Michael, here's the difference... if I pay for a seat, I want the entire seat. I don't want a stranger laying their body all over me, which is essentially what can happen when you are beside a "person of size", especially when they choose to lift the armrest.

If you are a "person of size" and you know you cannot fit in a single airplane seat (trust me, people are not ignorant of their size - they know), book two seats, or be prepared to be asked to move / take another flight. I have the right to my own seat. If you overlap into my seat, I expect you to move, or I expect monetary compensation from you for the portion of my seat that you are taking up. If we're related, friends, etc... different story. But a stranger... that's awkward and uncomfortable - and unacceptable to some.

On a plane you aren't paying for silence. You're paying for your own seat on an airplane that takes you from point a to point b. When someone shares your seat, then they are taking up space that you are paying for, and that's not fair.

Now, with that said... there is never any excuse for obnoxious children on a flight, and that mother you mention should be banned from flying if that's her attitude.

Nail on the head Melanie! I contract with an airline for a seat on a plane to get me from A to B. If the airline website, or SeatGuru or similar, tells me that my seat is 20" wide, etc, then that's what I expect to have available to me on the flight. Not 20" less the 6" that the person next to me is taking.

And yes Michael, as the 'person of size' is the one causing the problem, he or she is absolutely the one who needs to deal with the consequences.

And, btw, as a very slim person, I have rights too. One of them is occupying my own seat BY MYSELF, without someone else squashing me. Raising the armrest and oozing into my space is not ok, and all it will get you is embarrassed when I complain to the flight attendant and you have to be either re-seated or removed from the plane.

Can we please drop the political correctness and just say 'fat'? If somebody needs a seatbelt extension in the first place, they should not be flying in coach in a seat that is only 17 inches....even a first class seat at 19 inches is probably too small for some of the lard butts that I have seen flying on planes I've been on. What this person should have done (and I have done in the past), is lower the armrest. If the person next to me says anything at all, I just say that I paid for one seat and that is what I deserve to get. Then, the onus falls on the 'fat' person to address the situation. We, as a nation, need to stop being so mealy moused about situations like this and demand that they be addressed fairly. People aren't born fat....they get that way by eating too damn much!

so what, we cant even call fat people fat anymore. people of size?

seems to me that the correct thing to do is this. if you take up more than one seat you need to pay more than one fair.

also note, overweight people should not be traveling on a delta Canadian Regional jet. those damn seats are small even by asian standards.

I am a larger person than most but can usually fit into a seat and I have my own belt extender because you just never know if the belt provided will be long enough to click comfortably without tearing off an arm to fish out the tail end. I always select the aisle seat and never raise the armrest if traveling alone. Because of that aisle seat I am bumped by every passerby and beverage cart. I don't use the pulldown tray and don't recline my seat. Yes, the Canadaair seats are TFS. So some skinny woman with too much perfume or some guy with arms and legs that he wants to spread as wide as possible want me to be rebooked. Ain't flying fun?

This is the simplest of issues. If you can't confine your body mass to one seat, you pay for two. PERIOD!!!

No one needs to explain to anyone else why they need the space/seat they paid for!

Why do we say "person of size"? Because a person of size isn't necessarily fat.

A person can be quite large--for example, Arnold Schwarznegger or Michael Jordan--and not have an ounce of fat on him or her. Quite a few body-builder types are simply too large for a standard seat.

People "of size" who are heavy are extremely annoyed by the fact that they frequently fit into the 20-inch seat easily and are only a bit uncomfortable in a 17-inch seat. I'm sitting in a 20-inch seat right now, thanks, and have a lot of room to spare.

I might, however, need a seat belt extender because I have a big belly. But, because I am short, I fit into a normal-size seat.

The problem is that there isn't a standard rule that is enforced in a simple way--one doesn't always know how large the seats will be. If the airline had a very simple chart--anyone over this height and that girth needs a second seat--then we would all be fine. But, there isn't a standard measurement--and what qualifies as "fitting" to me frequently doesn't qualify to the 20-something snark.

