Director Kevin Smith Kicked Off Plane for Being Too Fat

[Louis]

No they really aren't. I am 6 feet 4 inches and weigh 265 lbs. I am in no way shape or form small. Yet I fit in a seat just fine. My biggest issue is leg room not seat size. So no they aren't just built to accommodate small people. I am larger than a large majority of the population and I have no issue. A smaller person will obviously be a tad more comfortable but they are built to seat larger people.

We must have similar builds I am 6'5" 260. My biggest problems are things like standing, sitting next to people, and leg room. I have very broad shoulders and they are wider than the room allowed on seats I have been on.

Nothing worse than being seated next to a stranger because then I am wholly screwed. No leg room and now I have to sit with my shoulders scrunched inwards.

My feet sometimes fit underneath a seat but wearing a size 17 shoe often prevents that from comfortable for very long.

 

[Shane]

We must have similar builds I am 6'5" 260. My biggest problems are things like standing, sitting next to people, and leg room. I have very broad shoulders and they are wider than the room allowed on seats I have been on.

Nothing worse than being seated next to a stranger because then I am wholly screwed. No leg room and now I have to sit with my shoulders scrunched inwards.

My feet sometimes fit underneath a seat but wearing a size 17 shoe often prevents that from comfortable for very long.

You have MUCH bigger feet.

I only wear a 12.

 

[MadCardDisease]

As someone who has been stuck in a middle seat between 2 VERY large women I must applaud SWA for taking a stance on this. I literally had to sit sideways the entire trip because both women flowed into my seat. Thankfully it was only an hour flight.

 

[Shane]

As someone who has been stuck in a middle seat between 2 VERY large women I must applaud SWA for taking a stance on this. I literally had to sit sideways the entire trip because both women flowed into my seat. Thankfully it was only an hour flight.

 

[Mulli]

You have MUCH bigger feet.

I only wear a 12.

Me too, BFF.

 

[Shane]

Me too, BFF.

You know it.

 

[Stout]

Bah, I disagree. I'm 6'3 and a very big framed person. Fat? Yeah, but nowhere near disgusting or obese. I physically have to pull in my hips and have the arm rests dig into them painfully to sit down, and I'm not even close to being the biggest person to sit in one of them.

Applauding people for engaging in discrimination? Telling people that to fly they should go on a diet? Are we the frickin' airline nazis now? How about I don't like the sound of your voice, so I should complain and have you kicked off the bus? How about I don't like that your child is crying so much, so I should complain and have you kicked out of the restaurant? Annoying stuff happens, and we do our best to deal with it. I hate the negative crap spewed on this thread. It's spiteful and mean and really uncalled for. Go on a diet, eh? How about you just sit there and have a few rolls rest on your shoulder for the flight

 

[Shane]

Bah, I disagree. I'm 6'3 and a very big framed person. Fat? Yeah, but nowhere near disgusting or obese. I physically have to pull in my hips and have the arm rests dig into them painfully to sit down, and I'm not even close to being the biggest person to sit in one of them.

Applauding people for engaging in discrimination? Telling people that to fly they should go on a diet? Are we the frickin' airline nazis now? How about I don't like the sound of your voice, so I should complain and have you kicked off the bus? How about I don't like that your child is crying so much, so I should complain and have you kicked out of the restaurant? Annoying stuff happens, and we do our best to deal with it. I hate the negative crap spewed on this thread. It's spiteful and mean and really uncalled for. Go on a diet, eh? How about you just sit there and have a few rolls rest on your shoulder for the flight

What you call discrimination I call good business sense. I also call it good customer service helping to make other fliers more comfortable and not penalizing the majority.

 

[Louis]

So why not have people who want to be "comfortable" buy 2 seats?

 

[CaptTurbo]

I physically have to pull in my hips

Sounds painful!

 

[CaptTurbo]

Try to fit 4 average americans into a european car. Our country is fat guys. Extremely fat and it is embaressing and at 6' 215 pounds I count myself among the disgusting.

 

[conraddobler]

I flew on a Southwest flight once sitting next to a guy who had paid for two seats because he was that fat and instead of making a big deal about it we endured.

I'm not a small guy, 6' 225 and it was not fun but it wasn't the guys fault, me and Southwest and seating issues go way back so I totally believe the angle that they just needed an excuse.

In this computer age Southwest stinks for not having assigned seats.

This get there early and get a good boarding pass crap is for the birds, what if you're on a connecting flight?

That's right you sit wherever no one else wanted to sit because it's not assigned seats.

 

[Stout]

Try to fit 4 average americans into a european car. Our country is fat guys. Extremely fat and it is embaressing and at 6' 215 pounds I count myself among the disgusting.

LOL that isn't because we're too fat, it's because those tiny euro cars are effing TINY.

I'm not saying that we as a nation don't have too high a proportion of fat people. We definitely do. Using vehicles that are scaled smaller on purpose to save room and gas mileage as an example of this just doesn't work.

 

[Stout]

So why not have people who want to be "comfortable" buy 2 seats?

Why be forced to buy 2 seats when other people only have one? Let me be clear--someone morbidly obese that cannot fit into the seat at all should have to buy 2, absolutely. Otherwise, if you can fit in a seat, then you should be good to go. Hell, I could be kicked off of a flight because someone sitting next to me complains about my shoulders. I have very broad and muscular shoulders and it really makes for cramped quarters on a plane. That's how small those damned seats are. Should I have to pay for two seats because I have broad shoulders? Hell no!

