United gets tough on obese -- sort of

Good, there's no reason I should pay for my ticket and have to deal with an obese person making me have to be uncomfortably squished

sitting next to a fatty on an airplane is terrible. if they spill over into the next seat, of course they should have to pay for it. duh.

I've been seated next to several people who did not need a seatbelt extension at all but were still too large to comfortably fit into their own seat, spilling over into mine (and possibly the poor sucker on the other side as well). If you're encroaching onto your neighbor's space, you should be paying for it. I paid for an entire seat, not half of one. I'd love to see an even stricter policy, to be honest.

if a person takes up more than one seat they should pay for more than one. if there are a lot of empty seats (not likely these days) go ahead & try to accomodate them. there are so many obese americans, tho, that could be a problem. i've been suffocated by obese people many times on the T. why do they make the seats so small anyway?

being obese is not a disability (you can change or "cure" it) therefore no special treatment. if you don't like paying more, lose weight. people with children don't get free seats.

My lap is not part of your seat, so please don't sit on it!
That is my answer. While I haven' t had this problem on airplanes, I have this problem on the MBTA. Why do people think they can take more than one seat?
Pay for one, sit in one, that is all you are entitled to.

I don't disagree with the policy, but in order for it to be fair there needs to be federal guidelines for what constitutes the required standard dimensions for an airline seat. I flew United a few weeks ago and was amazed at just how tiny the seats are, and how close the rows were to each other (I'm 5'11", 170 pounds, "average" size). It was extremely uncomfortable, even for an average-sized person.

If United (or other airlines) are going to charge people who don't fit into their seats they need to be forced to stop shrinking them and packing more rows onto existing planes.

I agree with traveler's comment above. I travel for business 1-2 times a month and there are plenty of people out there that need to purchase a second seat. This policy should include passengers who need a seat belt extender because if you need that then you are definitely spilling over into surrounding seats!

Discrimination...plain and simple.

Yes, I have had to sit next to an obese passenger on a cross country flight from Boston to Seattle, and I am sorry to say that I agree with this policy.
On this particular day, I had a window seat and was literally pushed into the side of the plane & window by the passenger next to me. Because I am thin, I ended up only taking up about 2/3 of my seat with the man next to me taking the last 1/3. The passenger had to raise the arm rest between us just so he could sit down. It was of course, a full flight and I had no choice but to sit there. He was quite apologetic and I have nothing against people who are obese but it doesn't change the fact that I had to share my very expensive seat with him and was extremely uncomfortable and unable to get up for the entire flight.

I love it! I totally support United if they actually end up enforcing this policy.
A few years ago I did have the nightmare experience of being seated on the plane only to be startled by what seemed like an earthquake. When I looked up I saw what appeared to be a fatter and uglier version of Jabba the Hut squeezing down the aisle of the plane. I said a silent prayer asking God if she would not be so cruel as to have this rolling pile of crap be aiming at the vacant seat next to me. Alas my God, who also allowed somehow to have golden studboy Nohmar traded away, did have this enormous mound of blubber squeeze himself next to me. His disgusting rolls of fat spilled over into my seat for the entire 5 hour flight from Las Vegas. And of course being that fat, he snored like a suffocating hippopotamus the whole time! It was a nightmare for me and I wished America West had reimbursed ME for half the fare since he took up half my space. But all I could do was console myself with the fact that he was going to have to be dead in a few years, hopefully exiting this world the same way as that pig Mama Cass, choking to death in bed while eating a 3rd dinner sandwich.

I've actually been asked to give up my window, exit row seat (that I spent years of traveling and paying full price to gain status to get this seat) for obese passengers who are encroaching on someone in an entirely different row. Not asked, but told to move. Being fairly small, I am constantly the one next to whom the attendants feel it is perfectly acceptable to move these persons. I fly every week for work and wear expensive suits only to have an overly large (some - as mentioned above are not necessarily obese) sit upon my jacket hem or skirt b/c they cannot fit into their assigned space. If the person cannot fit in one seat, he/she needs to pay for more space. Same goes for the parents of the two year old that is 30-40 lbs. and parent wants to save bucks and call them a "Lap" child. I actually got kicked in the face, by said "lap" child while on a micro-jet to Maine. The moms response was "he wasn't this big the last time I flew with him." Uh, was that when he was an infant? Flying is torture enough w/o having to endure these encroachments.

Fat people need to pay more - plain and simple. They're fat - who are they visiting they they really need to see - plus they are usually lazy so it's not work travel

fat people shouldn't fly on airplanes anyway. they are a danger to society.

Brodymon: "but in order for it to be fair there needs to be federal guidelines for what constitutes the required standard dimensions for an airline seat"

No, that's what the free market is for. Let different carriers offer different size seats and let the paying customers CHOOSE.

Stop asking for regulation where none is needed.

Should have been done long ago! Even one seatbelt extender is too many.
I had to sit next to a guy who required one seatbelt extender, and it was awful.

if they can pay more for food, they can pay for 2 seats!

"Discrimination...plain and simple. "

It's not discrimination. The rule applies to everybody....we ALL must fit into a seat.

This is simple economics, and hardly discrimination. If you take up more than one seat, you pay for more than one seat. If I pay for one seat, and you are taking up part of my seat, then you should pay for that part. There are very few obese people in this world who are not almost fully responsible for their situation. As someone who takes great care to stay thin (healthy diet, exercise, etc), I should not have to suffer the consequences of those who do not. It's bad enough on the busses and trains where there's no assigned seating, but airlines have assigned, prepaid seats so there is no excuse. They should have a mock seat set-up by the check-in counters similar to the mock-up for carry-on luggage. You can't have a carry-on that won't fit in the overhead bin, and you shouldn't have a carcass that's too big to fit in the airline seats. Plain and simple.

I fly frequently (4-6 business trips per month) and I agree with this completely. It is reasonable and fair although I would expect there to be some uniform guidelines throughout the industry.

Seems fair and reasonable. Nothing against fat folks but if you need two seats.. buy 'em! I'm sure you hate the expense but it's more equitable than stealing a third of your neighbor's seat and making them miserable.

A lot of the comments above are so nasty. What is wrong with you all? I'm tall and thin and have been crowded into some fraction of my seat by overweight passengers, too, but I don't feel the need to rail at and belittle overweight or obese people and call them vicious names or "a danger to society." It's bad enough they are objects of my pity--who wants that?

Once airlines make the seating more comfortable and reasonably spaced, THEN charging more is something to consider. But double--that isn't fair at all.

I think that they should make all airline tickets sold by weight - that includes the person plus their luggage. A passenger should be allowed 250 pounds including luggage and every pound over should be an additional fee. If I weighed 100 pounds I should be able to bring more luggage. If I weigh 300 I should pay a surcharge. I'm not sure that this would be discrimination - the real cost to an airline is the weight of its cargo, including human passengers. I've never understood the pricing that airlines use - because it bears no relation to the actual cost of providing the service. This would be one step in the right direction.

A great start. Having to spend a flight next to someone who overfills their seat and sweats on you is never pleasant.

Maybe next they can offer a premium service together with match.com or eHarmony.com to put you next to passengers who you might find attractive.

Does this just apply to "fat" people, or is it pregnant women, too? Last year I took a flight and was seated next to an extremely pregnant woman whose legs and ankles were so swollen she had to spread her legs out so wide she crossed her ankle under mine! Her hips were so wide that she had to have the armrest up. When the fasten seatbelts sign turn off, she asked me to unbuckle mine and move over a bit so she could have more room! She sure as heck should have had to pay for an additional seat.

I can understand the frustration because I have sat next to people who were too large to fit in one seat. It's pretty simple I think. There are plenty of other things that have size retrictions, why not planes...it does turn into a safety issue also.

There is first class which has bigger seats or you buy 2 seats. Why does the little person have to move to accomodate the larger person, why cant they tell the larger person that they have to pay to get 2 seats or move to 1st class. What about discriminating the smaller person here?! why does it just go one way??

Hit the gym you fat losers!!!

DISCRIMINATION PLAIN AND SIMPLE WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU NITWITS ARE DOING TO THE SMOKERS OF THE WORLD ILLEGAL IN PRISONS PRETTY SOON BOOT LEG CIGARETTES WILL BE MORE POPULAR THAN COCAINE

Why is it that people need to show their ugly side in these postings. I knew that when I read this story, that most of the responses were going to include mean and hateful comments. If you have something intelligient to say, then by all means say it. But some of the comments on this site are over the top and I cannot believe that the Globe allows it to go on.

All that being said, I agree with the policy. But think about this. I am a male who is a bodybuilder. I have a 48 inch chest and a 32 inch waist, I travel on airplanes alot for bothe business pleasure and often spill into the next seat. Do I need to pay for another ticket. Does your same venom hold true for me?

And my son who is 6'3 and is crippled by the lack of space between the aisles, should he be reimbursed for damage to his back and legs during his many cross country flights, or should he be made to pay for business/first class. Get a grip. If the airline seats and aisle space were reasonable then and only then should their be criteria for the size, or oversize of passengers. This is just another control money grubbing effort by the airlines. I have flown over a million miles in my lifetime and have seen travel by air go from a pleasant/comfortable endeavor to a nightmare.

I cannot believe the comments on this board. Have you people no regard for the thoughts and feelings of the obese people who are being railed against? I am an obese person who chose to have gastric bypass sugery to help me maintain a heathier lifestyle. When I flew before the surgery I needed a seatbelt extender and did have some trouble fitting in the seats. Being overweight isn't a "choice" as someone on this board said, it is a disease, much like alcoholism or any other addiction. The comments on this board are nothing more than "fat-bashing" which is unfortunately still tolerated in our society. Obese people like myself have self-esteem issues, much like everyone else, and I can't imagine what I would have gone through if I was treated this way in the past.

"You can't have a carry-on that won't fit in the overhead bin, and you shouldn't have a carcass that's too big to fit in the airline seats."

It's a harsh world out there. I'm big (tall) not fat with not so great knees, and I can tell you that flying coach is just a misery. I agree with the person who said that one seat extender is already too much. Paying more for special accomodation is nothing new in many businesses, and it sure shouldn't be in the airlines.

"You must ... sit comfortably with armrests down". The trouble is, almost any person would say they were comforatable if the alternative were to pay for an extra seat.
An objective standard is needed - say over 250 lb for a woman or 300 lb for a man, in street clothes. Then compliance/noncompliance can be proven. Furthermore, if the standard is advertised, then a fat person can make an informed decision to fly first class, use another airlline or postpone the trip. Of course people vary in proportions, but a simple objective standard will catch mst of the problems.

Why don't they charge you by your gross weight? The weight of your luggage plus your individual weight to get a total. For the obese it's just like shipping an oversize package with UPS you pay more for it, if the package is over the standard size. ultimately that is the most fair, but likely not popular. This would combine the cost for checking luggage and the passenger together. Everyone would just step on a scale with their luggage when they check in. ;-)

HBX, no it isn't free market. Travel falls under interstate commerce and is explicitly relegated to Congressional authority in the Constitution. As such, a minimum of regulation and can should be instituted to ensure passenger safety and comfort.

Seems fair. You take up more than one seat, you pay for more than one seat.
There are a few other commonly seen types that could just get the old heave-ho (sleeveless t-shirts, for example), but this is a good start!

I agree, but it wouldn't hurt to make the seats a LITTLE bit bigger. Like someone else mentioned before, I'm "average" sized, 5'11" 180, and I'm not very comfortable. Take one seat out per row, make the seats a little bigger, and if the person STILL can't fit, then yeah, charge away!