For the charmer who just wrote about how "fatties" are "LAZY" and need to get off their "FAT" behinds--ummmm, sweetie. Just when am I supposed to do that during my seven-days a week, 12-hours a day, three jobs' schedule? If I were to take in fewer calories than I expend in my day--I would be eating so little food that I would not merely be malnourished, I would probably die because of blood sugar issues. Yes, a person with hormone difficulties (and mine is not my thyroid, thanks) eats a lot less than you and still weighs more.

Honestly--no one owes any of you the right to live around people who are aesthetically pleasing. It is my hope that every one of you who complains about "LAZY" "fatties" will get a job that confines you to a chair and a computer, keeps you in it for 12 hours a day every day each week with no vacations, and that you find yourself over the age of 35, with a lousy metabolism, and a "fatty."

But, this is a problem easily solved by the airline industry if they would simply post a height and girth requirement. There would be a simple way to know if one will fit, a simple way to demonstrate to agents that one will fit, and a simple way to shut up the annoy dweebs who seem to think that anyone who isn't aesthetically pleasing is "eating up four inches of my space." I have no problem flying on a plane and buying a second seat if, like the person forced to buy a seat for a baby, I get a refund should there happen to be an empty seat anyway and if everyone who doesn't fit (including the 6 foot, 4 inch, muscle-bound twit who wants to call me "fat") also has to buy a second seat.

All anyone asks for is consistency and fairness and for others to mind their own freaking business. You know--people are no lazier or stupider than they ever were--and yet the average person is much heavier than in the past. You want to maybe figure out that this is environmental and could be solved a lot more easily by changing the way the food is processed (the inexpensive food in stores is all processed in a way to make it as calorie-dense as possible) than you can by using ugly language (ugly language which I really hope will be turned on you some day).

Have a great one.

This happen to my daughter when we were flying to Italy. an older woman with some problem (not fat) was leaning way over into my daughters seat and space. We told the flight attendants, who asked her not to do that, but she leaned anyway. So the flight attendants did nothing. lucky for my daughter, I moved into her seat. when the lady got up to go to the bathroom. I took both seats. she just stared at me the rest of the flight. We need to be able to solve these conflicts in flight. We need to complain, but also take the flight attendants names. And then complain to the at the airport asap!!!!! I shouldn't pay

for a seat space and not get it. fat people and others have to realize this. stop pretending that you do cause trouble for other peolpe!!

Excuses, excuses... :P

Cut this "person-of-size" bullcrap. YOU'RE FAT! DEAL WITH IT! STOP INCONVENIENCING THE REST OF SOCIETY ALL AROUND YOU DUE TO YOUR GLUTTONY!

Diet. Exercise. Take the stairs. Park at the end of the parking lot. Take vitamins. Walk around the building a few times. See a fricking doctor. Take your fricking pills. Take some fricking responsibility in life rather than blaming genetics or your parents or your depression or everyone else. Pay for the 2 fricking seats you fricking fat cheapskates!

I have no sympathy for your 3 desk-jobs and 12-hour schedule, or whatever other lame fake excuse you want to make up. You have time to eat healthy and exercise, YOU just CHOOSE not to do it. The average person is still awake another 4 hours per day, at least. All you need is 30 minutes per day of exercise with heart rate > 120bpm.

Go cry to some reality TV show :P

...for the rest, if you don't like the small seats, then DON'T FLY! Seriously... don't fly. Make it easier and less hectic to those of us who do fit or don't mind. Take Greyhound, Amtrak, or just drive. It usually doesn't take that much longer if you factor in airport waiting times and layovers... or cost any more.

happened to me....but i refused to lift the arm rest....so he folded up his jacket and sat on that .....he was able to buckle his seat belt for the attendent (with an extension) but unbuckled during takeoff....his flab sloped over the armrest the entire flight......oh, and right after take off his wife brought him a huge sandwitch and a family size bag of chips and 2 dill pickles....he proceded to eat the entire mess in less than 15 minutes......it was apparent later in the flight that he had 4 family members on the flight but none of them were willing to sit with him.

