Obese People Pay For Two Seats?

[Skillet]

Is it justifiable for the airlines to require passengers who are large or obese to pay for 2 seats when they cannot fit in one seat?

Southwest Airlines explains clearly why they charge those who are obese for an extra seat in their Customer of Size Q&A with their explanation below:

We could no longer ignore complaints from Customers who traveled without full access to the seat purchased due to encroachment by a large seatmate whose body extended into the neighboring seat. These Customers had uncomfortable (and sometimes painful) travel experiences, and it is our responsibility to seek resolution to prevent this problem.

Now the obese person may be obese due to medical reasons, yet still requires the use of 2 seats. Is it the airlines responsibility or the passengers?



Should we expect a corporation to deny itself a profit due to a passenger having to take up 2 seats? Where does it fall of who should accommodate who?

 

[Brad West]

Even though there maybe a medical problem I think it is justified to charge for two seats. Most people with that server medical problem most likely won't be allowed to fly per doctors orders.



But this subject can actually expand to the proposed fat tax. Taxing fast food, foods that contain corn syrup and so on. Most obese people were allowed to be that way by the FDA. It has been known for a very long time that feeding people some of the stuff they allow will cause health problems.



Heck they have handicap parking why not be issued a medical card for exemption.

Brad West ~ onomoney

 

[sabrina]

I'm not at all okay with the fat tax thing, but I am for obese people paying for two seats if that's what they need to sit in. If that's how much room you're going to take up, then pay for it. There's only a limited amount of seats on a plane and there's no point in lying and pretending that you take up less seats than you do. You're taking away someone else's seat that they paid for if you don't and that's rude. Although the obese people should not be made fun of for needing an extra seat and it should be dealt with respectfully.

 

[Kasynlie]

Fair Enough. It's their choice to be fat and therefore they should have to pay if they are taking up more than their fair share. Think of it as an incentive for fat ones to lose a bit of flubber.



(Sorry if I offended anyone with my language)

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Fair Enough. It's their choice to be fat and therefore they should have to pay if they are taking up more than their fair share. Think of it as an incentive for fat ones to lose a bit of flubber.



(Sorry if I offended anyone with my language)

Some people aren't fat because they want to be that way. They could be that way because of medical problems.



Anyways, people pay a seat. If they need another seat, then they have to pay for that too.

 

[Tragedy]

If you feel that you need 2 seats, you should dish out the cash. I personally think the airline should create two or three special seats towards the back or front of the plane for these situations though.

 

[Skillet]

Good that you all agree with me. It's not fair that they shouldn't have to pay for two. It's that as much as I support children that don't sit on their parent's laps should have to pay for a ticket too. Why shouldn't they? They're still taking space.