I'll travel United from now on!

It's not discrimination. It's practical. If you want more than one banana, no one says, oh, you're overweight -- here have two at no extra charge. They charge more for plus size clothing for that reason -- uses more material. Use more, pay more. Simple.

isnt it something like more than 50% of americans are overweight nowadays? they should make the seats larger. united is absolutely terrible anyway, in regards to both seat size/leg room and service.

some people are saying its an inconvenience to move seats so fatties can spill over into an empty seat. oh really? is it going to make that much difference if youre trapped in a seat a few rows back for a few hours? people complain about too much these days. get over it.

Horray for United. Maybe this will teach the lazy, overweight people to get in shape! I have no symphany for fat people... it just proves they are LAZY!!!

Realbosoxfan- yes, it would apply to you, if you were encroaching my seat. I paid for my seat, my whole seat, and I want it all. I don't think people here are necessarily anti-obese, they just want their own personal space (that they paid for).

In regards to the T, this is something that REALLY bothers me. I have nothing against obese people, but let's be realistic and accept the fact that there are situations where your body mass has a DIRECT impact on the people around you. Too many times I see a 250lb plus individual walk up and just plop into a lone empty seat, immediately suffocating the individuals sitting in the seats next to it. There is never an 'excuse me' or a 'do you mind if I sit here', only a silence that oozes a sense of entitlement, as if they couldn't possibly be making anyone else uncomfortable, all the time knowing that's exactly what they're doing.

I often find myself thinkng... wouldn't physically standing up for a half hour actually do this person some good? But alas, that's today's society. 95% of people will walk an extra 20ft to an escalator and spend an couple minutes waiting in line for it just to avoid walking two flights of stairs. Talk about 'soft'.

Now just imagine having to spend between 2-6 hours, not being able to move your legs, walk around, or stretch out, and on top of that you have to deal with someone else's mass covering a side of your body and warming you up like a heating blanket. Yeah that sounds like fun.

I'm 6'1" 190lbs and I still do my best to be aware of the people around me and try not to impact their commutes in any negative way. Unfortunatly, looking around on a daily basis it seems like I'm in a tiny minority of commuters out there. Most people act as though the plane, train, sidewalk, and road are all theirs, and the idea of 'sharing' is something their parents didn't bother teaching them.

The fact is, without the venom and entitlement issues, if you spill into a neghbor's seat, (regardless if you are obsese, pregnant, or Charles Atlas in Post #28) you should have to pay for a second seat if you are accomodated with a second seat. If you spill into a neighbor's space who is forced to be uncomfortable and encroached upon the entire flight, you should have to pay a standard surcharge/penalty and that FULL AMOUNT should go to the passenger you inconvenienced.
Next, if the flygirls would PLEASE enforce the carry-on rules, life would be so much easier. These people with twice as much junk as they are allowed are there all the time, and are the same people that don't know how to place them in the overhead properly.

Sitting next to a fatty is horrible! They "lap" over into your seat, and contrary to the stereotype of the jolly fat person, they all seem to be grumps.

Now I'm a small, athletic person. I think there should be more leg room, because while am very comfortable in a Coach seat, other members of a sports team I was on who were taller had a real problem. I'd like to have seen that team pay for first-class seats for the taller people, because Coach is awful for them.

Re: Jennifer, Post # 30.
There are some genetic cues that make people more prone to obesity than others, true. However, like alcoholism we as a society do not consider obesity and alcoholism akin to real diseases like cancer because at the end of the day, regardless of your genetics, if you eat sensibly, you won't be obese. Much like if an alcoholic doesn't drink, they aren't a drunk. You may still be a tad overweight due to a slow metabolism or thyroid condition, but you won't be obese if you just eat sensibly.
Enough with the BS. Not everyone is a helpless victim. Eat sensibly or pay for two seats...'nuff said

I realize it must be mortifying to have to use an extension or actually spill over into someone else's seat. But the thing is as a 125 lb person, who has flown a lot over the past decade, I have paid more than my fair share to fund the extra fuel required as people have gotten larger over the years. So though 'Parker' could have put it a little more delicately, he is correct. We should be paying by the pound. We have to pay extra for our luggage when it goes over, why not us as well? Think about it... I'm sure I pay less in gas to fuel my car over the year than a 300 pound person does. And no one would ever call that discrimination--it's just physics. Plain & simple.

The airlines sell SEATS on each flight. If you need 1 seat, you pay for one seat. If you need 2 seats, you should pay for 2 seat. Need 3 seats, then pay for 3 seats.

About 3 years ago on a return flight from Amsterdam to Boston, I was asked by a flight attendant to give up my seat (in which I was ALREADY SITTING) in order that this very obese woman, who showed up after me and needed TWO seats, could use mine also. I was promised a FREE flight to Boston (the next day) in the exchange.

I politely refused the offer - and, believe it or not, the attendant threatened to have me removed from the plane for being "disruptive". I remained on that flight - have NO idea what happened to "Plumpy". But I never flew that airline again.

I had that same experience on the way out to Vegas last year. I was in the window seat and this cute girl was sitting next to me in the middle seat and the boyfriend was in the middle seat in the row behind us. She started to ask everyone around to move (including me despite my meager attempts to fake sleep) which of course no one would. So when we took off, she started to freak out, and I mean freak out. Crying, gripping the armrest, and just flat out scarred out of her mind, I mean, I really felt bad.

So I glanced back to the boyfriends row to see that if I were going to switch, what would I be dealing with. Well, in the aisle seat was a normal business dude reading. In the window seat was something like what was described in number 10 comment, completely passed out and snoring so loud that even the Bose headphones would have trouble masking the noise. And let me tell you, it was like the devil and angel on my shoulders going back and forth a la animal house. Angel saying, nice thing to do, I would want someone to do it for me, karma (heading to Vegas). Devil saying, are you nuts, you have window seat, comfy, movie, 5 hour flight, hot as b*lls, jabba in the row behind, etc...

Well, the angel won, I turn back to the boyfriend and said that I would switch because man, this girl looked like she was going to lose it. I mean, you never know, maybe the guy has connections and would throw me a bone of some kind, I mean after all, we were going to Vegas. (Of course days later when thinking about it some more, if this guy had such great connections, why the hell was he and his girlfriend in middle seats). So we wait for seatbelt to ding, everyone gets up, I make the move. As I get to the aisle and look at my new destination, I notice that jabba in the window seat had the armrest up and was encroaching my space on my seat. Now, it was an old America West plane and we all know those seats are more like slivers of cushion rather then seats. So the aisle guy gets up and whispers to me, "you are better man then me". So I move in to sit and just to spite jabba, I come crashing down in my "sliver" and basically sit on the edge of her fat roll causing her to exhort some noise and shift a little with dirty, sleepy look. I then basically slammed down the armrest trapping a couple inches of her roll and causing her to really squeeze up against the window. At first I thought it might be a danger to the body of the fuselage, but realized it was ok after a minute or two.

Needless to say, the couple didn't do anything for me (not even buy me a beer), however the stewardess came by, saw what I did, and gave me free beers the whole way out, so that was good. As far as karma goes, I did finish in the money in the moto poker tourney, so who knows.

Moral of the story, this all could have been avoided if she had to buy two seats.

Wow, what a horrible display of vitriol and intolerance towards the last subset of people whom it is broadly culturally acceptable to harass. And I don't mean the polite people commenting on how distressing and uncomfortable it is to have the person next to them pushing into their seat...I'm talking about comments like "fat people shouldn't fly on airplanes anyway. they are a danger to society" and "They're fat - who are they visiting they they really need to see - plus they are usually lazy so it's not work travel" and "Hit the gym you fat losers".

Even comments like "being obese is not a disability (you can change or "cure" it) therefore no special treatment. if you don't like paying more, lose weight" display an all too common ignorance about what it's like being fat. In this culture, we tend to accept the idea that fat people are lazy and purely lack will-power, that they just need to "push away from the table and walk around the block more" in order to be skinny. Never mind that many fat people struggle with their weight constantly, and are trying as hard as they can. Just as it is extraordinarily difficult for many people to quit cigarettes, it is very hard for many people who eat for emotional reasons to just stop. And there are also many people who actually DO have genetic predispositions to obesity, or who have other medical conditions that can make weight loss difficult.

I do understand, however, that it is horrible to be stuck next to someone who is encroaching on your space. Therefore, I can support policies where the customer is forced to pay for an extra seat if there are no empty seats that they can spill over into. But making them pay for a second seat even if there are unfilled seats available is just plain mean-spirited, and a money-grab on the part of the airlines.

I'd also like to comment on the people who've spoken about having similar experiences on the T. As someone who is 5'4", 275 pounds, and has severe arthritis that requires me to use a cane, I am one of those people who sometimes has no choice but to squeeze into that seat next to you. Believe me, I don't like it either, and when possible I will sit in a single seat so that I don't have to inconvenience anyone else. But if I try to stand on the T for more than two stops, I literally will not be able to bend my knees (ie, get off the train and walk down the street) once I get to my destination. Personally, I probably overlap into the next seat by less than two inches, and there are times when a skinny person can sit next to me and not even touch me. But I have noticed that even average-sized people often overflow the seat edges, so part of the issue likely is the size of the seats. I've also often wondered why people seem to get upset over obese people needing more space in the seats, but have no problems sitting with their feet sticking out into the aisle or otherwise being completely inconsiderate about how their own use of space impacts other people. Consideration goes both ways, as does compassion.

There are reasons other than being lazy that a person can be grotesquely overweight. With that said, it is about one percent of the population that legitimately have this excuse...yet 100% of the overweight population think that this applies to them.

On numerous occasions I have seen passengers that needed to walk down the isle sideways in order to get to their seat. If you can't move to your seat in a normal fashion, NO SEAT FOR YOU!!!

Really tall people don't get special attention and 100% of them can't control how tall they are.

I am 5'9" and weigh about 155 pounds and I am cramped in these small seats now. I'd love to see the airlines regulate these people who feel compelled to put 3 bags in the overhead and force the rest of us to put our bags under the seats, using up what little leg room that is available there.

As far as the regulation, there would need to be a uniform guide for such a rule, if you let the airlines decide this, they'll just make the seats smaller and require everyone to pay for a second seat.

For those of you saying that being overweight or obese is a choice, do you really think that ANYONE would choose to be overweight or obese in this society? Really? Do you think anyone would willingly subject themselves to the verbal abuse, the shame, the stares and laughs, the discriminatory and vile comments that you all have made here?

People come in different shapes and sizes. Period. As a very tall individual, all airline seats are uncomfortable for me. I would suggest that the problem is in the seats of the airline, and the idea that every single person should be able to fit in the same amount of space. If we were all the same size and shape, that would work - but we're very clearly not. The way to solve that is not to charge someone who's not the "standard" shape extra, it's to change the (unfair and ridiculous) standard.

Thank you! Now let's move on to the smelly folks!

I am a safety professional. I am concerned that the seat anchors and even the belts were never designed for a 400+ pound person. If the plane hits minor turbulence, no problem. If it is a big bump, will the huge person rip my seat out 'by the roots'? Will he become a lethal, untethered problem for others, in a very rough landing?

Hundreds of extra pounds, whether in a checked bag or on your person cost the airline extra in fuel. Rather than a surcharge, how about a basic seat price, plus 50c per pound for all you are bringing on board, including baggage? I would pay $100 for this, some would pay $200+.

whenever you can... fly jetblue. nice big leather seats. very nice.

hate to tell ya but 3/4's of the usa is overweight. but i agree. if you are that fat that you encroach on the space of another that you need to pay.