Apologies to all of the parents with children out there that are offended by the first poster "michael" comment about the irresponsible mom. So many people are so quick to put their noses up and pass judgement when they have no experience in parenting and the challenges of raising children in this society. Our commentor probably shouldn't be blamed for his ignorance but he should work on his self-centered attitude and the effect his disapproval has on hard working parents that have to travel with children. It would have been more helpful to all if he had engaged the kids in an appropriate activity to help pass the time in a less disturbing and antagonistic atmosphere.

I'm with you zapper. However, I would certainly be agreeable to moving to a "per pound" ticket fee or surcharge structure (carry-on items included). This would solve or lessen a host of related problems and "reward" people who try and maintain a healthy weight.

I have a family ancestry of big and tall people, and I think that your "per pound" ticket for small skinny people is discriminatory myself. Every male relative of mine going back to the US Civil War is or was over 6 feet tall, with more than half over 6'3". I am 6'5", so are both of my nephews, and even a couple of my cousins too. My one great-grandfather was 6'3" and weighed 350 lbs back in the late 1800s. His father was 6'5" and weighed 275 lbs, the same weight that I weighed from the age of 40-46. My dad was only 6 feet tall, but he had a 46-inch waist and weighed 235 lbs. I only wear 48-waist jeans in 34-length, but I also wear a 3XLT shirt. One reason that I am heavy is that I have a liver problem as well as a thyroid problem too. I can't seem to fit in many little tiny cars either, vastly preferring my full-size pickup truck. I get discriminated against when I go shopping for clothes, and now you little people want to discriminate against me on airline fares too? Perhaps I should charge a surcharge in my business whenever I find-out that the customer is a little challenged on size too!!! How about $200 for a cord of firewood unless the buyer is under 5'9" tall, then I should charge $300, do you think that would be right???

So, I understand there are some who have medical issues making them "heavier" or "bigger" but these are the same ones who have been paying higher premiums for health coverage and health care due to their medical history, why should airfare be any different? I try and eat healthy, and let me tell you it's not easy and it's not cheap. So we all pay more and deal with complications to sustain the life we have either by choice or due to genetics.

The majority of the people at issue here are "large" by choice and due to their choices. They choose to eat cheap at McDonalds and Sonic, the trade-off? They get fat. I chooses to NOT eat at McDonalds and Sonic becuase they offfer nothing that is not 900+ calories and have to eat elsewhere at rather high costs. So, to me the "fat" guy can afford to pay a bit more for airfare because of the money he saves eating junk food, and I should get a break for airfare because of all the additional cost it took for me to be able to fit in the seat, comfortably (sort of)

How 'bout them apples?

Thank you zapper. The "holier-than-thou" attitude is getting ridiculous. I usually don't post on these topics, but the time has come. A little overweight, but not by much and still sick of reading the posts of the whiners. I travel a bit because I enjoy it and try to make the best of every flight I take.

No, it is not the best part of a trip - but until I can afford flying 1st class (or my own private plane LOL) I know I may need to put up with rude people, distruptive children, large seatmates, small seatmates, whiners, smelly food that the guy two seats over from me packed as a lunch, etc, etc. But I know when I get to Paris or wherever, I will appreciate that I only spent 7+- hours to get there.

Actually, my biggest complaint is that the planes being flown are such old technology - you would think by now we would have a plane that could make it to Europe in a couple of hours. How about that discussion!

Melanie, above, has it right. I pay for the area between the armrests of my seat. Nobody is entitled to share that area with me. We can be sympathetic to the plight of "people of size" and still feel entitled to what we paid for.

