Shortline Bus Posted April 16, 2009 Share #1 Posted April 16, 2009 Here an intresting article for those of you who fly? United Airlines to charge overweight passengers for taking up two seats By Edgar Sandoval and Corky Siemaszko NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Wednesday, April 15th 2009, 1:10 PM You'd better fit in that lap belt - or else United Airlines will charge you double to fly the friendly skies. So much for jumbo jets. From now on, United Airlines passengers with extra-wide bodies will have to pay for an extra seat - if they want to fly the friendly skies. Flight attendants will be on the lookout for portly passengers who can't buckle the seat belts or put their arm rests down. Those deemed too fat to fly "must either purchase a ticket for an additional seat, or purchase an upgrade to a cabin with seats that address the above-listed scenarios," United Airlines wrote on its Web site. If no other seats are available on that flight, the hefty flier will be grounded until two adjacent seats can be found on the next plane out. "It's discrimination," said Jack Gillotto, a 300-pounder from Danbury, Conn., as he waited for a flight at LaGuardia Airport. "I understand if a person takes space from another, they should pay extra," said Gillotto, 48. "But not an entire second seat." Maria Garcia, flying home to California from LaGuardia, said United is picking on full-figured fliers like herself. "They are taking money away from us," said Garcia, 31. "It's bad as it is for the economy." Juan Rivera, who goes by "El Gordo" because he weighs 230 pounds and stands just 5-feet-2, said, "That affects me, as an overweight person. "I don't feel like I should pay for being bigger," said Rivera, 45, of the Bronx. United insisted it was simply acting on the 700-plus complaints it received last year about obese travelers "infringing" on their neighbors' space. "This will apply after all other solutions are exhausted," United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski Janikowski said. "Should the flight be full, which is rare in today's economy ... we will offer the second seat on another flight at the same fare that was originally paid." Fat fliers are a growing problem for U.S. airlines at a time when space is at a premium, travel is expensive and 34% of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eight other U.S. airlines - including Delta and Southwest - have similar seating policies requiring extra-large passengers to "purchase a second seat" if they can't fit into one, Urbanski Janikowski said. Karl Shen, who weighs 250 pounds and flies frequently to Florida on business, said it was just a matter of time before the airlines cracked down on fliers like himself. In years past, Shen said flight attendants would offer him an extra seat for free out of courtesy - if not sympathy. "They could see the seats were too small for me," said Shen, 47, of Brooklyn. Now, if he has to, Shen said he's ready to fork out more "to be comfortable." "By the time I get off the plane, it's very painful," he said. c)2009 NY Daily News, Inc. esandoval@nydailynews.com Is this 'bias' by United against overweight people guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RokuSix Posted April 16, 2009 Share #2 Posted April 16, 2009 I think it's fair. They are, logically, taking up more than one seat and should therefore pay for the extra seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTR Admiralty Posted April 16, 2009 Share #3 Posted April 16, 2009 If you can't fit into one, you have to pay extra. I mean, the person next to you can't be forced to sit in a cramped spot for a few hours. It's not really bias, if the person next to the overweight person who can't fit into one seat feels uncomfortable for all those hours, he or she will have to complain. Customer satisfaction, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shortline Bus Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted April 16, 2009 I think it's fair. They are, logically, taking up more than one seat and should therefore pay for the extra seat. If spreads to all major airlines i am sure Amtrak and Greyhound is next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenEleven Posted April 16, 2009 Share #5 Posted April 16, 2009 It's logical. That taken seat could always be an extra person. That means more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted April 17, 2009 Share #6 Posted April 17, 2009 It is entirely not bias because it is really about business. Any airline would be losing revenue giving an obese person an extra seat. And also, an airline loses a few bucks more reimbursing a person for putting them on another flight (even worse if a passenger has to spend a night at a hotel for a flight the next day). So I don't blame United for moving this move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted April 17, 2009 Share #7 Posted April 17, 2009 Not only are they taking up more space, but it's more weight to put into the air. - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneRegional Posted April 18, 2009 Share #8 Posted April 18, 2009 Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTR Admiralty Posted April 18, 2009 Share #9 Posted April 18, 2009 I feel for airplanes, those seats really need to be slightly wider to fit someone. Especially economy class, it should be wider. Some people are wide bodied in the gene so they have no choice but to pay or annoy passengers beside them, ... But then again, if you make, say, all the seats wider, how many people are you going to fit? The plane size will remain the same, regardless. Changing the plane shape, size or weight can alter a plane's aerodynamics and flight. It's easier for those people to lose a few inches round the waist than for an entire airline to widen all the seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneRegional Posted April 19, 2009 Share #10 Posted April 19, 2009 Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Glen Posted April 19, 2009 Share #11 Posted April 19, 2009 This really depends. Technically I'm overweight since I'm 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. However, I don't appear to be overweight. Someone who's 250 pounds shouldn't have to pay for two seats. However, a 400 pounder should pay for two seats. There's a difference between having a few extra pounds and being obese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneRegional Posted April 19, 2009 Share #12 Posted April 19, 2009 Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted April 19, 2009 Share #13 Posted April 19, 2009 This really depends. Technically I'm overweight since I'm 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. However, I don't appear to be overweight. Someone who's 250 pounds shouldn't have to pay for two seats. However, a 400 pounder should pay for two seats. There's a difference between having a few extra pounds and being obese. They're not talking about weight per say, just if the person is a little big on the wide side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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