I tend to fly overseas but only once a year if I'm lucky. United is not one of my favorites, and coach is no fun for anyone. I'm big and I don't like coach so my husband and I, who is very tall, pay extra for seats that fit us. Why I will never fly coach again is not the problem with people who are large but people in front of me who insist on pushing their seats back so far that I have no air to breathe and cannot get out of my seat for any reason. I paid for a seat, including knee room and I don't want you in my space. They are rude and selfish people and since I only travel once a year for pleasure it's worth it to me to spend the extra money. As to United's policy, I agree with the person who said the space in coach is inadequate. Take out some seats or make the new seats bigger. The aisles are too small, especially if there should be an emergency or an illness. No matter what size you are, they treat us like cattle in a flying bus.

You know, it's amazing the hatred that's allowed on these boards, and worse yet viewed as acceptable behavior.

I did 100k miles a year for 10 years straight - Lifetime Platinum on AA, among other things. I had my share of severely overweight people sitting next to, or nearly on me at times. I'm not the smallest person in the world (6', 220, big shoulders, and I lift) so I don't fit well in a coach seat designed for someone 5' 8", but neither am I large enough to infringe on someone else's space.

But here's a little clue for the rest of you. There are a lot of overweight people who are overweight, and it's their fault. So be it.

There are also a lot who have undiagnosed sleep apnea - about 90% of men and 85% of women with it don't know that they do since very, very few doctors outside of the sleep industry diagnose it (and almost none have even heard of its cousin, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrom, or UARS) and if they are snoring away on the plane and obese it's quite probable they have it.

Among other things like causing right side heart failure and diabetes, apnea destroys your leptin levels. As in, the hormone that tells you to that you're not hungry pretty much doesn't work. And it doesn't matter if you're thin with apnea (which is dangerous because most doctors will not believe that you could have apnea if you're thin), or fat - leptin levels are just nuked.

Think I'm full of it? Google apnea and leptin, and see the peer reviewed studies.

So yeah, hate away. Just be careful. Karma bites back in mysterious ways.

If US airlines would use properly sized seats that comfortably accomodate the frame of a typical 45 -55 year old US businessman falling in the 90th percentile of height and weight, then there wouldn't be such an issue. Those remaining passengers of a size that still invades the space of neighboring passengers should be handled as a special case, possibly moving and matching them up with comparably small individuals in a new row or placing them next ro an empty seat. If that effort fails, only then should doubling their fare and providing other seating accomodations be imposed.
The real problem is that US airlines are constantly squeezing more and more seats into the same airframe. Solve that issue and most of the problem goes away.

I am one of the lardy ones that everyone hates so much. I accept that, and won't have a problem paying for two seats when I fly. Contrary to popular belief, I am neither lazy, nor stupid, therefore I have a good job and can afford two seats. Now while I will pay for two seats, I won't really fill the second seat. So my warning to all of you precious little tootsies out there: Don't even think of using my extra space in my paid for second seat as your magazine rack or a stash for your sweater (we all know that the thinnies are always cold) or purse. And if your elbow drifts into my double-wide space..........LUNCH!!!

I'm all for weighing the passenger and their baggage and charging per pound. Thats the only way that is completely fair to everyone. Charge a base price for the ticket ($50 or so), and then another few dollars for each pound you will be transporting, depending on flight length.

Obese people consume more resources than thin people, in terms of food, fabric for clothing, space and fuel. Pay for what you use.

Just another example of the airlines trying to wring one more dollar from the public without really offering any quality service. I remember when the gas prices shot up and immediately the airlines raised ticket prices and began the policy of charging for checked luggage because of the extra "weight" and the need to cover fuel costs. Of course, the flight I was on was almost empty because of the ticket price so why were they charging for baggage when half the seats were empty? Wouldn't the weight of the baggage be off-set by the lack of actual PASSENGERS???? Of course, they didn't waive the fee and you may have noticed that the policy on most airlines remain. They want you to fly as long as you don't take up any "additional" space, don't have any luggage and don't expect even a freaking 1/2 cup of soda.

#22 (red-mama), #33(Parker), and anybody else who suggested charging by weight.

Great idea, but it cannot be weight only. For example, a 3 year old who gets her own seat prevent the airline from selling that seat to an adult customer.

Most likely a hybrid of a fee for a seat PLUS a charge for totla weight (customer + all luggage) would make sense, but sadly it will not happen due to "discrimination" complaints from the many people who choose not to control their food intake.

Before you attack me as insensitive, look in the mirror - are you really one of the rare people whose health makes them fat, or one of the many more people who just do not care enough to live a healthy life style?

#34 "HBX, no it isn't free market. Travel falls under interstate commerce..."

Yes, ti is a free market. There are many airlines flying a vast array of planes configured in many many ways.

What people asking for regulation are trying to do is force airlines to decrease the number of seats, thus raising prices for everybody. This will hurt people like me who are happy with the current small seats for the current low price.

There are plenty of choices - pay extra for a seat with more leg room, pay for two seats, pay for business class...

Sadly, they all start with pay more, but hey... why should you not have to pay more if you use more? I do not want to subsidize YOUR plane ticket - it's as simple as that.

THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND MAKE PIE LESS DELICIOUS.

#28 "Why is it that people need to show their ugly side in these postings"

One or two of the postings are offensive - most are people asking you to take responsibility for the choices that you made in your life. If that's not the american spirit, I do not know what is.

"I am a male who is a bodybuilder. I have a 48 inch chest and a 32 inch waist, I travel on airplanes alot for bothe business pleasure and often spill into the next seat. Do I need to pay for another ticket. Does your same venom hold true for me? "

Yep, you need to pay for another seat since you're obviously inconveniencing your fellow passengers. What venom ? It's only basic fairness.

why dont they install a couple of more expensive, larger seats per plane for larger sized passengers? or make them fly first class? it's not discrimination, it's common sense... cant squeeze a square peg into a round hole. plus size clothing and tall clothing costs more, so a larger seat should too!

#52 "For those of you saying that being overweight or obese is a choice, do you really think that ANYONE would choose to be overweight or obese in this society? Really? Do you think anyone would willingly subject themselves to the verbal abuse, the shame, the stares and laughs, the discriminatory and vile comments that you all have made here?"

Yes, people do that every day by refusing to control what they eat, by becoming more sedentary than a statue, by driving 100 yards to drop their kids off the their neighbor's house for a playdate, etc.

"The way to solve that is not to charge someone who's not the "standard" shape extra, it's to change the (unfair and ridiculous) standard."

Nope - I prefer to see narrow seats for me and wide seats for people who need wider seats, priced accordingly. Pay your own way - do not ask ME to pay for you.

Are you also asking for ALL cars to have a certain seat width? Should I be legally required to buy ONLY extra wide seats for my house ? Should a restaurant be prevented from serving smaller sized portions because you might stop by to eat?

See, price discrimination is fair, it is good, it is legal and it is good both for business AND society.

Totally agree with Wench.
What world do some of you people inhabit? Are you happy? Do people actually like you? Better yet, do you like yourself?

This is not a hate post. But for those who are saying obesity is a disease like drug addiction or alcoholism, I don�t agree or disagree. However, the alcoholic who is bothering other passengers is kicked off the plane for impacting the other passengers on board. The smoker is not allowed to smoke on the plane because it would disrupt the others on board. So why shouldn�t someone who is impacting others (perhaps even more physically than the earlier two scenarios) be forced to address their issue so they aren�t impacting others?

HBX:

Taking responsibility for one's own life and actions is no longer the American way. Our society decided this fall that it was perfectly acceptable to completely screw your life up, as well as infringe upon the tax dollars of your hard working, responsible neighbor by making poor decisions and not having to face the consequences. To draw a parralel to this story, the idea that being obsese is completely out of the person's control. Fact of the matter is, for 95% of obese people it's perfectly in their control, they just lack the will power, or the willingness to make a sacrifice and put in the hard work to keep themselves healthy. We 'Americans' believe that good health is simply something everyone should be born with and entitled to, and if we're fat well it's not our fault, we were born that way.

Doctors and researchers will keep coming up with syndroms, diseases and other diagnosis (ADD, ADHD, etc...) so they can market drugs and get rich. In the mean time we the American people are being told exactly what we want to hear, 'it's not our fault'.

"Hey it's not your fault you took out a ridiculous mortgage and decided that your carton of cigarettes and 5 daily scratch tickets were more important."
"Hey it's not your fault you pushed a bunch of bad loans for quick cash and drove your company into the ground."

Don't worry people, today you can do nothing wrong, there is no failure, we'll never feel disappointment.

Working hard and taking responsibility for yourself may be the 'ORIGINAL AMERICAN WAY' but it certainly is no longer.

The only person who had an intelligent comment to offer here was Brodymon.

Why are so many of you so hostile to obese people? Why do you blame them, instead of noticing how the airlines have been consistent in cutting back on the value you get for your dollar?

Do you honestly think anyone who is obese WANTS to be obese? Aside from anything else, being obese makes them a target for the disgust, meanness, and hatred of small-minded, cruel people like so many who have spewed their venom here. Most of you need to grow up and develop some empathy and some kindness towards your fellow humans.

Pay per pound, that's not discriminatory and makes no judgement. One must be able to fit into a seat without encroaching on another's space, that's common sense. Otherwise the person who has paid for a full seat but can only use 75% and enjoys 0% should be compensated. Obesity is a disease. Have you ever had a craving? Sometimes you give in, sometimes you don't, imagine never being able to say no. That's a reality for some people. Others do need to get to the gym and watch what they eat, but there is no way to visually distinguish between them and others who may have medical conditions. Have some sensitivity.

Big Fat Guy here...Im 6'4 240, I agree, make me pay more if I dont fit in the sit, and infringe on the guy next to me.

I also think that if we should tax noisey kids, rowdy teens, people who dont shower, people who wear too much perfume etc. Why should those offenders infringe on my enjoyment of the flight?

Seriously though, I dont see a fat person disagreeing on the board. Do you? I agree with the policy.

Have a nice day

no one said being obese was a "choice". i (for one) said it is NOT a disability in that you can CHANGE it. i'm sure people in wheelchairs wish they could diet themselves into walking, for 1 example. yes, obesity is a disease like alcoholism but there are MANY resources to help you lose weight/quit drinking and it is possible to change your condition. until then, use 2 seats, pay for 2 seats.

that said, the seats on airplanes should be a bit bigger. they are uncomfortable even for"normal" people.

lucy, you are my hero - can i buy us lunch?

I cannot believe the degree of unkind comments posted in reply to this article. While not a frequent flyer, I cannot believe what the airlines have done to aisle and seat dimensions in order to "pack them in" to raise revenue. Having recently flown to Florida, I consider it even more of a miracle that no one was lost on Sully's flight when he had to ditch in the Hudson. A simple answer for the airlines would be to have selected seats in coach or in the first row which are wider than the norm. Then those who have weight issues would not feel discriminated against.

For those of you with no compassion, grab a glove and get in the game. You, too, may need extra space at some time in your future.