Likewise, the rest of the plane is a shared space, and there are many ways others are inconsiderate and abusive of the rest of us: Screaming children whose parents do nothing to try to stop them, loud adults, people who haven't bathed, the list goes on.

The fact that many people come on the plane and are ill-behaved doesn't allow people who are large to "wordlessly annex half your seat like they're Germany and you're Poland," as I write in my book "I See Rude People."

Options for all: you can buy a seat in business class and you'll have plenty of room, food, attention from flight attendants, etc. Until people STOP FLYING due to not only exposure to one another's bodily fluids, smells, desquamations, sneezes, kids and/or contagion these issues will persist. Global travel is gross and unfunny. We can sedate ourselves with benzodiazepines, take the train (similar issues), buy a first class seat, take a boat, drive or walk. OK, sometimes there is no choice, so perhaps common sense will prevail. Your first line of defense is the senior flight attendent. They are the airline rep. in the air - unless the pilots need to be involved (in the case of genuine disturbances). Close your eyes, get up, walk around, and think of your destination. You missed your connection? Thank the mergers and the price of fuel, and the shi-heads of 911 who made this your aviation reality. IF you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being an airline passenger, I pity you. It won't get any better, so either find another way to get there, or simply don't go.

Yes, flying involves some compromises, as you say. On the issue of "annexing" someone elses space that they've paid for, though, you're completely off base. Let's look at it another way, shall we? I am 6' 2" and weigh about 180 lbs. and my wife weights about 120 lbs...so our combined weight is 300 lbs. If a 300 lb. person is allowed to take up my space - for free - then why shouldn't my wife and I be allowed to sit in one seat and take up the space of the person next to me - also for free?

Forget the stinking political correctness and stop thinking it's all about YOU for a change. The fact is that if you weigh the same as two people, then you need to buy two seats, just like two people! Simple, isn't it?

Perhaps we could put the blame where it really lies: the airlines. Do any of us buy a chair that is 17" wide? No. We buy reasonably sized chairs that fit people. I would guess that airline executes never fly coach because they would find it too uncomfortable (especially John Wayne to Dulles). In an effort to save money, they have deliberately downsized the seats and perhaps that should be the focus of our ire.

Zapper,

and how are you NOT a whining complainer? If I have to sit on an airplane for 16 hours or more and scrape together the money to pay for it I expect to be respected for "my" space. I don't care if you are skinny or fat, I paid for "my" space, so keep out of it. If you don't fit into your seat you will have to find one that "fits" (They are called 1st class)

I think Zapper is a person of size who is being too defensive. I've seen overweight people, who are somewhat overweight fit into seats just fine. It's the super huge people who spill onto another person's seat. They are not a few pounds overweight, they are very overweight. It's their choice to be that overweight. I would not be happy if I had to share 6 inches of my 20 inch seat with another person. I paid for my space, not space to take up half your arse.

And I am not a skinny person, I am a tall woman of average weight (heck maybe a few pounds overweight) who can fit into an airline seat with room to spare.

I get a catalogue in the mail for home decor. The strangest thing happened with the last issue. There was a section called 'Plus Sized Living', in the back which features items (beach chairs, desk chairs, etc., which boasted that they would hold a person ranging weighing from FIVE HUNDRED to EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY POUNDS!!! I have never seen this before and I found it bizarre. Of course, the price of these chairs for behemoths were justifiably more costly than the 'regular' sized chair. This is a direct reflection of how humanity has morphed into buffalo-sized proportions.

Anyone see this catalogue additions? It was called "Brylane Home" and the copy was unbelievable! Health care designates these people the "super, morbidly obese". This is not now and can never be considered OK or normal. Sorry, the human heart and skeletal structure was NOT designed to support such outlandish proportions. That is why they huff and puff and are often shut ins. The do indeed need help, but they do not need my airline seat. So sorry, but they can't encroach on me and feel justified.

