I understand the guy who stood's frustration, I think he sounds like kind of a drama queen. Sitting next to someone who is so overweight their body is pressed againsts you and taking up your seat is kind of gross and uncomfortable but it sounds to me like this guy made a choice between standing and being uncomfortable on the seat. Neither is a very great option but I'd rather be seated uncomfortably than not at all. He seems like the kind of person who does that kind of shit so they can say woe is me afterwards. The fact that he went straight to the media about it afterwards confirms that for me.

that sorta depends. Is this other guy's size such that he can sit down albeit uncomfortably? It could be that he actually could not get in his seat, in which case there's a real problem.

Originally Posted by Acheron

It isn't necessarily just a matter of discomfort. Being crushed for an entire seven-hour flight can actually cause permanent injury.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2346319.stm

This too.


(Sorry don't take this as an attack or anything)

[The Goblins Blade]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Okay everyone's having a go at the obese guy but I don't see how it is his fault. It's not like he could magically shrink down to accommodate the other guy. It is completely the airlines fault. They should have made him aware that he would need two seats. The fact that this guy had to stand and made such a big deal out of it probably humiliated the overweight guy so in my mind they are both victims of the airlines stupidity.

However, though I understand the guy who stood's frustration, I think he sounds like kind of a drama queen. Sitting next to someone who is so overweight their body is pressed againsts you and taking up your seat is kind of gross and uncomfortable but it sounds to me like this guy made a choice between standing and being uncomfortable on the seat. Neither is a very great option but I'd rather be seated uncomfortably than not at all. He seems like the kind of person who does that kind of shit so they can say woe is me afterwards. The fact that he went straight to the media about it afterwards confirms that for me.

Trying having to sit next to a fat person for more then several hours in a row, then come back and say that here.

[Ibanez]

His fault for not addressing it before they took off.

People these days act like their flight was a cattle car in Nazi Germany. You had to stand for most of it, so what happened next you zilch, did you soar through the air incredibly like a bird, did you partake in the miracle of human flight? You're standing...in the sky. Everybody on every airplane should just constantly be screaming "oh my god, this is amazing!".

[TigerTank77]

Originally Posted by Caliber

His fault for not addressing it before they took off.

People these days act like their flight was a cattle car in Nazi Germany. You had to stand for most of it, so what happened next you zilch, did you soar through the air incredibly like a bird, did you partake in the miracle of human flight? You're standing...in the sky. Everybody on every airplane should just constantly be screaming "oh my god, this is amazing!".

Also, look. here's the deal. No one is saying that everybody needs to be stick thin, but if you are SO FUCKING OBESE that you can't fit in an airplane seat without taking up the one next to you, then yes, you need to lose some weight.

"But that's insensitive..."

Too bad. It's insensitive to everyone who has to put up with you, and it's certainly NOT good for anyone involved. Especially you.

[Ibanez]

I was hoping someone would pick up on that.

[Pelios]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Okay everyone's having a go at the obese guy but I don't see how it is his fault. It's not like he could magically shrink down to accommodate the other guy. It is completely the airlines fault. They should have made him aware that he would need two seats. The fact that this guy had to stand and made such a big deal out of it probably humiliated the overweight guy so in my mind they are both victims of the airlines stupidity.

I would think you would know if you need two or one seats when you fly no need for the airline to tell you, you are too fat for one just avoid the whole situation and buy another seat.

[Marguerite]

Okay so I got a lot of replies so instead of replying to every single one of them I'll just adress the key points you've bought up.

To those saying 'he should know himself whether he will take up two seats'.

I agree that someone would probably know whether they took up two seats, but the point is that this topic (obese people needing two seats in planes) pops up in Current Events and Debates every few months. That's because it's in the media so much with so many different conflicting views. And so many different policies for different airlines. I'm sure you'd feel pretty stupid if you bought two seats and the seats were bigger than you expected, or you had an empty seat next to you, or the airline afforded free seats if you were that big and needed two. Even if he really is just the dumbest guy in the world with little to no foresight it's the people who work at the airlines job to say "excuse me sir, but you'll need to purchase two seats". But they're not going to say it because they don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Quite stupid really. I'm not for being rude and obnoxious to people but truly, this is a matter of public safety and it was the airlines job to make sure all people had a safe seat on that plane.

I don't need two seats to fly on a plane or anything (thank god) but if I did I'd actually have no idea what my local airlines policies are on it. Do you?

PLUS, in the article the airline actually admits it was there mistake for not asking him to purchase an extra ticket.

Originally Posted by Cosmo

that sorta depends. Is this other guy's size such that he can sit down albeit uncomfortably? It could be that he actually could not get in his seat, in which case there's a real problem.

Originally Posted by Acheron

It isn't necessarily just a matter of discomfort. Being crushed for an entire seven-hour flight can actually cause permanent injury.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2346319.stm

But that news article is not the one we are talking about. In the one in the original post is says that it was his choice to stand which implies that he had the ability to sit but chose not too.

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

Also, look. here's the deal. No one is saying that everybody needs to be stick thin, but if you are SO FUCKING OBESE that you can't fit in an airplane seat without taking up the one next to you, then yes, you need to lose some weight.

