Too fat to fly

[EADG]

A couple of months ago, before this Smith thing came up, there was a long and winding thread on this very subject in the Huffington Post blog, with scores of reader's POVs on this.

Required reading for this thread.

[Hugo_R]

When I play regular fare I expect a tiny seat and a shitty meal. Not half another human rubbing against me. Fat people should either purchase seats they can fit in or buy 2 so that they can fit into those 2.

Alternatively the flight carrier should cater to their clientele and offer an in-between size that could cost 50% more.

Taking it to the other extreme to make a point, then an anorexic teenager should pay only half the fare, as she uses less space, fuel and food?

If your private space is important then get a business class seat, or find which airlines have the most generous seating layout ( they are all different) I traveled on a Greek airline and the economy seats are almost as spacious as some other airline business class.

How about buses? everyone pays the same fare and are all packed like sardines. You get what you pay for and it can only get worse as airlines try and squeeze every last penny out of a flight.

Not really sure how I took it to the other extreme there

I already take only certain airlines as I have long legs and cannot sit in certain planes without taking space from my neighbors.

In the plane they give you a specific seat, most of the cost of the flight is based on the area that your seat takes not your food or your weight towards fuel expenditure. And yes, when I take the bus I expect that I will be standing up and rubbed against by dubious strangers, fat or not.

[sundaymorningstaple]

When I play regular fare I expect a tiny seat and a shitty meal. Not half another human rubbing against me. Fat people should either purchase seats they can fit in or buy 2 so that they can fit into those 2.

Alternatively the flight carrier should cater to their clientele and offer an in-between size that could cost 50% more.

Taking it to the other extreme to make a point, then an anorexic teenager should pay only half the fare, as she uses less space, fuel and food?

If your private space is important then get a business class seat, or find which airlines have the most generous seating layout ( they are all different) I traveled on a Greek airline and the economy seats are almost as spacious as some other airline business class.

How about buses? everyone pays the same fare and are all packed like sardines. You get what you pay for and it can only get worse as airlines try and squeeze every last penny out of a flight.

Not really sure how I took it to the other extreme there

I already take only certain airlines as I have long legs and cannot sit in certain planes without taking space from my neighbors.

In the plane they give you a specific seat, most of the cost of the flight is based on the area that your seat takes not your food or your weight towards fuel expenditure. And yes, when I take the bus I expect that I will be standing up and rubbed against by dubious strangers, fat or not.

I believe QRM was taking it to the other extreme, not indicating You were doing so. QRM brought up the other extreme of a anorexic teenager.

[Superglide]

Fair enough, if they physically need two seats to fly then buy two tickets otherwise stop moaning - People come in all shapes and sizes.

This thread sounds like a skinny arsed love fest.

Just like smokers, fat people are easy targets. Well guess what, I don't like politically correct poeple, global warming zealots and femme nazi cows. But hey, I ain't gonna try and kick you off an aeroplane

You ever think that some people don't like sitting next to a stuck up imbecile that bemoans you when you wnt to go to the toilte or stretch your legs, or behind an instant recliner. Pity we can't charge an extra seat as a barrier against such entitled flyers. Or the young fools that internet check in to cradle seats for extra leg room whilst a family holds a crying baby refusing to move until the Flight Manager comes and shifts them.

There are plenty of A-Holes on Aeroplanes and judging by the responses we just found a lot of them right here. If you want a lounge chair ride go book Business or First Class. Economy is Economy. You get what's given.

I think it was mid 2005, WNDC at one of those back then trendy bars at One Fullerton (or alike, not sure, I am out of Singers for 2 years now), where we met in person:

Your physique was matching the one being described here as on risk.

[Bafana]

ROFL Superglue...

It's no where near the double seater category...

Seem to remember a lot of rotund personages on that eve.

My rage is not against the fatty line of the argument, its about the entitlement of others to shit all over people just becasue they can and society allows it. Since we can no longer be racist, sexist and gayist; the only two things left for people who cannot deal with their own lives and leave others alone, to do is to hammer and tongs others about without caring for anothers feelings is smoking and being fat.

Sure both of em are not good for the persons health but seriously f-off and get on with you won life. Smokers and fat people pay extra for nearly everything in life (insurance, health care, food ). Do the self righteous really think you are so super intelligent that they know what's wrong with us and we don't??? No, not really, just an arrogant twit playing with themselves.

Like I said before, cattle class is cattle class. If you feel like you deserve better buy a business ticket. Oh I probbaly forgot. Most drivellers totally lack the ability to suceed so even though they would like a buisness class ticket they can't afford one. Maybe that's why they are so bitter they have to slag other people to justify their unhappiness in life.

For the record being overweight and being in a middle seat in cattle class sucks far worse than it does for the skinny guys who can lean out either side. If you really wanted to make your flight more comfortable swap the aisle or window seat with them. Oh I forgot your precious so you'd rather get the shits and complian about it.

[road.not.taken]

Smokers and fat people pay extra for nearly everything in life (insurance, health care, food ).

Time out:

Obesity cost American taxpayers approximately $147 billion in 2008, plus another $96 billion for smoking. This according to CNN, but there is a lot of data out there.