I'm sure all of you "pay what you weigh" people don't spend too much time in an airport. I'm sure this policy would work perfectly. And I supposed you wouldn't mind arriving at the airport 5-plus hours before your flight to stand in line to be weighed and surcharged accordingly. By the way, all of this would mean the airlines would have to add employees without significantly increasing revenue. How many passengers would be forced to pay extra...unless they set the surcharge limit at 140-150 lbs. You're talking maybe several hundred dollars to a couple thousand per flight..pocket change in the airline's cost to operate a flight. So, who is going to pay for these employees to weigh every passenger on a flight??? YOU ARE!!! So are all of you "pay what you weigh" people going to now pay a minimum of $500-$1000 for your coach ticket to ensure that you don't have someone encroaching on your seat by an inch or 2...or having their shoulder touch your shoulder occasionally during a bumpy flight. Get real. The airlines are hurting BIG TIME and unless your plan is to start taking the bus or train everywhere you go, suck it up and deal with the occasional intrusion.

the comments above may hurt the obese, however, in direct response to the overweight person saying "obesity is a disease like alcoholism..." come on. We all have the choice to eat what we want to eat, to be as active as we want to be and to take control of our lifestyle choices. Convincing heavy people that obesity is a disease is a counseling marketing ploy. It makes you feel better to think you dont have control over your habits that you have become so accustomed to.

Everyone has some sort of self esteem issue; I am not a heavy person and I have always had body issues. I choose to go to the gym EVERY DAY even though I hate it to ensure I don't become fat. A CHOICE I MADE such as you can. So clean up your tissues and wipe your eyes, we do not shed any tears for you. Maybe it seems insensitive, but I am sick of fat people looking for sympathy and wanting us to feel bad for them. You take up more than one seat you pay for it, bottom line.

Heck, I think United should add a fuel surcharge to the cost of their tickets as well. Fair is fair.

#52, #71.

Are you:

A) the same person
B) using the same talking points
C) copying from each other?

Seriously, to #71's question: "Why are so many of you so hostile to obese people? Why do you blame them, instead of noticing how the airlines have been consistent in cutting back on the value you get for your dollar? "

I know what I am getting from the airline when I buy a ticket. I can look up the size of the seat, the leg room, everything is available to me BEFORE I buy a ticket and commit to a given airline.

One of my most recent flights, I shared my window seat with a 300+ woman, with another 250+ lb woman in the aisle seat. They were both very polite, clean and nice, and I have nothing bad to say about them as a person. Still, being pushed for 3 hours into the window side of my seat by the overflowing person to my right made that one of the most uncomfortable flights in my life.

Of course, the airplane was full so I had nowhere to go, and to this day I shudder when I remember how uncomfortable that flight felt.

To the ones that complain about "venom", can you tell me what is venomous about saying that if you use more resources than anybody else you should pay for them? 95% of the posters on this board did nothing more than that. Calling that venomous is ridiculous, in my honest opinion.

Asking for ALL seats to be bigger to accomodate SOME is wrong - let the airlines size their seats the way they choose to and do your homework before you buy the cheapest ticket expecting extra wide seats.

There are airlines that do cater to bigger passengers with special seating - look for them if you know you need special accomodations.

Sounds more than fair to me. If you can't fit in the physical space of a single seat, you need to buy two. Why not ? I can squeeze both my kids comfortably into one airplane seat and have them share, but I'm not allowed to do that. Suck it up, wildebeests...

This post is intended for obese and morbidly obese people.

This policy is fantastic. I hope every airline institutes this kind of policy. In fact, I would be willing to pay an extra hundred or two to fly on an airline with this policy. What a beautiful concept: If you can’t fit in one seat, you need to buy two. Y

This says to the fattest of the fat: Your societal “right” (an abuse of the word) to be morbidly obese does not trump my contractual right to exclude other people (including their body parts) from the seat I paid for.

I am afraid of flying, but my phobia isn’t the normal one. I am afraid of who will end up next to me. I have been forced to suffer through so many depredations perpetrated by my cowlike America compatriots that I would now much rather drive anything under 600 miles.

You know, I recently got back from a trip in Spain. Virtually all the passengers arrived at the final customs check at the same time. They were divided: American citizens on one side, visting non-citizens on the other. Guess how painfully obvious it was which line was fatter. I meant to capitalize Fatter.

There's been a lot of talk over the last couple of decades to the effect that "big is beautiful" and about how everyone should feel good about themselves. That's all well and good. It is bad when people are miserable and depressed. But you see, I too am miserable when a morbidly obese or even obese person sits next to me in a cramped plane. I’d probably lock myself in the bathroom for the duration of the flight if I could get away with it.

But good luck convincing me that the 15 pounds of arm blubber and 30 pounds of stomach lard resting inartfully on my shoulder and leg is “beautiful.” It’s horrendous. Half the time, it’s dripping with sweat and it stinks. But even if it’s hygienic fat. Even if the fat is meticulously clean, scented with Myrrh, and dipped in ambrosia: GET IT THE HELL OFF OF ME.

This discussion of unconsented touchings by fat reminds me of another problem. The fat placed on me by the fatty makes me think of the number of burgers required to generate it. For a few weeks after such a flight, each bite of hamburger forces me to relieve the horror of having someone else rub their fat on me. I don’t like thinking about having fat rubbed on me when I eat a hamburger. Ruins the mood.

I paid an extortionate amount for this plane ticket. I’ve had to deal with overbooking. I’ve had to listen to the same idiotic safety presentation for the last twenty years (not that it tells you how to climb over a 300 pounder or push one out of the way – half of my fears involve what happens if I actually survive a crash, but there are fat people between me and the emergency exit(s)).

While I attempt to fit into my oddly misshapen coach seat, the last thing I need is for a cow to sit next to me and spill his or her fat onto me. I paid for a seat, but I only get half of one. The cow next to me steals the other half of mine. In my trade, we call that robbery. And if you’re up to date on health news, probably robbery by means of a deadly weapon.

Bexteck...when was the last time you watched the folks at baggage claim. It's all the little people who have lots of suitcases and many carryons. I travel all the time and can guarantee that larger people limit their luggage...you don't think the "lazy" people really want to carry around a bunch of extra stuff do you??? I have taken the same epilepsy medication for 22 years and unfortunately it's biggest side effect is weight gain. Yes I fight it and manage pretty well but I ask with the compassion that most of you show..I would rather pay for two seats than count on any of you for aid if I was skinny and had a seizure!!

I've done my million miles and I've had my share of challenging situations over the years. I agree with the policy, but won't fly in coach anyway unless it's an exit row or bulkhead seat. I'm just too tired of the stress, irritation, and presumptuousness of fellow passengers to deal with people presuming to take what I've paid for. The reason a person is fat has nothing to do with the merits of stealing what belongs to others.

My seat is all mine. I will say something if you try to apportion it. I will yell at parents with kicking or loud kids. I will push on your seat up if you whiz it back. What else? I will honk if you cut me off in traffic. I will bang on your car if you try to run over me in a crosswalk. I will yell at you if you start slapping your child in public. I will accost you if you don't pick up after your dog. I will force you to step back when you get on the T before people have exited. I will ask you to step to the right on the escalator when you're blocking it. I will say "EXCUSE ME" when you stand in the sidewalk oblivious to the world. I will leave a note on your car when you take up two spaces. I will ask you to step inside when you get on the bus. I will tell you to pick up your trash from the table at Dunkin Donuts when you get up. I will flash my lights and tailgate you when you take up the left lane for more than a minute.

Stop being so clueless. It shouldn't take airline policy for people to realize that they are not entitled to what others have paid for. Self-centered behaviors are what alienate us from others. Learn to get along like a member of society.

Well, I think the problem is the American Airline industry in general and not the passengers. All US airlines are highly mismanaged. United is slowly becoming one of the worst to fly. I fly 200,00 miles with them a year and another 100,000 with various Asian and South American airlines. I have been doing this for about 4 years now and watched United slowly decay. They have dropped from 2 routes to Hong Kong from Chicago to one. They just redid their international planes in order to take away business class and economy plus in order to pack people in like cattle. I am 5' 10" 160 lbs and I still think economy is too small for me, nevermind any one bigger.
Listen, if you buy a cheap seat you have to deal with who is next to you. That's it, get a grip. With more frequent travelers they will treat them much better and not put them in this kind of situation. Most business travelers that are larger tend to fly business class because they know being stuck in a metal tube for 15 hours in economy is hell. I will agree I pray every time I am in economy that the large guy walking by is not going to my seat but there are simple ways to combat the spill over. I tend to take the airplane magazine and stick it between me and the arm rest in order to avoid the extra warmth and to let them know they are infringing on my space but I feel their pain as well. Traveling in US is the worst experience in the world but unfortunately I have to use the US system.
Try going to Asia and see how much better the airline industry is run, 1000% better. Better food, better seats, attendants under 60 years old. It is just overall a better experience. I am now working on getting more miles built up on Cathay Pacific so I can enjoy a real airline. United is falling apart fast.
To all those complaining about the obese, that is nothing. Ever flown in China, Russia or South America? I see 10 times more worse things on these flights. I'll take an obese American over a person who has never been on a plane before any day.
We should not shun the obese since obesity is a span of our society. Look at what we consume. In China being fat is looked at as attractive because that means you are wealthy enough to afford expensive food and meat. In US it is the poor that get stuck going to places like McDonalds that continue the trend and worsen it. We need to look at our own society as a whole. Come on, look at Fenway. Those seats were designed for the average person in the early 1900's. Now normal people have a hard time fitting in those seats. I know I do.

Anyone that puts a comment on here saying that this is wrong, discriminatory, etc... has never had to give up 1/3 to 1/2 of their seat to one of these people. Until you do, it's easy to take the politically correct stance.

Why do some people want to make the seats bigger to accomadate overweight people? Have you seen Wall-e? Is that what you want? Huge people who can no longer walk? We really need to start cutting down on the obesity & overconsumption before it gets out of control. Being overweight isn't a disease.... you can choose to eat less.

If you have not watched The Biggest Loser television show, then you should automatically be barred from posting comments bashing the airlines.
There are no excuses for being morbidly overweight. Your "disease" is a psychological problem combined with an inability to stop eating and an inability or simple lack of desire to excercise. Energy in should equal energy out. If not, it becomes fat. Admit it and start doing something about it.
I actually read a blog for fat people while researching the Wii Fit Balance Board. Members were discussing how the game makes excercising easy and fun. One person, after learning that there is a 330 weight limit for the board, actually wrote "330 pounds? I'm not losing 15 pounds,just so I can use that stupid thing!" That, my friends is the person whio will be sitting next to you on your next flight.

The airline's "Sit back, Relax and Enjoy the Flight" policy discriminates against people who paid for the diminished seating space (those with a seat behind these reclining hogs). Passengers who insist on dropping their seatback into the lap of the passenger behind them in order to "sit back and relax," take a nap, or otherwise indulge themselves by enlarging their seating area at the expense of the passenger behind, should be required to (1) reimburse that passenger for the percentage of the legroom taken over, (2) be reseated to a seat with an empty seat behind, or (3) get off, rebook and pay for the seat behind. A policy that deals with space intrusion in the X-axis should apply also in the Y-axis. That's why I fly JetBlue: to get enough legroom to survive the "SRER" policy.

isn't this whole thing just a load of media inspired BS? This is nothing new. Some airlines have been doing this for years. United is just the latest to do so. Go to the United website. Read the rules. I am a rather large person who can fit into my single seat, put the armrest down and buckle my seatbelt (although not very comfortably on some aircraft). The United rules require a 2nd seat if you need more than 1 seatbelt extender. I had to use and extender one time on a specific aircraft type and I could have fit a smaller person inside that extender with me. If you need more than 1 extender, you should have to purchase another seat. Hopefully, United and some of the people on this forum will not overreact and make this a witch hunt.