STexan-

Why should you be rewarded for maintaining a healthy weight?? that doesn't make sense. People are not cookie cutters, there is not a form on this planet that states every person on earth shall be 5'3 and 110... it doesn't work that way. So are you also going to reward those who aren't tall bc genetics chose that for them. how bout the mother with the sleeping baby, should she be rewarded. that is one of the most ridiculous things i've heard in a while.

I agree w zapper- quit whining!! the seats are 17" and there isn't much leg room, oh well. if you cant handle that find a different way to travel. other wise sit down shut up and enjoy( as best as you can) the ride.

When you book a flight you have a reasonable expectation of the entire use of the seat you paid for. You do not have a reasonable expectation of quiet children or people with clean scalps. Sorry Zapper, you can't win on this issue no matter how many names you call the people who want their own seat without someone else's body "touching" theirs. You get over it and buy an extra @!$%#ing seat!!!!!!!!!!

I hate most of you. Just throwning that out there. I'm 6'4" and 275. I know that sounds HUGE to most of you, but I'm in pretty good shape (most of my mass is chest and my huge mellon of a head). I can fit in my seat just fine (width) but I can't fit in my seat very well with the available leg room provided to me. The seating area is just too small...period. People are getting taller, yet airlines are making seating areas smaller. I'm not sorry I don't fit into your notion of what size I should be. Everyone in my family is 6' or taller. We're big folk. A reasonable amount of space is all I ask for. As it is, I get angry looks from the person in front of me when they can't recline their seat because my knees are dug into the back of their seat because I have no room.

Shouldn't the bigger person have been made to stand? Logical consequence and all.

hey Brian 434343, people are not talking about tall big boned people. We know that you cannot control that. the article was talking about rude wide people that raises that arm rest and make their temporary neighbor uncomfortable instead of sucking it up and squeezing into the one seat he or she purchased. This isn't about being large or small it is about who should suffer and personally I think that who ever is causing the problem should be the one to suffer. And as for as most of you fat people that say you can't help your size. Cow pucky, I was getting fat and said the same thing from size 30 jeans to size 34 jeans then I said enough. How I did it ? well first of all I drink water ,water,water, In the morning I do drink milk but I drink nothing but water ,even for supper, except when I do go out and eat. Quit eating sweet and drinking cokes. ( i still do have my two or three beers in the afternoon here and there) and I exercised every night even when I worked 12 16 hours a day. Sometimes the work out was 30 minutes and sometimes it was 1 hour but it was everynight till I got back into sive 31 jeans . Know I only work out every once in a while just keep my man boobs from forming.

OH and Zapper just because you are a fat lazy self centerd pri_k doesn't mean everybody should suffer wth you.

Fat people are not being discriminated here any more than short people are discriminated against in a game of basketball. It's incredibly simple here. When one pays for a seat, one gets a seat. If one needs more than one seat, then one should pay for more than one seat.

What I'm reading is that people think that it's a right to encroach on another person's space, and that's just not true.

Libertarian--okay, I'll bite. How many people play basketball? Oh, dear, the short people are discriminated against--how sad.

Conversely--how many people have to get jobs? Got to the grocery store? Get health insurance? Ummmm, everybody?

People who are heavy are continuously discriminated against--people assume they are "lazy." Sorry, but heavy people tend to be heavy because they spend most of their time working. Heavy people also tend to be heavy because they are not European Americans who can metabolize all the carbohydrates that are available in the standard American fare.

Sure--one can eat other food. I have seen dieticians recommend a lot of lean meat, low-fat fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Now, bubba, you want to go to the grocery store and find out how much more you are going to pay for that diet than you would pay for seven Ramen (your lunches) and seven double Cheeseburgers (about $1 each) from McDs? Throw in a couple of thirty-cent bags of Doritos to quiet your stomach and endless cups of coffee supplied by your employer to keep you working. You won't spend alot on the food--but you'll get a lot in terms of calories.