 

[Rivercard]

I count myself among the disgusting.

Quote of the month.......

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Why be forced to buy 2 seats when other people only have one? Let me be clear--someone morbidly obese that cannot fit into the seat at all should have to buy 2, absolutely. Otherwise, if you can fit in a seat, then you should be good to go. Hell, I could be kicked off of a flight because someone sitting next to me complains about my shoulders. I have very broad and muscular shoulders and it really makes for cramped quarters on a plane. That's how small those damned seats are. Should I have to pay for two seats because I have broad shoulders? Hell no!

Because you (not you specifically throughout) are using more than one. SW has to draw the line somewhere, and I think their policy is spot on. If you have an issue, then you have options.

1. Easiest is don't fly.
2. Request Aisle/Exit row seat.
3. Pay for 2 seats
4. Fly first class.
5. Fly another airline that has different rules.

If you are unhappy with SW's policy, fly a different airline. If you become fat, or obese, or evenly morbidly obese, you should start a diet, exercize, take pills, see a doctor, have surgery etc... and not because you'll be more comfortable on an airplane either.

Let's assume that SW wants to increase the size of their seats by 20%. Where does the space come from? You either have to lose seats which is a BIG cut on the bottom line, or they have to redesign the plane. At the costs of billions of dollars, that's not happening. Some things just are and you have to accept them.

 

[Rivercard]

Because you (not you specifically throughout) are using more than one. SW has to draw the line somewhere, and I think their policy is spot on. If you have an issue, then you have options.

1. Easiest is don't fly.
2. Request Aisle/Exit row seat.
3. Pay for 2 seats
4. Fly first class.
5. Fly another airline that has different rules.

If you are unhappy with SW's policy, fly a different airline. If you become fat, or obese, or evenly morbidly obese, you should start a diet, exercize, take pills, see a doctor, have surgery etc... and not because you'll be more comfortable on an airplane either.

Let's assume that SW wants to increase the size of their seats by 20%. Where does the space come from? You either have to lose seats which is a BIG cut on the bottom line, or they have to redesign the plane. At the costs of billions of dollars, that's not happening. Some things just are and you have to accept them.

Make a few rows with wider seats and charge more for them. Not an excessive amount like first class, but enough to cover any lost revenue from the loss of seating space. Then find a way to ensure these seats are available to those over a certain weight before releasing to others. Problem solved.

It's called "customer service". Something the airline industry has forgotten about.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

tried and failed though .... concept of "economy plus"

i think pricing was the biggest issue with it as I often didn't find much value for the increase in cost

say you are running at capacity and you make 3 rows where you are able to add a little more space (this is a little easier to do in pitch and not so much width)

to do so you have to eliminate one row of seats

so you have 18 seats of "prime" seats and have reduced 6 regular seats

if you have an average full fare of $250 then you need to make up $1,500 from those 6 seats that aren't there ... so you would need to get a premium of $83 for each of the 18 prime seats

on some routes it may be worth it

I'm also a bigger guy (6'5" and have gone from 195 to 265 back down to 195 with a long stay at 205-215)

there have been times where i've paid an extra $50-$100 on a long roundtrip flight for an economy plus type seat .... this was solo travel and my thoughts may of changed if I was travelling with a normal sized person and would also pay for their upgrade

there were also shorter segments where it just wasn't worth it ... I can be uncomfortable for 50 minutes or pay and additional $40

most times on these carriers those seats were pretty empty

 

[Gaddabout]

Airplanes are toying with the idea of putting seats against the wall (no window seats). More leg room and, somehow, they can fit more seats on a plane.

 

[Rivercard]

tried and failed though .... concept of "economy plus"

Yeah, they would have to get creative. Not a revenue enhancer or marketing gimmick like "economy plus". Maybe just one row where they cut the row from 6 seats wide to 4 wide. Almost like a handicapped row (or faticapped in this case). What are the odds of more than 4 people over 350lbs on a plane?

 

[MigratingOsprey]

i don't know .... i wish there was some way to get a bit more legroom ..... walking past someone who is 5'3" and a buck thirty sitting in the exit row makes me want to stab them in the neck

it is what it is though

 

[Rivercard]

i don't know .... i wish there was some way to get a bit more legroom ..... walking past someone who is 5'3" and a buck thirty sitting in the exit row makes me want to stab them in the neck

it is what it is though

lol. You know it!

 

[Louis]

Airplanes are toying with the idea of putting seats against the wall (no window seats). More leg room and, somehow, they can fit more seats on a plane.

Wasn't there discussion of doing a standing only plane for short flights? I can't remember which airline but I thought there was that proposal a few years ago.

 

[CaptTurbo]

LOL that isn't because we're too fat, it's because those tiny euro cars are effing TINY.

I'm not saying that we as a nation don't have too high a proportion of fat people. We definitely do. Using vehicles that are scaled smaller on purpose to save room and gas mileage as an example of this just doesn't work.

No its us dude.

By Army standards I am morbidly obese. By any real medical standards I am obese. And its true. I try to deny it but its true. I should be 175 pounds. And when I was, when I was in the Army, I fit into a Jetta with ease.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Our hospital bills are slightly higher because most hospitals buy needles that are longer than needles were 20 years ago. They pay extra for it and charge us. Why do they get longer than normal needles?

Because we are much fatter than the rest of the world! We need longer needles to get through all the fat!