Brett's Blog: Should Obese People Buy Two Airline Tickets?
December 2, 2008 | by Brett Blumenthal | 9 Comments
by Brett Blumenthal
On November 20th, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada. Apparently, an appeal made by Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet was declined and as a result, the one-person-one-fare-two seat policy will go into effect January 2009. The policy “stipulates that people who are too large to fit in one chair should be given two seats, so as to avoid unpleasant situations during the flight.”
As a frequent air traveler, I have witnessed extremely obese people overflowing into the seats next to them, and to be perfectly honest, I am amazed that those passengers don’t get charged for two seats. The passengers sitting in the adjacent seats, have barely a half of a seat to call their own…and they surely can not be comfortable. Unfortunately, they have absolutely no control over the situation. It is pure luck of the draw: Seats are assigned, and if the flight is full they can’t move, leaving them stuck in a very uncomfortable seat for several hours. However, they paid the same amount of money as the encroaching obese passenger next to them.
Ironically, the Canadian Court ‘agreed that this was a very delicate situation that could not be resolved without hurting either the feelings of people with extra pounds, or the benefits of the airlines.’ Forgive me, but the truth is that if every business had to worry about the feelings of consumers, there is a good chance a lot of companies would be out of business. When we think of the actual ‘costs’ for airlines, extremely obese people (I’m not speaking about overweight individuals, I’m speaking of individuals who have several extra hundreds of pounds on them) directly impact Airlines’ bottom lines: extra weight means extra fuel. Guess who will inevitably be making up the extra cost on this one? You guessed it…the average weighted passengers.
This ruling really has me confused. In a day when we are being charged for everything from the weight of our baggage to water to headphones for a B-Rated movie, how is it possible that a 450 pound individual can pay the same price for a ticket as a 150 pound individual? The 450 pound person is 3 TIMES the weight of the 150 pound person. Further, that 150 pound individual most likely will take up 1/3 of the space as the 450 pound person. Call me crazy, but this just doesn’t fly (pardon the pun).
I realize that this is a very sensitive issue and probably hits a raw nerve for a lot of people, but I can’t help but put this out there. I feel for those individuals who are extremely obese. But the fact that they are so overweight shouldn’t be anyone else’s problem but their own. Most obese people have a choice. It is extremely rare that a person who is hundreds of pounds overweight has absolutely NO control over their weight, and as a result, it seems extremely unfair that average weighted individuals should have to pay for another individual’s choice. Further, no one should have to give up their personal space for someone else’s ‘medical disability’. Granted, airlines could afford to increase the alloted space per seat in the main cabin, but regardless, if an obese person wants to fly and is so large that they take up two seats do you think average individuals should subsidize the extra seat? Or do you think that it is only fair that the obese person should pay for the space that they use. First Class and Business Class passengers pay for the extra space, why shouldn’t people who require two seats due to their size?
Personally, I feel that giving an additional seat to an obese person for free is enabling obese people to stay the way they are and to not take responsibility for their condition. The more people are coddled, the more they won’t change. Where will it end?
We are already paying higher insurance premiums because of obese people, does it make sense that we should now pay for their ‘right’ to a second seat on public transportation? Do you think that average sized individuals should subsidize free seats for extremely obese passengers or do you think obese passengers should be required to purchase two seats?
Related Topics:
- Obesity in Children: Who’s to Blame?
- 7 Places They Should Ban Smoking
- Should Healthy People Always Set an Example?
- Should the Government Ban McDonald’s?
- Calculate your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat
- Calculate your BMI
- Canadian News Article: Canadian Obese People Buy Two Airplane Seats per Ticket
Flo
I agree with you and feel that this should go 2 ways: if obese people are given 1 seat free, then children should not pay full fare. Yes, do you know that on most airlines (at least on european and international traffic), children from age 2 pay FULL fare? ……. and they take up only half of the seat. And under the age of 2, the child must sit on the adult’s knees. I have traveled with my daughter on my knees and, honestly, I should have gotten a lower price for the inconvenience caused.