People are fat because they cannot afford good food, they work jobs that are too stressful and keep them confined to chairs (look it up--no amount of healthy dieting or exercise can compensate for 10 hours a day in a chair at a computer), and they come from people whose genes cause them to gain weight when they eat "American" food.

Then, they have the misfortune to have to ride on a plane. They do not know if they will be allowed to cram themselves into the seat and just be uncomfortable, or if some random person is going to come along and yank them off the plane.

Here's an idea--how about a height/girth measurement that determines how many seats one has to purchase? Don't be very surprised to find out that many "fat" women will be able to get just one seat and many "thin" men are forced to buy two. I hope that you will be one of the ones with two.

But, yes, I would agree that two seats are best--but the rule should be stated openly, consistently enforced against anyone who is too large (not merely the "fat" ones), and fairly determined. Have a great day.

I have an idea: Why don't we just take the number of seats needed to make everyone feel comfortable then divide that number by a cost plus profit figure and make everyone pay the same amount, regardless of their size or lack thereof? Skinny people have rights, but those rights do not include getting to pay less than other people have to pay too.

Randall, we have a winner. People CHOOSE to get fat. The body is a perfect calorie counter. If you consume more than you burn you gain weight, end of discussion: ITS SIMPLE PHYSICS PEOPLE. Yes, I will admit that some medical conditions do make it hard, but bottom line you can back away from the table. YOU are the one who got fat, why should I pay for your fatness, (More than I already do with your diabetees, and other medical costs, that get foisted upon me in one form or the other...)

Old Timer-88224: If you take up more than one seat, you should pay for more than one seat. What's so hard to understand? What's so evil about that? If you can afford to eat yourself to gargantuan size, you can afford an extra seat.

I was 6'5" and 190 lbs as a senior in high school, back when I was very active. By the time that I was 21 I weighed 225 lbs, and still I was very active. By the age of 25 I was up to 250 lbs, and 275 by my early 40s, and I was still a very active guy in a very physical occupation. Now that I am in my mid-50s and only hit the gym every other day, play golf once per week, or ski a few times per season, I weigh as much as an NFL lineman. On Southwest I usually try to get an aisle seat so that I can lift the aisle armrest enough for my leg to fit underneath, but my waist and leg size isn't as much of a problem as my 58-inch chest is. I used to fit in airline seats just fine until most airlines dropped the amount of legroom in coach way down. If an airline will allow me to pay extra for an extra legroom coach seat I will gladly pay a little extra, but having to pay for an extra entire seat is a little ridiculous. When you go to the ballgame what happens if you have to sit next to me, as the armrests don't move there? Perhaps somewhat higher armrests that don't lift might be a good solution for tiny airline passengers who feel crowded when they are forced to sit next to another paying customer who is a bit larger than they like? Let's hope that you don't gain a bunch of weight when you get older too.

We pay more for extra baggage. We pay more for overweight baggage. Seems it costs money to get that extra weight up into the sky. So why not pay for your body by weight? Just a point.

My flights usually require 18 hours of sitting. The armrest stays down, period. I'd be shocked to see someone raise it, and I'd respond with a quick, "Dude, what the frig are you doing?! Back off!"

But to complain that the person next to me is too big to the stewardess? That would require a level of rudeness that I hope none of us are capable of. To even suggest it is incredibly insensitive. I wasn't aware, but really, they'd make them rebook!?!

Airlines could arrange some larger seats in coach, couldn't they? Pay a bit more, get 4 inches. Why need a class upgrade? And if airlines want to improve their horrible image, make these seats the same price upon proof of size and weight. And what about a sound proofed kid-friendly section? Not incredibly novel ideas, but in the world of corporate profits usurping anything friendly or humanistic it hasn't evolved that way.

So, airlines, get off your lazy butts and make the skies friendlier, instead of letting us battle it out while you pretend it's not your fault. Cheers!

God Bless you, MLH. You are a wonderfully healthy person with no medical problems and you are fortunate in that.

