What to do if your airplane seat-mate is too large for the seat?

[idnib]

I would be annoyed but probably not say anything unless I was pain. It also depends on the duration of the flight.

 

I usually fly Southwest so there's an semi-open boarding policy. I'm a short and baby-tolerant person so I usually "take one for the team" and sit next to a large person or babies. I especially like to sit next to mothers flying alone with babies and young children so I can put them at ease and lend a hand. They are usually very grateful. One time an exhausted mother fell asleep on a trans-Atlantic flight and I entertained her 4 kids for hours, even taking them to the bathroom (didn't go in) and holding the baby while he slept for a couple of hours. This was before I had my own children, back when I had energy.  :lol:

 

I can deal better with women pressing against me and with apologetic, nice people. I have a harder time with men pressing against me and rude, entitled people.

 

[Dmmetler]

Am I the only one take aback a bit every time I read POS? I know you're all using it to mean Person of Size, but in my neck of the woods it means something COMPLETELY different and it's a bit shocking to see someone referred to as such.

LOL-DH is a software engineer who works on business software for retail sales-so in my household, POS means point of sale. It's caused a few interesting anecdotes when some engineer refers to a "POS system" to some end user who has a totally different meaning for the acronym!

[AimeeM]

But that doesn't make sense. Why charge the 6' tall person, who weighs a healthy amount of, say, 200 lbs more because they are a healthy weight for their height?

You know those racks some airlines have in the boarding area for passengers to demonstrate they can carry on the luggage they have with them before getting on the plane? You have to put your bag in the rack. I've seen agents require passengers check luggage when demonstration showed the bag did not fit. I wonder if we will get to the point where a person may have to demonstrate fitting in the seat before boarding.

I know as checked luggage fees have been implemented some industry analysts are discussing charging by total weight. When you arrived to check in you and your luggage would be step on a large scale. There would be a fee if you were over. I'm sure there would still be a flat per bag rate too. But total weight per ticket makes sense because weight affects fuel use.

The total weight thing would not change the problem of the 5'3" 200lb person fitting in the seat. I do think there should a requirement to pay for the real estate (seat amount) you are using. The airlines are now penalizing tall people by asking for more money to get leg room. It would essentially be the same thing.

I saw a recent story showing how an airline is going to make seats even smaller. The new seats will be 2" narrower. There will be less padding too so the rows can be even closer together. I think I could barely get my rear in such a seat and I think closer rows would mean that at 5'8" my legs wouldn't fit.

 

[Ripley]

I've never heard POS mean person of size. And I live in the PC capital of the world.

 

Here POS is point of sale if you work in tech or retail and, as I suspect it is to you, something else entirely. POS would be that guy pressing his legs against yours and draping his arms over your torso who hits on you when you tell him to stop. Not the heavy person who is mortified they can't get the armrest down.

 

I don't hear POS to mean "person of size" outside of air travel, and I don't use it as such outside of that context.  Like others, I take POS to mean the mister you described above. ;)

 

I don't consider it a PC thing, though maybe it is; I always just thought the other appropriate acronyms were taken.  Airlines love themselves some acronyms!

[Ripley]

I find it hard to picture going to the flight attendant without the large person realizing it.  Especially if (as was my experience) the heavy person has the aisle seat.  Kind of hard to unobtrusively get out of your middle / window seat with that kind of obstruction.  Plus, there is always a big rush to get everyone seated with their belts on etc., don't you dare move because the seatbelt lights are on .....

 

I don't believe the flight attendants don't notice this is an issue.  They go up and down checking to see if your seatbelt is on.  They look at everyone's waist.  They certainly notice if Ms. Large's waist extends well into Ms. Average's seat.  I could understand them being embarrassed to say anything, but sometimes uncomfortable things need to be said.

 

If you see the POS preparing to sit in your row, simply excuse yourself before he sits down. Find the flight attendant in the aft of the airplane; if she is busy, just stand there. They hate that. LOL But it guarantees you'll get her attention, and can bring up the problem during boarding.

 

There are a few seatbelt enforcers, but it's my experience that the crew does a cursory check of seatbelts - not an in-depth examination of everyone's waist. They do a quick glance as they move down the aisle.  Not unlike you doing a quick glance to the backseat to see if your 3rd grader buckled up; you see the belt in the general area and call it good.  Not to mention many people keep jackets and purses on their laps, clouding the view.  This seems especially likely for someone who isn't able to access the underseat stowage area in front of him.

[PhotoGal]

I wouldn't say or do anything. I can be uncomfortable for a few hours.

 

I would feel terrible if I said something that caused someone else to have to miss the flight or pay hundreds or thousands of dollars.

[bettyandbob]

But that doesn't make sense. Why charge the 6' tall person, who weighs a healthy amount of, say, 200 lbs more because they are a healthy weight for their height?

 

 

I think the idea is all weights costs a certain amount in fuel. So, give the passenger a total weight combining himself, checked and carryon luggage. Say the total weight established is 210. The person who weighs 200 would have to make sure anything he's wearing and any luggage weighed less than 10 pounds to not pay a surcharge. 

 

As far as cost of fuel, it doesn't matter if the person is 200 and 5 feet tall or 200 pounds and 6'2". whether or not people fit in seats has no affect on the cost of fuel other than a person who weighs more costs more. That's why this is an idea that is being tossed around in the industry. 

[justasque]

Airlines do actually have policies about this.  Here's a sampling:
http://www.cheapair.com/blog/travel-tips/airline-policies-for-overweight-passengers-traveling-this-summer/

[Amira]

I think the idea is all weights costs a certain amount in fuel. So, give the passenger a total weight combining himself, checked and carryon luggage. Say the total weight established is 210. The person who weighs 200 would have to make sure anything he's wearing and any luggage weighed less than 10 pounds to not pay a surcharge.

 

As far as cost of fuel, it doesn't matter if the person is 200 and 5 feet tall or 200 pounds and 6'2". whether or not people fit in seats has no affect on the cost of fuel other than a person who weighs more costs more. That's why this is an idea that is being tossed around in the industry.

I know a lot of people who'd love it if their 5yo could check 170 pounds of luggage when they're moving to another country!