"But that's insensitive..."

Too bad. It's insensitive to everyone who has to put up with you, and it's certainly NOT good for anyone involved. Especially you.

I don't see why it's any of your business. I get that is affects you if someone is taking up your seat but otherwise what to you care if they're fat or not? I just think it's annoying, like those NO SMOKING nazis who feel that they need to tell everyone their business. If someone is going to eat McDonalds everyday they're going to be the ones paying for it, not you. So I don't understand why you care.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

It's very easy to figure out who to blame, the airline. If someone works at the airline handing out tickets, they probably know the approx. size of seats, so it would be obvious when an obese man rolls up to the desk that he would need an extra seat or travel First Class. I see no reason why the person did not ask the obese man. The guy's feelings aren't going to be terribly hurt, it won't be a surprise to him he's obese so it comes down to stating a fact to him:

"Sir, for whatever reason you're obese and cannot fit in 1 seat, you need 2 seats or travel First Class. Which do you want?"

I think it's silly the airline advises to pay for 2 seats just to avoid an issue like this because there's a 50/50 chance you'll have an obese person come over. If you don't, then you look a bit foolish and could perhaps let some other unfortunate soul use that seat. If you do have an obese person roll your way, problem solved ahead of time. However, to me it suggests passengers should do this because the airline is too incompetent to do so, which isn't exactly a flattering idea considering they'll take you high in the sky in a metal tube with fans on the outside.

Blaming the obese person isn't appropriate as it dances away from the problem. Sure, if he was a smaller size then the problem wouldn't have occurred, however, that doesn't change the fact the airline can be too incompetent to realize Mr. Half-Ton would need an extra seat, otherwise Mr. Slim will be squeezed like a teenager popping a pimple.

"It did not allow me to use my seatbelt during takeoff and landing as well as required me to stand in the aisle and galley area for most of the seven-hour-plus flight.”
...
passenger himself said he didn’t follow crew members’ instructions and fasten his seatbelt.

This is confusing to me because the guy said the obese man was so humungous, he couldn't use his seatbelt, yet the airline spokesperson suggests the guy could have fastened the seatbelt but chose not to. I can understand if the obese man takes 1.5 seats, you may not enjoy buckling your seatbelt because your hand is going to fiddle with the buckle under his arse, however, simply asking the obese man to stand up, then buckle the belt then get the obese man to sit back down should work. Perhaps it couldn't, perhaps the guy was whining, either way, this gives a discrepency between the stories.

[TigerTank77]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

I don't see why it's any of your business. I get that is affects you if someone is taking up your seat but otherwise what to you care if they're fat or not? I just think it's annoying, like those NO SMOKING nazis who feel that they need to tell everyone their business. If someone is going to eat McDonalds everyday they're going to be the ones paying for it, not you. So I don't understand why you care.

It becomes other people's business when it effects them negatively, I.E- I can't sit in my seat that I paid for because someone decided to eat McDonald's every day. Also the fact that my tax dollars are going to pay unemployment for people who are too fat to work. And in some cases, going to provide healthcare to people who ate too much and are now unhealthy.

You'd be surprised how much of a butterfly effect even the smallest actions can have on things.

Yeah, the airline should have charged him an extra seat, but he could have also not had the extra large fries. You know?

[Cosmo]

Japan has the right idea with where they're going on monitoring citizens weights.Fat people (99%+ are only fat because they eat too much. Thyroid related obesity is incredibly rare) should stop eating so much because they're a drain on our resources. They're selfish and they consume more than they need to, which in turn wastes resources that could be going to people who need it.

[Marguerite]

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

the fact that my tax dollars are going to pay unemployment for people who are too fat to work.

I imagine in the grand scheme of things there aren't THAT many people on disability due to being morbidly obese. Though I know nothing about this I imagine if your that heavey you probably have a severe eating disorder. I'm not saying the whole 'oh they're just eating because they're emotional' stuff. I'm talking legitimate mental health issue. You don't get THAT big by just eating whatever you feel and being a couch potato. You actually have to put in effort to get that big. So the way I look at it, would I have a problem with my tax dollars going towards helping someone who is sick due to anorexia or bulliemia? Nope. But I do think that people in that position should be given help to lose weight so they can get back on their feet.

Also I get paid $250 a fortnight by the government for being a full time student living at home so I'm not really in a position to critisize other people on welfare (and that's fine with me).

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

And in some cases, going to provide healthcare to people who ate too much and are now unhealthy.

I don't know what you're so worried about... don't you live in America?

Anyway, this is something I don't have a problem with. I'm happy that if I get sick tomorrow I'm not going to lose everything I own. If that means I have to pay tax to care for race car drivers who get into accidents or smokers who get lung cancer or people who don't look when crossing the road that's a great compromise in my opinion.

Originally Posted by TigerTank77

Yeah, the airline should have charged him an extra seat, but he could have also not had the extra large fries. You know?

I agree but I think that this is a short term immediate problem. If you're going to be flying somewhere next week you don't have time to change your whole life around and drop 200 kilos. Ideally the guy would be a healthy weight but we have to be realistic and figure out ways to accomodate these kind of things.