I've been on both sides of the arm rest on this one...my weight got up to 300lbs and I was a few pounds away from the seat belt extender. Each week I had to sit cross armed with my sides pinched by the arm rests on a cross country flight knowing the entire way the person next to me was thinking all of the above comments. I can honestly say it is one of my life's more embarrassing and demoralizing feelings.

I decided to take control of my own body, exercised and ate correctly and dropped 100lbs (14 inches off my waist). At 6ft 200lbs those extra inches in my seat feel like an ocean of space to me and flying has never been easier. I have and will continue to lift the armrest for a larger individual if they need it.

I think what this message board lacks is a little perspective. Sometimes in life being the "bigger person" means taking up the least amount of space.

Yes, I am overweight, though I do fit in a sit and am always conscious of not infringing on my neighbor. But I refuse to patronize an airline where I will be humiliated by some skinny flight attendant who will decide whether or not I fit in a seat according to some unknown formula. Will United have some sort of template that will measure people's butts? To me, this is an opportunity to scam money from people--I can't afford to buy two seats. Not can I afford first class. And bumping me because I am overweight?

I can't wait until someone files a lawsuit for discrimination. What next? People won't want to sit next to gay people? Blacks? Smelly people and crying children bother ME, so do I get to demand their removal? People need to learn a little tolerance, and discriminating against people in this fashion is unacceptable. The juvenile comments I see here are depressing. When will people learn some tolerance for others? What a lot of mean and rude people.

Anyway, I am sure Continental, Delta, American and JetBlue will be happy to have my business. I am glad United is making so much money that they can reject an entire class of people.

If you don't fit into one seat, you should pay for two. The airlines are trying to run a business. A new 737-800 costs around $50 million dollars. In order to pay for it, and all the fuel it uses (fully loaded it holds around 24,000 lbs of fuel), and the maintenance, and the folks to come in and clean up after you drop your peanut crumbs all over the floor,and still make a profit (they are running a business), an airline has to make it economical, which means that they have to figure a certain number of seats sold over the expected life of the aircraft. They configure the seats in the airplane accordingly. It would be great if they could space out the seats so everyone could spread out, but they probably would not even break even.
They are not telling anyone overweight that they are prohibited from flying, but that they need to pay for what they use.
And to all you grossly overweight folks out there. Do yourselves a favor. Stop using the disease excuse and get out and take a walk for God's sake.

Why stop there? Slap an extra charge on babies, toddlers, people who won't shut up, gum-crackers, people who smell bad (BO, cigarettes, too much perfume), and people who take an eternity to get their bags.

All of you geniuses out there who recommend paying by the pound, newsflash: that IS discriminatory. Someone who is 6 feet tall is naturally going to have to pay more than someone of similar proportions who is only 5 feet tall using that logic; neither has control over their height, which directly influences weight (in healthy people). If you're being charged for something you can't control, as in this situation, that's discrimination.

I'm for having to pay for an extra seat. Pay for the space you use.

Dan, it would be an honor to have lunch with you. Best make it salads (with dressing on the side), don't want all the disgusted looks. Can we get a table instead of a booth ;-)

I've had the unpleasant experience of dealing with someone next to me trying to lift the armrest because they couldn't fit in the seat. I refused to allow it, and had to call a flight attendant to take care of the problem.

The obese passenger kept insisting it was "their right" to spill over into my seat. I politely, but firmly, held the line that I was entitled to complete use of the seat I had purchased. They insisited I was the problem.

The flight attendant informed the passenger that if they wouldn't keep the armrest down, they'd be removed from the plane. End of story.

It's about time obese passengers woke up. They don't have a right to someone else's seat, and it IS NOT discrimination to required that they pay for the space they occupy. The costs of operating planes all comes down to weight & space, so if you take up more than the alloted space and weight, then you pay for it.

Pay up, and stop trampling on the rights of the rest of us.

I was once victimized by a fat person on a flight....she took up a large portion of my seat and I was incredibly uncomfortable. I am 5 ft 4 in and weigh 100 pounds. I, in no way, infringed on the space of the fat person seated next to me. It seems incredibly unfair that this is ignored. Fat people are victimizing other travelers...that is wrong.

Charging people for the space they occupy is not discriminatory, but makes sense. I'd like to know United's policy, however, if the obese person is spilling over to the next seat, can't fasten their belt and the flight is fully booked. Do they then strap them down in the cargo area ?

If you have a problem with their policy, don't get gastric bypass. Go on an old-fashioned diet. It's simple math people : you need to burn more calories than you take in. It's not rocket science.

RE: Jennifer, as a formerly obese person (5'9 female, size 1x--due to a genetic condition), I disagree. Be it due to lethargy or food addiction or genetic predisposition you CAN lose that weight. Just like you can avoid high-risk situations with alcoholism or drug addiction. The minute I quit making excuses for myself, I went down the path to weight loss--6 months later I was average sized.

And honestly, you have to be pretty big NOT to fit in those seats. My dad is a United pilot, 6'2" 260lbs and he fits without a seatbelt extension. Those overseas flights suck, but he makes it without impeding on the space of others. United, you nickel and dime us to death with all this BS, but this time I'm all for it...

If you need 2 seats to accommodate your girth, you pay for 2 seats. I don't understand how people are fighting this, when they go to a furniture store to buy a chair for their living room, are they upgraded to a love seat for free because they
won't fit in a chair? Do clotheirs pick up the tab to send them to a specialty large and extra large store for their clothing? You pay for your needs, it's as simple as that. Inconveniencing others and making them uncomfortable is socially unacceptible in any way.

You people are awful. Can't everyone discuss this like civilized adults instead of sounding like spoiled whiny brats? And lola.. pregnant women, seriously? Have a heart and a sense of compassion.

this is timely bc I was on a flight last week where an overweight couple was next to me and the fat man in the middle angled towards me to make room for his large wife. It was incredibly uncomfortable. As we were taking off he took out a greasy sandwich and began to eat it. The smell was sickening. I think overweight people need to be charged more. maybe only then will they get some sort of self control over their lives.

Uhh, excuse me BUT what happened to TOLERANCE??? And what makes anyone who is thin or of average weight BETTER than anyone else???!! The comments about overweight people being "...lazy, disgusting, etc., etc..." is totally Uncalled for. I have flown many times and had to deal with people (of AVERAGE WEIGHT) talking to me incessantly, drinking to excess and making inappropriate remarks, people with bad breath and who just plain STUNK, people with children who were crying, UGLY as SIN people, all of which "encroached" on my flying experience BUT tolerated it because NO ONE is perfect!!!

Six Pack Jack,

Mama Cass did not choke to death. If you are going to criticize overweight people, at least get your facts straight. And while you're at it, tell all those men on the T not to take up two seats by spreading their legs.

#98: "VICTIMIZED" by a fat person???? Did they put a gun to your head? Rob you, beat you, rape you, scam you, steal your identity? Unbelievable! Welcome to the world of the imperfect human race.

All of the comments so far have been about the personal inconvenience of having an overweight person seated next to you but that is only part of the issue. One has to wonder about the very real issue of what is the impact on an emergency evacuation when people are so big they have to turn sideways to move down the aisle? Can they make it through the emergency window exits in a timely manner or are they forced to possibly fight against the evacuation flow to get to an exit door? Does this slow the evacuation and potentially increase the risk to others? Further, does shuffling the onboard seat assignments so an overweight person who doesn't move so well can get more room by moving them to the emergency exit row make others on that flight safer.

oh yes if you can not get the arm rest down and be compfy then get your wallet out and pay for the second seat or may i sudgest a DIET!!!!!!!

wow #84 -- you sound like a real jerk.

on the whole, I fully agree with United's policy.

This is a great idea! Being obese is unhealthy and hopefully this new policy will encourage people to live a healthier lifestyle. This is the fattest country in the world and something needs to be done. To those who complain about this, get up, EXERCISE, and start eating healthy.

Lucy (#59), you rock!!

"Extra, Extra read all about it!" Heres a no brainer; How about having the airlines website calculate whether an overweight person needs to purchase an "extra" seat? The airlines could add this extra data field to their websites online booking section. The passenger can self-identify their size, by entering in their weight and height, right after the fields asking for the passengers name, address, frequent flier number, credit card number, etc. The weight/ height information entered in would automatically be calculated to determine whether the person is classified as "regular size" needing 1 seat(normal weight) or "Extra size" requiring 2 seats(overweight). I would avoid using the term over weight as "extra sized" would sound more politically digestible.

If the person is classified " Extra sized", then he/she would have to buy two seats, or not be allowed to proceed with the transaction. If the person leaves the weight/size field blank, then they either, a) can't continue with processing their transaction, or, b) they would have to agree to the risk of being denied boarding, if they are deemed "Extra sized" at the gate and the plane is full (or make them purchase an extra seat at full fare price if there are any extra seats).

To introduce this new policy, the airlines could have the passenger begin to voluntarily enter in his/her weight./height and give them a "reward" of 500 frequent flyer miles for doing so, then phase self- identifying thier size, as a requirement for them to purchase a ticket or risk having to be denied boarding.

I hope they do it on greyhound too. This whole country is FAT from smoking too much pot

i think airplanes should be fitted with extra small seats so that people who are naturally short/skinny have to be as uncomfortable as us regular sized people in the regular seats. how about that, short/skinny bitches? you get to sit in the extra tiny seats.

seriously, cause a tall person isn't "lazy", yet they're much more uncomfortable than a very short person in the same seat. So to all you naturally tiny people out there, you should be as uncomfortable as the rest of us average sized people.

we'll create a special section of the plane where fat people get a seat and a half, and tiny people get half a regular seat. and you can all sit there and compare your opposite ends of the freak of nature spectrum.

Reading these comments has made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I'm sure this point has already been stated, but maybe the airlines should stop stuffing the planes to the gills and hearding us in like livestock. The seats are so small with such little legroom (except JetBlue - much, much better). I am 5'9" and weight 160 lbs. Pretty averaged sized I guess, but flying American and United is uncomfortable for me, with an obese person next to me or now. I can't imagine how uncomforable it must be for someone who is obese.

I don't think they policy is discriminatory at all. They are making every effort to accommodate obese people comfortably, by finding them 2 seats together on a flight with open seats. If they do have to remove them from a flight and force them to buy two seats together on a later flight, they are charging them the fare from the time of booking. I think that is completely reasonable. My husband are I combined are the size of an obese person, but we wouldn't be allowed to purchase just one seat for both us us. So why should someone who takes up as much room be allowed to do the same?

listen plane and simple.
put a scale at the ticket counter you weigh over 350 pounds chances are you are fat and you are paying for 2 seats.. if you dont want to pay then walk, drive your car or take a boat or ride your bike.

Waaaaaaa It's my thyroid...I can't help it

I applaud this policy - it is well overdue -and I hope all other commerical travel providers adopt it as well.

Smoking pot has nothing to do with being fat, I know many, many individuals who are thin and smoke, but thats besides the point and unrelated. I agree whole heartedly with United's policy. I used to be an obese man myself, weighing in at 230+ on my 5'8 frame, however I did something about it and now weigh 145, so I certainly believe in personal accountability. At the same time, regarding #112, a system that will not allow you to proceed with purchasing a ticket because your height/weight formula indicates you are too big is no solution either. These bell curves that say if you weigh too much for your height are often very incorrect. I know numerous guys who are 'overweight' or sometimes even 'obese' according to these formulas because at 5'8 and 180 lbs they are thought to be fat just based on numbers, but when you look at these guys they are all muscle, toned, and have six pack abs, clearly they are not 'obese.' It's a tricky problem with no clear solution, except perhaps institutional reform educating people about the huge health risks linked with being sedentary and over eating and eating terrible foods. Perhaps we should make healthy foods less expensive so the less fortunate of our society wont have to be relegated to frequenting fast-food chains in order to afford a meal. Lets start from the ground up and figure out the root of the problem at the same time.