You know, maybe we should just euthanize any one with diabetes, heart conditions, congenital liver problems, etc. After all, they do cost you a lot of money to maintain, don't they.

Medical conditions or no is beside the point.

The obese passenger knew ahead of time that he had this problem, and he should have purchased both seats. If he didn't have the money to do that, then he should have chosen another mode of transportation where his size would not cause a problem.

If the airline was negligent in advising passengers about a weight/size limit, then the displaced passenger should get a full refund; he was put at risk by being compelled to stand. Frankly, I think he should get the refund anyway you look at it.

Thank you. I'm no gym rat, I'm a "person of size" but even if I lose the weight, my shoulders are still broad and that isn't changing. I already try to be accommodating by squeezing myself up against the bulkhead, stretching my legs under to keep my hips away, etc. I find different airlines and airplanes have different length seatbelts...on one flight I could almost make the belt clip on one segment, next segment it clipped fine. Go on another flight (Southwest) and the belt was way short. There's factors in everything that don't necessarily lend it to be because someone is bigger...maybe they're just bigger for that particular airline/airplane that wants to squeeze us all like sardines to make money, especially the billions on extra fees they collected.

and why didnt the skinny passenger put the arm rest down

Common sense made too much sense!! LOL

Lynnessa. You are a nice person.

Lynnessa--Like you, I wouldn't mind purchasing two seats. But, isn't the point that one doesn't actually need "two" seats? One just needs about four extra inches--that is, a regular sized seat--in most cases. I would not mind paying extra for a seat that fits--but paying double because the airlines have intentionally decreased the seats to maximize profits is something I am not too happy with.

Still, I don't fly any more any way. It isn't worth the snarkiness from others who would rather blame me than blame the airlines who are giving them too little room. I just would like to see consistent rules, consistently applied--and a lot less snarkiness about how individuals are lazy or whatever and "deserve" to be punished.

It is up to the airlines to make and enforce policies. Don't count on people to do the right thing on their own. Manners, civility and respect are all things of the past -- the only way to get through to anyone is to hit them in the wallet. It's a real shame.

When I was 100 pounds heavier than I am now, I also did as your b&s-i-l, 3 seats to accommodate two people. My companion was not very overweight, but had a Huge "rack" (natural, not silicone), so it was to make her more comfortable as well. Now, I ONLY book online when I can reserved the specific seats, because you are right on two counts: some airplanes are configured with only two or only one seat, PLUS, one of the new dirty little tricks the airlines are now pulling is to charge extra for the "guarantee" that your two seats will be side by side. The other matter is simple and I have done it several times -- the name of the additional "passenger" is simply First Name = "Extra," Last Name = "Seat"! Too logical?

Oh, you had to put that out there didn't you? Even though the seat belt extender is nothing more than the ridiculous little thing they use to "instruct" us on every flight of the Proper belt buckling procedure (D'OH) and costs them NOTHING, I'm sure now they will start charging a usage fee for the person who requests one for any reason!

Ok, I digress. Armrests should only be unlocked when the person of size has requested and the airline determined the airline can accomodate them (because they have not already sold the seat next to them). Anotherwords, leave it to the airlines to decide if they want to actually charge for the extra seat or not, but they should never unlock the armrest if the other seat is occupied. They should also never unlock the armrest on the aisle side.

Last flight I was on, Southwest, I needed an extender...their belts are the shortest I've ever seen. Soon as I asked for one on one flight, the attendant gave me this "do you know about our policy" business. To which I said yes, then promptly put the armrest down and squeezed myself down into the seat. I wasn't comfortable, but I fit your criteria. I still have belly side that overhangs, but I also have wide shoulders that losing any amount of weight won't fix. I try to respect the people next to me (turned out no one sat next to me after all) but for a one-hour flight, whining is ridiculous. International flight, I can understand it...I paid $3600 for a first-class upgrade on a flight from DC to China.

Alnico,

There have actually been some good solutions proposed out here (amongst all the predictable garbage), but I think yours is probably the best all around, and could actually be out into use!