I also feel for obese people, but I cannot help thinking that their “condition” is abusively used as an excuse in more and more cases. So, yes, I say they should buy 2 seats if the price conditions for normal weighted people and children stay as they are today.
stacy seldin
If obese people are charged extra, then so should wheelchair bound people on all modes of public transportation. Their wheelchairs take up 3 seats. While some may respond that the obese are responsible for their disability, many people are in wheelchairs due to accidents they cause – driving drunk, disobeying traffic law, self-imposed medical conditions. Thus, why reward a wheelchair bound person for vehicular homicide and discriminate against an obese person who is really only hurting himself? Also, I believe that people who bring crying children on airlines should pay extra for the inconvenience of other passengers.
DJA9336
Kindness to strangers Stacy. Manners my dear! Obese individuals are just as uncomfortable as the person stuffed next to them. Its not a blame the victim issue. I would love to see this come to the US Congress for review. You go Canada!
Bradley
The airlines have caused some of the problem by reducing the size of their seats to get more passengers on each flight and then overbooking each flight.
The answer may be to treat people as freight and weigh every one with their luggage and assess a standard price per pound by distance flown and number of takeoffs and landings and the timing of when the ticket was purchased. When purchased on-line (or by phone) the price for flight will be an estimate and then verified or adjusted at the gate. The people without luggage or that are less obese (or children) will be charged only their pro rate share of the cost and have a less expensive ticket. Of course the airlines will have to reconfigure the airplanes and create pricing tables to accommodate the variables. This will also solve the add on costs charged for luggage and fuel surcharges that upset so many air travelers.
Becky
I am an obese person and I can say that I fly regularly back to Indiana from California. I have always bought two plane seats. I will continue to buy two tickets even when I have lost enough weight for one because I like the extra space for my arm and my books/purse/water. I can honestly say that in all my flights (and I am working on my third free round trip ticket on Southwest so it is quite a lot) I have not seen anyone else with two tickets. Southwest preboards you if you have to buy a second ticket to make sure you get the second seat you paid for and that is an added bonus.
I wish that planes would have a heavy section
Amy
The airlines already have weight limits on luggage and make the travelers pay extra per pound over the weight limit. I think they should do this with people as well. I agree with the blogger in that average wieghted individuals should not have to pay more for their tickets to cover the additional expense (fuel) for transporting the obese passenger. We are already paying billions of dollars per year in Medicare and Medicaid costs (doubling since 1998) to cover healthcare costs for the obese, we should not have to pay extra for our travel expenses as well. Every lifestyle choice has its costs, and people should take FULL responsibility for their lifestyle choices.
Emily Jane
There should be a standard charge for the use of one 18-inch seat (or whatever the width is). If your rear is more than 18 inches wide when you are seated, then you should pay for (and receive) the extra inches your require.
You see, people who pay for 18 inches should not have a part of those 18 inches taken away by someone else. Not by that person’s rear or by that person’s head or by that person’s elbows. If I could, I would put up walls instead of armrests between seats so everyone could be sure where the boudaries are while having someplace to lean their head and take a nap.
Children, even infants, should be charged for the use of an 18-inch seat, as well. Even babies take up space and can easily intrude into the 18 inches the passenger beside them has paid for. Everyone would be more comforable if that toddler had his own space to sit and play without dropping stuff on his neighbor.
For each person, a standard rate and standard seat. If you need more, fine: pay for it.
Barb
NO! If the airlines would stop cramming as many passengers in as possible “Sardine Class” and put in more comfortable seats, there wouldn’t need to be this discussion.
Meghan
Let’s take people who are obese out of the story for a second, and focus on the airlines. My major in college was travel/tourism, and one of my favorite concepts that I learned is the fact that airlines sell a perishable item. A ticket for seat 3-C for the flight that leaves at 5pm tonite has a shelf life. After that flight takes off, if that seat hasn’t sold, they lose that money forever. Really, there’s no way to make that revenue back. They can sell seat 3-C for the 5pm flight tomorrow, but they can never recoup what they didn’t sell for today. I don’t know how often someone who is obese takes up 2 seats while only paying for one, but it’s been an issue as long as I can remember…
That said, I understand the airline’s point, that they will lose aLOT of money if they have to give away seats. I also understand how it’s embarassing for someone to have to purchase 2 tickets. But the airlines stand to lose alot more money than each individual person.