Six Pack Jack,

Mama Cass did not choke to death. If you are going to criticize overweight people, at least get your facts straight. And while you're at it, tell all those men on the T not to take up two seats by spreading their legs.

i think airplanes should be fitted with extra small seats so that people who are naturally short/skinny have to be as uncomfortable as us regular sized people in the regular seats. how about that, short/skinny peeps? you get to sit in the extra tiny seats.

seriously, cause a tall person isn't "lazy", yet their much more uncomfortable than a very short person in the same seat.

so we'll make a special section in the plane where fat people get 1.5 seats each, and short/skinny people get 0.5 seats each, and you guys can all compare what different ends of the freaks of nature spectrum you're on.

This whole country is fat and lazy, but don't worry Obama will fix all. We will all be able to pay for the dieases that are caused by being fat!!!!!! yes, change we can believe in!!!!!!!

Way to go Lucy (#59). I'm with you. I am large, in an imposing presence sort of way, so all of you inconsiderate, selfish, sef-righteous indviduals out there best watch out because although I can squeeze my 6 foot 1 275 lb frame into a single seat I will be cranky for the entire trip and believe me you will not help the situation by complaining about it.

My suggesstion is that accomodations be made when aircraft are designed insuring enough space for all humans.

As a person who just touches the threshold of impinging on other people's seats (I'm 6', and weigh about 300), I can say that many larger folk simply don't show any etiquette to people who they are inconveniencing, especially in air travel.

I freely admit that I have a sedentary lifestyle, though I used to be reasonably athletic prior to a knee injury, and I resent the implication that my size is the product of a disease. My crime, not that it matters, is discovering the joys of gourmet cooking but not discovering restraint at the same time, and I am paying for several years of cooking delicious, but rich, food and not exercising sufficiently. People may have a predisposition to weight gain due to genetics, but except in the case of a very small number of psychological disorders, there is nothing that compels one to eat out of proportion.

The crux of the matter, however, is that the use of someone else's property is not a right simply because I occupy the physical space. I do find it mortifying that I might inconvenience someone by verging into his or her seat. Again, luckily, I am just a hair under that size, and do not typically have to worry about it. I do, quite often, fly entire flights with my arms crossed tightly, since on some airlines and aircraft whose seats are smaller, my arms might impinge on another's seat space. I do see - and have sat next to! - obese people both larger and smaller who simply do not take into consideration that they might not be entitled to that physical space. I am not sure if they do it simply because they feel it is theirs, or if they adjudge that no one will want to appear confrontational over it. I imagine it begins as the latter and evolves into the former.

In the end, were I the size of a seat and a half and were on a full flight, the airline would be justified in charging me for the use of that additional seat due to the loss of another paying customer. Alternatively, I could seek other modes of transport or rebook on a less full flight. I do like the suggestion of an option when booking to indicate that a person may need slightly more space than a normal coach seat: that strikes me as a good idea.

#84 - Thank you for being amongst those who protect helpless children. I do that too - call out the **parents" on the **parents'** bad behavior. #85, Kris - So now you want to age-discriminate against flight attendants?

What don't you people understand? You pay for what you get. You don't pay for what the guy sitting next to you gets. If you don't like it too bad. Or better yet, put down the cheeseburger.

We have to share this world, and if affording yourself all the luxuries your big heart desires means intruding on someone else's personal space or rights, than that is wrong. Sorry but you aren't the only people in this world. If you don't want to go through the SAME motions the rest of us do to stay healthy, than there are certain situations that are going to cost you more than the rest of us. Plain and simple.

I'm already paying for your disability and most of your prescription drugs, your failed mortgage, welfare, and foodstamps. I don't need to pay for you to have the ability to invade my personal space for 6 hours. It has nothing to do with discrimination. You pay for what you get. I'm tired of paying for people not named ME.

I'm sorry-but if you disagree with this-then I'm guessing YOU are one of the people they are talking about. I am not a big girl at all & there was a woman next to me once who was MORE than 1/2 in my seat! AND on the flight, she started eating one "Snickers" bar after the next! She may as well have pushed me into the aisle entirely. At least pretend like you're sorry for taking up a seat & a half and grab an apple.

"Way to go Lucy (#59). I'm with you. I am large, in an imposing presence sort of way, so all of you inconsiderate, selfish, sef-righteous indviduals out there best watch out because although I can squeeze my 6 foot 1 275 lb frame into a single seat I will be cranky for the entire trip and believe me you will not help the situation by complaining about it.

My suggesstion is that accomodations be made when aircraft are designed insuring enough space for all humans."

Yeah this is a great attitude...

"Hey I don't take care of myself and I'm proud of it. I infringe on the rights of most everyone around me, and it pisses me off that they have a problem with it. In fact, I'm going to go out of my way to make sure they notice that I'm infringing on their rights. I'm going to be the biggest, fattest jerk on the whole flight. And why?

Well because I'm jealous that you're skinny and take care of yourself, while I'm stuck here being a big lazy jerk that no one likes."

Yeah man, be proud, you're a real contribution to our society.

Once I had the misfortune to fly to Europe (window seat) while seated next to an elephantine passenger who had not bathed for several days. He exuded a damp canine odor that permeated the cabin for three rows in each direction. When I had to use the head (it's a 6.5-hour flight, remember), this mastodon had to hoist his considerable tonnage into the aisle, all the while grumbling and panting with the exertion of simply getting to his feet. He also had a cold as I recollect.

"Inside every fat man, there is a thin man struggling to get out."

Fight the Good Fight, fatties.

Hey ME #126: "I'm already paying for your disability and most of your prescription drugs, your failed mortgage, welfare, and foodstamps."

So, now fat people are the ones to blame for the state of the economy? Get over your self-righteousness. You're not perfect either. Let's hope that you and/or your sugardaddy/mamma doesn't lose their job and have to do something like *gasp* go on unemployment! Then all the skinny people will be paying for YOUR laziness, too! You might as well just gain 100lbs at that point, I guess...

#130.... Obviously missed the point. This story is just one example of how the sense of entitlement in the country infringes upon all of those who work and pay for what they get. It has nothing to do with one person thinking they are the king of the world, or one group of people being the cause of the problem. Fact of the matter is that there IS A PROBLEM, and it's caused by an ATTITUDE... and the idea that someone has the right to use 1/2 a seat that someone else paid for is a PERFECT EXAMPLE.

No one is being self-righteous. I'm definitely not perfect, in fact I'm in a pretty big financial hole that I put myself into. THE DIFFERENCE IS, I haven't made any excuses for myself, and I'm working hard to GET MYSELF out of it.

Oh, and I did lose my job last year and guess what I GOT ANOTHER ONE. I could have sat home all day for a few months and lived off of my neighbors, but instead I got off my ass and was employed again 3 weeks later.

So don't give me this 'poor me', nobody is perfect BS. I'm not lazy, I work for my living, I stand up on the T to avoid inconvieniencing people (and avoid being inconvienienced), I hold doors open for people, I say 'EXCUSE ME' if I accidentally bump into someone on the sidewalk, and I stop for people in the crosswalk.

If something in my post offended you there's probably a good reason for it. Don't get all huffy at me because of the shortcomings in your life. Like I said, there are alot of people in this world, the least we can do is act like it when we're out interacting when them.

Oh and when I was laid off, I didn't even go on Unemployment. I don't believe in living off of other people... period. Maybe that's the difference between you and me.

For those of you who think that I said that everyone should be forced to purchase large seats, or that all cars should have the same size seat, or that they should be forced to purchase a certain kind of seat in their private home, please point out where I said that.

As for those of you saying "fat people are just lazy", wow, I wish I had your talent for being able to judge people accurately by their appearance. I wish I could tell what someone's activity level and diet were just by looking at them. And I wish I had your talent for ignoring scientific research that follows people on diets, that shows that the vast, vast majority of people do not keep the weight off after five years. And the research that shows that being overweight is linked to a lessened risk of many disease, including diabetes.

But I don't have those talents, and I have read a whole ton of research. If you're interested in reading some, there's a great page here (http://kateharding.net/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/) that links a bunch of it, just to get you started.

It's one thing to have an informed opinion. It's quite another to spew hate, which is what many people on this board have done.

Hey, ME #131:

No, the difference between you and me is that you are an extremely pissed-off person in general. You act like everything you do is for the greater good of mankind, and that 99% of everyone else literally goes out of their way to be rude and take advantage of everyone else. We're talking about overweight people taking up too much room on planes and automatically you extend it to how YOU are paying for their welfare and failed mortgages. These things are completely separate issues, And the fact that someone is overweight at buys a plane ticket does not automatically mean that they have some overblown sense of entitlement or some kind of generally horrible attitude. This is coming from inside you.

Furthermore, the U.S. has a system of safety nets for INDUSTRIOUS people to fall back on in case the worst befalls them: they lose a job and sometimes there AREN'T any others to be had immediately. They or a loved one becomes ill (cancer, for example) and they have insurmountable medical bills, etc. etc. YOU'RE taxes pay for these services, and they're there for your benefit as well as everyone else's. You're not living off of other people, you're taking advantage of the services your country provides you as a citizen, which you have contributed to by working here and paying taxes.

I assume when the time comes you'll refuse your social security checks, too. (here comes the comment about how SS wont exist by then anyway...)

#126 is correct when he raises the point that we all already pay more because of the obese in health costs and the drag they put on society as a whole.

I feel anyone more than 25lbs over their ideal weight should have to pay a special tax that is a mirror of the cigarette tax that already exists.

The purpose of this tax would be to reimburse society for the burden their unhealthy lifestyle out on it.

Obese people make everything cost more for the rest of us that actually put our energy and willpower into being healthy. this is because they are by definition the largest consumers of everything. They get sick more, they eat more, they create more garbage, they use more fuel, they use 2 seats, the list goes on and on and on

This new tax money could be used to provide needy children with insurance and the new, healthier population will drive the price down on everything as consumption drops .

Clearly anyone who did not feel they wanted to pay this tax, much like the cigarette tax, could make the choice to fix their lifestyle and live in a healthy way that limits their impact on the planet and those around them.

The bottom line is their abhorrent behavior affects us all and fat people need to pay the rest of us in society back.

The problem I have is who or what decides what a "normal" seat size is on an airplane. So now we let the the airlines decide what an adequate seat size is? I totally reject the idea that any airline decide what a seat size should be. They want to squeeze in as many bodies as they can and they do that by making the seats smaller and closer together. As it is now, there is almost no leg room even for "normal" sized travelers. I swear most the airlines must view normal height as 5'2" since anyone taller than that has their knees up around their ears in most of these planes. So lets see, the trend over the past years has been to down-size the seat space on flights even as americans get larger (both vertically and horizontially). How easy it is to pick on the people who have to deal with this now, but don't be so sure if these trends keep up that it won't be you next. Maybe all of us over 5'9" tall will be next. Right now, at 5'10" I find most flights excruciating because the seats are too short and don't support the back of my thighs and my knees are right against the back of the seat in front of me. If the person in that row puts their seat back, then I have my knees pressed against it for the flight. My sciatica acts up and my knees ache by time I get off the flight but I guess that's my fault, I'm outside the "norm" as far as the airlines are concerned so too bad for me. They have decided how close the rows should be. Was that based on the needs and comfort of passengers or just so they could add more rows and make more money? Money.

