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United DOES already have a policy about obese passengers, but the flight attendant apparently ignored United's own policy.
If the obese passenger was encroaching on the other passenger, then the flight attendants should have either disboarded her or required her to buy a second seat. They could have also moved either passenger to a different seat if there was one available, immediately after boarding.
I absolutely agree that the passenger should not have had to ask for help. It is a very difficult situation for all concerned - the obese passenger who is doubtless all too aware of her weight, and the male passenger, who would not want to embarrass her. These days, passengers are also painfully aware of mobile phone films and 'doxxing.'
That is why it was up to United's flight attendants to address the situation instead of studiously avoiding it. Flight attendants are paid to be observant and make sure passengers are as safe and comfortable as possible.
United should properly compensate the passenger they threw under the bus.
Here's United's policy from the United website:
"A customer flying in the economy cabin who is not able to safely and comfortably fit in a single seat is required to purchase an additional seat for each leg of their itinerary. The second seat may be purchased for the same fare as the original seat, provided it is purchased at the same time. A customer who does not purchase an extra seat in advance may be required to do so on the day of departure for the fare level available on the day of departure. The customer may instead choose to purchase a ticket for United First®, United Business® or United Polaris℠ business class, or elect to pay for an upgrade to a premium cabin if there is availability to do so. United Airlines is not required to provide additional seats or upgrades free of charge.
A customer is required to purchase an additional seat or upgrade if they do not meet one of the following criteria:
This is a simple issue. If a passenger rents a small patch of a plane--a seat plus the floor space in front of it--for the duration of a flight, they should get 100% of that small patch. I agree with the comment below: the squashed passenger should not have had to ask United's flight attendants for help.
As rates of obesity rise in the world, United and other airlines must address this issue. I like the idea of having wider seats available at no extra cost for people whose weight is genuinely beyond their control due to illness; others will need to count the extra cost as part of the cost of obesity, just like any other. As a frequent traveler inclined towards weight gain, I find the embarrassment and discomfort of potentially not fitting into an airline seat almost as motivating as health when it comes to trying to keep my weight down.
I agree that this individual deserves compensation--perhaps not as much as he's asking, but certainly more than he apparently got. However, the more important issue for United is formulating a policy to address this problem properly, for the comfort of all passengers
This passenger raises an extremely legitimate point, and United needs to address it.
The passenger didn't make a big fuss and embarrass the obese passenger, as others might have done. He appears to have been sensitive to the other passenger's feelings, to his own detriment. But the flight attendants should have observed the situation and been empowered to address it, discreetly and with just as much sensitivity to BOTH passengers' needs. Why did the passenger even need to ASK for help?
In my opinion, United, American, Delta, Southwest, etc., all need to put a firm policy into place to avoid exactly this situation and ensure that one customer doesn't penalize another one. I am far from skinny myself and make no judgment of those who are obese or overweight. It's a purely practical issue - if a passenger has paid for a seat, what happens when another passenger is forcibly taking up part of that seat and causing physical and emotional damage to the passenger who paid? Most of us who travel a lot have had the experience of a seriously large person requesting that the armrest be raised, or just overflowing their seat--it can make people who are nervous about flying or claustrophobic really panicky. Many of us have eyed the crowd at the boarding gate and prayed that we aren't sitting next to that very, very oversized person. The space is already notoriously cramped.
In my view, airlines should publish the width of seats--the seat itself, and armrest to armrest--and require that passengers who can't fit into them buy an extra seat or a premium seat - whatever works. Yes, it would be EXACTLY like mandating the dimensions of a suitcase, and I make no apology for that, because it's a practical issue. But if the person is obese because of a bona fide, certified, recognized medical condition as documented by a doctor (and not one of those "emotional support animal" type mills), they should be entitled to use a special disabled seat at no extra cost.
I'd also note that on my recent flights with American, even quite large people fit into the seats OK. We're talking about severe obesity here.
Airlines also need to address the problems of wheelchair users, who aren't currently entitled to an accessible bathroom on many flights. It's outrageous that they have to suffer such indignities.
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