[BDF]

I think close 99% of the time, the reason for someone being obese is not because of an "eating disorder", or "mental disorder"... or "trauma"... it's simply because they're undisciplined and even selfish.

They're the ones to blame. I agree with giving them money to help them lose weight... but keep track of them, if they fail to lose the weight, keep closer track of them, and if you find them binging on MacDonalds in their spare time, no more money or anything.

[Marguerite]

Originally Posted by BDF

I think close 99% of the time, the reason for someone being obese is not because of an "eating disorder", or "mental disorder"... or "trauma"... it's simply because they're undisciplined and even selfish.

I don't disagree but I'm not just talking about people who are obese. I was talking about people so morbidly obese that they can barely leave the house.

I don't think that's just undisciplined. In fact I'm sure it would take a lot of work to get that big.

[BDF]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

I don't disagree but I'm not just talking about people who are obese. I was talking about people so morbidly obese that they can barely leave the house.

I don't think that's just undisciplined. In fact I'm sure it would take a lot of work to get that big.

Less work than you think for some people. Some people just have an urge to binge eat. It'l start with small meals and snacks, but as they continuously over-eat, and over-stretch their stomach tissue, they'l gradually need to eat more and more to stop themselves from being hungry. There's also Zinc involved, which I think causes the feeling of hunger to stop (not sure about this though)... and it sort of works like any other drug, because you end up needed more and more of it to stop the feeling of hunger, and the only way to get more of it is to eat more.

I can say to some extent... I've had problems with binge eating sometimes, or more frequently having absolutely huge meals. In fact I do it a lot, and usually fight the urge to eat in between meal times. Fighting the urge is just a matter of habit, once you get used to it, it's easy. I'd very likely cut back on the size of my meals, if I started getting fat from it... but as it is now, I don't need to. I regularly go to the gym, sometimes even twice a day, early morning and afternoon, so in fact if I didn't eat the amount I do I'd probably turn anorexic.

Also I do remember there being a story on here... of some woman doing her best to get as fat as she can so that she could land a world record I think. I find something like that disgraceful. Someone actually purposefully making themselves fat??? Really? And what's even more annoying is a lot of these people then like to moan when people complain about them being fat on the buses, taking up all the space, farting etc. I just don't get it.

[TakeTheLeap]

First of all, US Airways needs to apologize and either refund the ticket to the customer or give extra frequent flier miles or a complimentary ticket, because that's unacceptable. The passenger felt he had to compromise his safety and it seems like the airline is trying to say that it's HIS fault rather than theirs. It's not a case of, "Well, he didn't speak up so there was nothing we could do." He said something, and some sort of compromise should have been able to be reached that could have made everyone happy.
As for the obese flier, I believe that if you're big enough to take up two seats, you need to pay for both seats. It's not about discrimination - airlines lose money when they can't place someone in the neighboring seat because they won't fit there. I have to wonder what the obese flier thought/said when the other was standing or didn't put his seatbelt on.

It seems to me that the fault is on all 3 parties. The airline should have done something to accomodate, the standing flier should have said something before the plane even took off, and the obese flier should have bought another ticket (or a first class seat) and has the responsibility to take care of his body if he doesn't want to pay extra.

[PutYourHeartsUp]

I'd say they should consider what theme parks have started doing. Modified seating for obese people. You go to Universal and for each major ride you go and sit in the seat before you even get in line. There is no excuse to not know you're too big for the regular seat because they provide a test seat as well as modified seating. Airplanes should do the same. Certain airlines still have first class, which has way bigger seats.

But, I also agree fully with Emily. So rather than reiterate what she's said I'm just going to direct you back up north a little

[Marguerite]

Originally Posted by Dr. Gregory House

First of all, US Airways needs to apologize and either refund the ticket to the customer or give extra frequent flier miles or a complimentary ticket, because that's unacceptable. The passenger felt he had to compromise his safety and it seems like the airline is trying to say that it's HIS fault rather than theirs. It's not a case of, "Well, he didn't speak up so there was nothing we could do." He said something, and some sort of compromise should have been able to be reached that could have made everyone happy.

Just curious- did you read the article? Because they did offer to refund his ticket by way of a $200 voucher on the airline but he was unhappy with it so contacted the media. The airline aren't being too generous because he could have sat down but chose not too.

[Guile]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Just curious- did you read the article? Because they did offer to refund his ticket by way of a $200 voucher on the airline but he was unhappy with it so contacted the media. The airline aren't being too generous because he could have sat down but chose not too.

Which would have delayed his flight because some obese man couldn't stop snarfing down Ho-Ho's.

[TakeTheLeap]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Just curious- did you read the article? Because they did offer to refund his ticket by way of a $200 voucher on the airline but he was unhappy with it so contacted the media. The airline aren't being too generous because he could have sat down but chose not too.

I did read the article, and an airline ticket is far more than $200. Most of the time, they run about $400 or so (sometimes more). I understand why the man wasn't happy, because he should have gotten a FULL refund or the equivalent to.