I'm 5'9", 290 lbs. I'm obese. I know that. I don't need a seatbelt extender yet, though I've come close on Continental.

I think this policy will be more trouble than it's worth. Southwest has done this for years, but they charge the lowest fare available for the extra seat. Will United charge the full walk-up fare? Will pasengers get frequent-flier miles on both seats? Will United start installing smaller seats?

If they're fining people for imposing on others, why not add a surcharge for parents with unruly kids (regardless of age), people who drink too much, loud people, smelly people, or people obsessed with sports (especially NASCAR),?

If I have to pay for 2 seats, you'd better believe I'm going to take up every inch of both of them. If you want to put your purse down, take off your sweater, or change your baby (which should be done in the bathroom anyway), buy your own extra seat.

I agree with United's plans to charge for a second seat - this should be something that Fenway and "TD Garden" adopt, too! But, this does have larger implications. A lot of heavy people likely travel for business. Will employers be willing to pay for a second seat for air travel of larger employees? Will they 'encourage' their larger employees to lose weight? Will they forbid those employees from traveling - sending a 'smaller' employee in their place - something which may derail said employee's efforts to climb the corporate ladder? Something to think about. All in all, encouraging the overweight to lose weight benefits us as a society - lower health care costs is one example. This needs to not be a taboo subject for fear of hurting someone's feelings.

Do they plan on charging them for two seats while still stuffing someone next to them? It's not always possible to reserve two seats together - why not just assess a fee (airlines are really good at that) when checking in and give the person(s) in the seat next to them a discount or the opportunity to switch with someone who would take the discount...

I tend to agree that if a person cannot fit into a seat, cannot buckle their seatbelt with an extension, and is encroaching on the next seat, they should have to pay extra, Airline seats are hardly huge, but even at my heaviest (~250 lbs), I could fit into one seat and buckle the seat belt without an extender. It's not discrimination if reasonable accomodation is made (i.e. if the flight isn't full giving you extra space, or a seat belt extender) and you still can't sit in just one seat.
Now, if we could just get the T to charge extra to folks on the commuter rail who get on rush hour trains with luggage or shopping bags and take up 2-3 seats, acting insulted if you ask them to move. I've been there, it's hard to be heavy in this world, but the airlines can only accomdate so much

Hey Michelle2112,

You are saying that the airline that owns the plane should not be allowed to specify how large a seat be? should that size be regulated by the government?

Here is a news flash tootsie, If you own an airline business you can make the seats any damn size you want and charge whatever you want for them.

Sweetie, If you don't like the small seats in coach pay to move up to business or first class honey.

Its called a businesses sweetcheeks, they generate money and jobs and are run by men.

The same goes to all you fatties crying out there too.

#64 Best Comment EVER

#133 - Yeah there's no one taking advantages of those 'safety nets' you speak of... and those peole have absolutely nothing to do with our economy going down the crapper... and I'm just an angry person because 30% of my paycheck goes to people who did absolutely zero to earn it when I should be perfectly okay with that. That must be it...

I'm sorry but the act of buyin a plane ticket is totally different from the act of pulling up an arm rest and expecting the person next to them to be okay with it, then getting upset when they aren't. Let's stick with the issue here, no one is saying they don't have a right to buy a ticket. But hey, whatever paints me to be some evil hate-monger right?

I don't know where you got the idea that I think 99% of the world wants to be rude to eachother, or that I'm the only person that is considerate of the people around me. That's a bit of a leap and it sounds like you have some hate issues of your own to deal with, specifically with the 95% of people on this board that echo my sentiments. Perhaps you know someone personally that is living off the government for legitimate reasons, and think I am casting them into the same net? I'm fully aware of what the systems are in place for, but I'm also not so totally ignorant to think that they are working correctly.

You misconstrued my original comment, and now you're trying to paint me as some extremist who hates everybody, when I was simply pointing out the shortcomings that I see with society on a daily basis and how they relate back to this discussion as a whole. You're more than entitled to your opinion but I think your own anger has made you a little short-sighted in this regard.

#133: "You act like everything you do is for the greater good of mankind, and that 99% of everyone else literally goes out of their way to be rude and take advantage of everyone else. "

You don't even know the guy, yet somehow you know exactly how he/she acts and thinks...
Why don't you stick to some actual talking points and stop trying to villainize someone in order to make your points. Everything that person has said is 100% correct (in my opinion of course) and it seems to me that you don't have an argument to stand on except telling someone they are a jerk. Last I checked that strategy hasn't won an argument since I was 12.

I can't hold my tongue any longer, and now that I finally finished my Snickers:

I am a man of large stature, at 5' 9" and a solid 335lbs. I am a self-employed collectibles dealer (action figures, comic books, etc), and I travel on a regular basis to attend trade shows and sell my wares. I will NOT be intimidated by an intolerant society that has deemed me a nuisance. I REFUSE to make further financial sacrifices such as buying an additional seat. If part of my body comes into contact with the person sitting next to me, then that is something they have to deal with -- it is the risk you take by flying on a public flight, the same as if you happen to not like people of a certain race and they are seated next to you. Black people are NOT required to pay for an empty seat on both sides of them, and I shouldn't have to either.

To all those who have a problem with my attitude: I just unwrapped my 2nd Snickers bar, and I'll see you on the plane!

#144 sounds like the exact attitude that 'ME' has been talking about.

Let me say this and I think it's all I need to say...

Black people do not rub up against the people sitting next to them simply because they are Black.

Apples and Oranges. That could have been the most selfish comment I heard on this board.

#143: I didn't tell anyone they were a jerk. And no, I don't know the guy, I'm only judging him/her based on the comments they've made on this post.

#142: I never said that there is nobody who takes advantage of the system, obviously there are. But, as a positive contributor to our society, I accept that this is the case but still appreciate that if, god forbid, I or someone in my family needs it, they have services available to help them.

"and I'm just an angry person because 30% of my paycheck goes to people who did absolutely zero to earn it when I should be perfectly okay with that."
--This quote proves my point. 30% of your paycheck DOES NOT go to people who did absolutely zero to earn it. The people who have more and more babies to live off of welfare are a huge minority of the people who need the system we have in place. But you generalize and demonize and are so cynical that you can't see the larger picture, which is that in a society you can't expect everyone to be as perfect as you think you are.

#144 must be a joke right. Comic books? Just too perfect.

#84, itzmylife84 - Right on!

147 - you can qualify me as whatever type of person you want. If you ask me it's people like you who are too accepting of the people out there abusing the system that have allowed this all to happen in the first place. Perhaps if there were more cynics and less ignorant folk than our society would be more balanced. Fact of the matter is the top 5% of earners pay well over 50% of the tax burden in this country, and there are still hordes of lower-class citizens complaining that it's not enough. YES I AM GENERALIZING, it's not an uncommon thing in an argument, of course there's non of that going on on your side of it right?

And I bet if you looked at your statistics you'd find the gap between the needy and the abusers is alot closer than you think. Unfortunately thanks to dopes like yourself the moochers will probably never be squeezed out of the system. I'm sorry my bleeding heart can't find the sympathy that makes me think it's okay for someone to just take what someone else has earned. I guess that means I hate everybody.

But hey, you're right, you win, we should just keep going the way things are now right? I mean it really does seem to be working just fine. Stay the course!

#143: I didn't tell anyone they were a jerk. And no, I don't know the guy, I'm only judging him/her based on the comments they've made on this post.

This seems like an awful shallow way to pass judgement on someone. Perhaps giving their comments a little thought before dismissing them as hateful would prove a more productive endeavor.

For the record, I agree with ME

#148: Look, it's not a joke. I'm an overweight guy, and this is what I do for a living. I don't like to exercise, never have. I've been fat since I was a kid - I like to watch movies, read comic books, and so this is what I have turned into my career. Now listen, I don't know how much you know about comics and action figures, but it's very hard to make the kind of money where you can afford 2 coach seats or 1 first class seat. And I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to be descriminated against because of my chosen lifestyle and/or profession. While you might be physically a little less comfortable because you're sitting next to a man of my size, I may be uncomfortable having to sit next to someone for other reasons, like a gay person. That makes me uncomfortable, and I'm just being honest, nothing against them personally. I'm tolerant of them just the same. We all have to tolerate the many different kinds of people/lifestyles of our society. Dumbledore is gay, Lando Calrissian is black, hobbits are fat. I'm fat, but I'm a good guy, you might like sitting next to me after all, I like talking to people. But I swear, when people give me dirty looks when I go to sit down next to them, or huff and puff at me during the flight, I will go out of my way to make them sorry. I will not do anything to help improve their trip, because they wont give me the common courtesy that I deserve as a human being. And just remember -- as bad as you think it is to have to sit next to a guy like me, it could be a lot worse, I could be a fat, gay, black hobbit you're sitting next to.

So #147 let me ask you a few things, and I'll be general...

Do you think people could be more considerate to others on their commutes to/from work, or on a daily basis IN GENERAL?

Do you think it's right that hard working parents of two should have to give a portion of their paychecks to non-working parents of two?

Do you think someone who paid $500 for their ticket should have to give half their seat to someone else in addition to be smothered by that person's body mass for 6 hours?

Do you think a GENERAL sense of entitlement (i.e. unaffordable mortgages) has led to the crippling of our economy?

My posts have all been derived from how I would answer these questions, yet I haven't seen you write more than a few words addressing any of these subjects... Let's forget about how you feel about me for a minute and see where you actually stand... IN GENERAL of course...

#150: I'm guessing you said "stay the course" from about 2000 thru 2008, though, am I right? How did that work out for us? Was it coincidence that the entire friggin' world was brought to it's knees a couple months at the end of 2008? Or maybe you voted libertarian.

#151: Judging someone based on their comments is the way it works on comment boards, or maybe this is your first time on the internet. (also, I didn't called his comments "hateful", either... please stop attributing false statements to me)

#152 - This isn't a discussion about how nice of a person you are, I don't doubt that you're a stand up individual. It's a discussion about whether or not you have the right to impede on another person's person space/rights. Try not to take it personally.

You need an extra seat because of your size. Well if I popped a tire and needed one to get to work, I would simply EXPECT you to give me one. If you need the extra seat because of your size you should pay for one. You should NOT take up the space that SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY PAYED FOR. You don't seem to understand that your body-mass rubbing on your unfortunate neighbor in the seat next to you is JUST AS MUCH an inconvienience to them as the cost of the extra seat is to you. Fact of the matter is someone is going to be inconvienienced in this situation, and since YOU MADE THE CHOICE to live the lifestyle you lived, well that person should be you.

Being the stand-up individual that you are, I would expect you to understand that.

LISTEN PERFECT PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD, I AM FAT AND I DO NOT FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE TO BUY 2 SEATS BECAUSE THIS IS HOW GOD MADE ME AND GOD IS BETTER THAN ANY OF YOU MEAN PEOPLE HERE
THE AIRLINES DO NOT NEED TO MAKE THE SEATS SO SMALL AND HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY SO WHY SHOULD I NOT BE BIG, GOD MADE ME LIKE THIS, WHEN I WAS 9 I WAS 160 BY THE TIME I WAS 18 I WAS 290 AND NOW I AM 340. GOD MADE ME BIG AND IN FACT MOST OF THE CONGREGATION IS BIG TOO. ARE YOU GOING TO CHARGE A PREACHER FOR 2 SEATS TOO YOU EVIL PEOPLE

ALSO I CANT EXCERSIZE, IT HURTS AND I HAVE BAD KNEES AND BURSITIS IN MY ANKLE MY DOCTOR CAN SHOW YOU THE XRAYS. ONE TIME IN SCHOOL I WENT TO THE FITNESS ROOM AND THAT ALSO WAS BAD. EXCERCISING IS FOR THE BIRDS

154 -- I'm guessing you said "stay the course" from about 2000 thru 2008, though, am I right? How did that work out for us? Was it coincidence that the entire friggin' world was brought to it's knees a couple months at the end of 2008? Or maybe you voted libertarian."