Their indulgent lifestyle choice does not just affect them alone. There is a tremendous cost to society as a whole.

[Hugo_R]

It's cheaper to eat a lot of junk food than a medium sized portion of healthy food often.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Boy are you wrong! I quit eating processed food just over two years ago. Today I buy, cook and eat only fresh foods. My food bill has come down considerably and my health has gotten better (I no longer have HBP, bad cholesterol and my gout is under control as well. I now also save a considerable amount of medication costs as well (which I'm not even taking into account (eating junk food has serious long term repercussions). My food bill, even with inflation thrown in, is only about 80% of what it was 2 years ago.

[road.not.taken]

I think you are both right. It depends on the circumstances. Has anyone seen Food, Inc.? Brilliant film, anyway it makes the case for bad calories being much cheaper, in the US anyway, than good calories. As an example a family takes a dollar through the McDonald's drive thru, where they can get something 'substantial' off there dollar menu or to a supermarket where the same dollar buys 3/4 of a pear.

It's perfectly logical to assume a potato is cheaper than a box of potato buds, and it almost always is. This is what nutritionists are talking about when they say you should shop the perimeter of the store. Stick to the whole foods on the outside walls and avoid the processed foods in the inside aisles.

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, my parents would never by sugary cereals because my Father argued it was more expensive than sirloin steak - and it was...

[Bafana]

Smokers and fat people pay extra for nearly everything in life (insurance, health care, food ).

Time out:

Obesity cost American taxpayers approximately $147 billion in 2008, plus another $96 billion for smoking. This according to CNN, but there is a lot of data out there.

Their indulgent lifestyle choice does not just affect them alone. There is a tremendous cost to society as a whole.

The refuge of all NGO's and extremist - The figures. So easy to sprook and so easy to manipulate. What about all the old people who never smoked and were not over weight but are poor and living on anyway cuase modern medicene can keep them going. What a terrible burden to society. What about people who get sick.

Oh, I forgot smoking fat people are the only peopel in hospital and doctor's clnics whihc is pretty amazing since I am usual the only rotund person around whenever I go to see a quack or end up in A&E. Must be the folds of fat covering my eyes so that I can't see the truth of the matter.

Btw the science is settled (crap btw but that's another subject)

I am assuming fat people who fly have insurance and pay for stuff themselves. Not sure about the poor ones that would be the only burden on the poor hard done by malnurished nicotine intolerant souls.

Btw you can all kiss my ass, which you should ge able to do all at once since it can fill an aircraft seat to the max rather then wasting space on boney whine botts. In fact I'm going to order an upsized Macca's Waffles Breakfast right now and and when I get on yet anothe flight later this week I'm not going to wash under my armpits and request I sit in the middle of the aisle. Time for us to take this fight to the people.

In any case facism is facism. Don't like it in any form. Especially when its labelled and gift wrppaed by do goeders as the only right solution without a clue.

The airlines are not charging exstra for fat people to fly because they care for the fatty or the skinny or for safety, they are doing it because they can make more money out of it. If you could prove scientifically that 4 skinny people could sit in the same space as 3 and that this would reduce Global Carbon emissions by 0.0000000001% over 50 years, all you skinny (beutiful people out there) would get batteryhenafied at the same price of a ticket as a large arsed (but not double banger) fellow passenger sitting in the normal seats. And you couldn't say a thing about it as society is always correct. Small poeple take up less room, why waste it on them and hurt the environment at the same time?????

[ScoobyDoes]

The airlines are not charging exstra for fat people to fly because they care for the fatty or the skinny or for safety, they are doing it because they can make more money out of it.

Technically the airline gets more money for selling that second seat to a "skinny" type than a self proclaimed rotund type because most airlines typically sell the second seat at half price.

They are better selling the two seats separately than a 1.5seat.

You might argue that it's kids that pay the most to fly, taking 1/3 of a seat yet paying half or full fare.

[Vaucluse]

Smokers and fat people pay extra for nearly everything in life (insurance, health care, food ).

Time out:

Obesity cost American taxpayers approximately $147 billion in 2008, plus another $96 billion for smoking. This according to CNN, but there is a lot of data out there.

Their indulgent lifestyle choice does not just affect them alone. There is a tremendous cost to society as a whole.

Affecting others is also the issue in overly-corpulent people taking up more than one seat and/or blocking an exit or the aisle.

I find it fair to charge them for an extra seat if their girth makes them spill onto the adjoining seat, making it impossible for the neighbour to travel in 'comfort'

[road.not.taken]

Amen Vaucluse. Is it facism? I don't think so.

I heard someone once ask in this debate: What exactly is your airfare purchasing? Are you paying for the passage from point A to point B? Or are you renting out the real estate that is your seat for the duration of the flight?

Once you settle that, the rest becomes clear.

[nakatago]

I just realized something. What if you sat next to someone who clearly fit on the seat (i.e. not fat) but had really large arm muscles (think bulging biceps)?

[Vaucluse]

I just realized something. What if you sat next to someone who clearly fit on the seat (i.e. not fat) but had really large arm muscles (think bulging biceps)?

We've met?