As I see it, everyone else seems to be whining, why can't I? I'm a six foot female, and I'm tired having my legs crushed. The little whiners need to get over it. As far as not flying, it's sure hard to drive to Italy for Ohio. (Don't even try to mind my business by telling me where I can and can't travel.)

I can't even get the tray down because it sets way too far down. My knees are much higher than the hinge. Six feet isn't all that much. I can only imagine what taller people must suffer through. And the people who think it's necessary to "recline" all the way on a two-hour flight are just plain selfish. The "little" people just seem like they want all the attention. Most of us "big" people have been sucking it up and trying to be polite. It would be nice if the door would swing both ways. After all, I probably won't ever see you little ones again. Why should I care what you think? I think I'll complain about my ugly seat mate next time, after all, ugly can be fixed. That's why we have plastic surgeons. See how petty it can be.

You're right, there are people with legitimate medical issues. 90+% of fat people don't belong in that category. And people with legitimate medical concerns often have the sense to check ahead of time, so that an airline might be ready to provide "special services" if need be.

Hmmm now, from which bodily crevice do you suppose Randall pulled out this statistic? 90%, eh?? Are you a journalist by any chance? You seem comfortable just making up any old number to support your point. At least you made it a round number so the average persons little brain did not explode trying to "cipher" how many ots guzinda 100! 90% of all statistics are wrong, misleading and/or contrived, including THIS one! Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics!! LOL. The figure that has been accepted for years for people that have genuine, verifiable thyroid or other metabolic problems causing weight gain is more like 0.3%! You can look it up.

Bless you Henry! If we were trapped on an airliner for days on end, then I could see the problem. But we're only talking (maybe) several hours. Most flights are just a few hours. Good heavens, I've ridden a bus while standing for longer than some flights I've been on--and I'm crippled. This me-me-me culture is so sad. The one thing I've truly learned is that what goes around, comes around. If someone is really working to embarass, "belittle," or treat rudely someone else, it will all come back around to them.

I really like your "soap is a conspiracy" comment. Let's not even address those who eat disagreeing foods like chili, with lotsa beans, before flying. Oh yeah, and they can be people of diminuative size, as well. I'd trade that stink bomb for a person of size, any day of the week.

Zapper....what the heck is your problem? You are complaining about whiners all over this page, and you are the biggest whiner here!! Just tell me one thing. Why in the world should I have to put up with ANYBODY else's quirks, idiosyncricies, children, fatness, talking too loud on the phone or to other passengers, etc. when I take both the time and effort to NOT bother the people around me? We have effectively banned smoking on planes, because just because somebody wanted to smoke didn't mean I had to endure their smoke! It MUST be the same with everything else. That is only fair. And really....I am not whining about fat people, I am only demanding that they be held to the exact same standards as I do. And if they can't, then get the hell out of my space and way. That is fair.

thank you stevefoo,

Most of my flying times I have kept my mouth shut as not to create a ruckus and delt with obnoxious people. I have suffered in silence. NO MORE. I always try to be a pleasent passenger and considered of others, but I do not get the same respect from others. I now will speak up!

Emotionally arrested 5 yo's whining, "Mommmm! He touched me!"

Obnoxious.

I really don't care what you think. I would want the armrest down. I wouldn't want to touch you for any reason and you probably would want to have a conversation lasting the whole flight also. This is not a social occasion for me because I am on that airplane solely to get from point A to point B. I also would not care to exchange telephone numbers or e-mail addresses "to keep in touch" either. A smile, a nod and a pleasant greeting would cover all the bases.

Have a nice flight.

If you are as ugly as I am you will understand.

And if they are jerks like the poster above - after super glueing their mouth - glue their hands to the arm rests. Make them have to wait to get off...

That's a CoH violation. It's against the rules here to launch personal attacks on other posters by namecalling. That'll get you removed from this particular flight.