So I don't get it, do we keep letting people mooch off society or not? In one post you say we shouldn't change the way our social services are run, and in the next you are telling me that 'Staying the Course' doesn't work either? Are you just arguing now (the whole time obviously) for the sake of arguing? Careful, you're exposing yourself.

#155: Until they make it a crime to be fat, I will continue to use my rights as an American citizen to buy a seat on an airplane and fly to my conventions. I WILL NOT pay extra because I am fat. If smaller people aren't willing to take the chance that they will be seated next to someone that makes them uncomfortable, then THEY can be the ones to pay for a first class seat. THIS IS WHO I AM, and I will not change because of whiners. What if the person next to me moves their arm into my personal space during the flight? What if they have to get up to use the bathroom several times, forcing me to have to get up to let them out? Do I say "well, I'm gonna charge you $5 each time you do that"? NO. That's just as unfair as what people are saying here. I'm a nice enough guy, but DEAL WITH IT.

By the way, stay the course was a bit on the sarcastic side earlier... but once again you jumped to conclusions and assumed I'm something (republican) that I'm not.

Can someone else who actually wants to discuss the talking points and not just blindly refute whatever gets writting down please step in here?

Hey ME #157 (a.k.a the social policy genius of boston.com):
Part of living in a society is accepting the risk that certain members of society will try to abuse the system. It's not LEGAL to do so, but some people are able to get away with it. I am not willing to end a system that is put in place for my benefit because some people try to abuse the system. It does not make sense to cut of your nose to spite your face.
Your "stay the course" remark just amused me, given your obviously anti-tax, anti-social programs stance. The course has been stayed for decades now, from administration to administration, so obviously you're in the minority of people who want some kind of radical ending to our entire social safety net and taxation system.

P.S. everybody argues on the internet for the sake of arguing, same as you

158 Sounds like he's in denial that his poor lifestyle decisions have an adverse effect on those around him. Imagine that, poor decisions have consequences... (of course if you ask him he's never made a poor decision in his life, he actually WANTS to be 500lbs) Also sounds like he's more than willing to sacrifice the personal rights of other people just so he can have that 4th Snickers bar, and guess what, it's not his fault.
Still can't draw that connection to our economy???

HEY PATHETIC WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO LIVE PEOPLE ARE FAT AND CAN BE FAT FOREVER YOU NEED TO GET USED TO THE FACT THAT PEOPLE INCONVINIENCE EACH OTHER WHEN IN A SMALL SPACE I BET PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY ARE BIG TO

"P.S. everybody argues on the internet for the sake of arguing, same as you"

Actually some people argue because they believe what they are saying, not just to get their kicks antagonizing others.

You still haven't answered any of the questions regarding the talking points of this discussion, and instead seem focused on my posts solely. Let me repeat them:

Do you think people could be more considerate to others on their commutes to/from work, or on a daily basis IN GENERAL?

Do you think it's right that hard working parents of two should have to give a portion of their paychecks to non-working parents of two?

Do you think someone who paid $500 for their ticket should have to give half their seat to someone else in addition to be smothered by that person's body mass for 6 hours?

Do you think a GENERAL sense of entitlement (i.e. unaffordable mortgages) has led to the crippling of our economy?

I believe we have a broken system. You don't. Simple as that. I respect your opinion even though I disagree and have simply been trying to make points, BASED AROUND THE ARGUMENT AT HAND. I'm not going to attack your political views (should you have the marbles to actually state them) even though you feel the need to attack mine. I, like everyone else here, have stated my opinion on the subject at hand. You on the other hand have taken it upon yourself to ignore the topic and refute only my posts, while stereotyping and villianizing me based on a few short paragraphs. I'd have to say it doesn't make for a constructive argument.

Hey Milicent DON'T SHOUT we can read.

And God didn't make you fat. You made yourself fat. So put a cork in it.

#161: I'm 335lbs and I've only had 2 Snicker bars today. And why should I change? This is AMERICA, the greatest country on Earth, and I have the right to do what I want. Let the airlines do whatever they want, I'll just fly on a different airline if United tries to force me to pay extra.

HEY SWEET AND LOW IF GOD DIDNT MAKE FAT THAN HOW IS FAT GET HERE ON HEAVENLY EARTH THEN HUH? YOU MOCK GOD BY SAYING THIS IS FAT OR OBESE AND SKINNY IS GOOD BUT GOD MADE BOTH AND I AM IN HIS IMAGE.

#160 - ME has not stated that he wants to end social programs. He has stated that he wants to end the abuse of social programs.

ME has not stated that he doesn't want to pay taxes. He has stated that he wants to the system to find a way for his tax dollars to stay out of the hands of the abusers.

ME has explained that he says 'excuse me' when he bumps into someone, and has stated that he will call someone out if he doesn't receive an 'excuse me' when on the receiving end.

ME lets cars know when they should have stopped at a crosswalk, and he stops his car at crosswalks.

ME stands on the train instead of sits.

ME honks at someone he thinks is driving dangerously.

I gotta admit, while he does come off as abrasive in his comments, I really wish there were more folks that followed his kinda thinking and behavior. To me, I would "generalize" him as someone that doesn't want to be taken advantage of, someone that won't let someone get away with taking advantage of someone else, and someone that would apologize appropriately if he was in the wrong.

Where is there a problem?

#153:

Do you think people could be more considerate to others on their commutes to/from work, or on a daily basis IN GENERAL?

-- Yes.

Do you think it's right that hard working parents of two should have to give a portion of their paychecks to non-working parents of two?

-- If by this statement you mean pay their taxes which help fund social safety net for ALL U.S. citizens, then yes. No system is perfect, and some people will take advantage of the system, no matter how hard we try to prevent it.

Do you think someone who paid $500 for their ticket should have to give half their seat to someone else in addition to be smothered by that person's body mass for 6 hours?

-- I have never argued against this point. Our differences began as you equated this question to your having to pay for people on welfare and failed mortgages. This is what I disagree with.

Do you think a GENERAL sense of entitlement (i.e. unaffordable mortgages) has led to the crippling of our economy?

-- I don't think unaffordable mortgages equates to a general sense of entitlement in most cases, no. Primarily I think that uneducated people were lead to believe by our financial institutions that they should make financial decisions that the institutions KNEW were a bad idea. There is shared responsibility there -- ignorant people for not understanding and doing their homework, and institutions' desire to make money and approve any loan, no matter how ill-advised, to practically anyone. I think the failure here was primarily in our very lax regulations, coupled with a common human desire to own property (not entitlement), coupled with the greed of financial institutions.

Hi,

I would just like to add that at 15, weighing 267, I was diagnosed with the Hypothyroidism so I naturally gain weight. currently I am about 350.

the bias in these comments are sickening and you people are attacking people who have a disease. would you also bash cancer patients like this for being bald?

I would also like to add that I get plenty of dates from craigslist and I always get the guy I choose (they are not allowed to choose, I decide thank you!) a typical post from me gets me anywhere from 20-50 guys to pick from so fat is indeed popular with the lads.

people can be so cruel.

Jeeze no one is saying you can't be fat. Milicant, you've accepted the fact that someone is being inconvienienced, either the person sitting next to you, or yourself for buying an extra ticket.....

Let me ask you something...
Since it's YOUR body mass that is the CAUSE of the inconvienience, why should the person next to you be the one that is put out? Why is it your right not to be inconvienienced?

Can you explain that to me? I'm asking seriously, I hope for a serious answer and not just 'God made me fat'...

To 168 after having a few hours to cool off and coming back to see this response I actually feel good about having this discussion. I still don't agree with everything you said, but it's a lot easier to see what you are saying without some of the malice. And we agree on a lot more things than you'd think.

I'd also say thanks to the post about me above that. Nobody is perfect, certainly not me, but that's not excuse for not at least trying to treat eachother with respect when we need to interact.

Also, I would like to see a response to Pathetic's question above this post. Seems like Malice has no problem yelling at people until she is faced with an actual serious question, in which an actual serious response is required.

Ooops, meant to say Milicant not malice...

Anywho, I'd like to hear some answers to that question, it's a good one.

Well, I have to say that after reading most of these comments, I had no idea so many people hate me because of my weight. In the posts above, I have been called smelly, lazy and selfish--because of what I weigh. The cruelty I have seen here is astounding to me. If you saw me coming down the aisle in the plane, you automatically hate me. You dont care that I am probably cleaner than you are (and my makeup and shoes and bag are nicer than yours, bitches) and that I have a Master's degree and work with inner city kids as a therapist, helping them to lead a better life, therefore probably doing something more worthwhile than YOU do. No, all you see is my weight. I am guessing that 90% of the people who responded to this are people I wouldn't want to spend five minutes with, let alone an airplane flight across the country. You are ignorant, cruel and small-minded, and I am sorry for YOU. I wouldnt trade my body for a skinny one if it meant being as evil as the people who have posted here. So the seat fits both ways.

It is one thing to discuss the seat real-estate issue, it is another to be mean, cruel and yes, discriminatory and hateful. I think I got a taste of what it is like to be gay or black, today. Are all Bostonians this mean? I live in LA, and have never experienced this level of vitriol--does your bad weather make you so nasty?

Welcome to reality LBGirl, this is how the people who actually take care of themselves and practice good health see you.

See tubby, any sloth can buy a fancy bag or makeup but it takes a lot more mustard (i know you prefer mayo) to control a diet and work out regularly.

Also LA is far more weight obsessed than Boston so surely you are seen as a lazy, jiggly pariah there too.

HEY PATHETIC TO ANSER YOUR QUESTION THE SEET IS TO SMALL, AND THAT IS WHY YOU ARE NOT HAPPY, AND I AM BY RIGHT BIG SO JUST LIKE YOU MAY BE BIG TO IF YOU DONT LIKE IT MAKE THE PLANE HAVE BIGGER SEETS OR MOVE TO ANOTHER SEET, AND I ASK YOU WOULD YOU TELL A FATHER TO GET OFF THE PLAIN IF THEY WERE WHAT YOU CALL "FAT" ALSO?

Milicent, you haven't answered the question. I didn't tell you you had to get off the plane. Please answer the question...

Why should the person next to you be inconvienienced by your body mass instead of you being inconvienienced by buying an extra seat? Either way someone is being put out and it's because of YOUR size. So tell me why if your size is causing an inconvienience, why it shouldn't be you that is put out?

I don't understand this, why can't people take responsibility for themselves. Like it or not, your size is going to make either you or the person next to you suffer. Why should it be the person next to you?

PATHETIC THATS JUST LIFE BLAME THE AIRPORT FOR MAKING SMALL SEETS

MILICENT that's an unacceptable answer. The reality is the seats are what they are. You can actually look up the seat size before you book your flight.

When faced with the reality of the situation you seem to think it's okay that YOUR SIZE inconvieniences someone else in order for you to avoid being inconvienienced. You are clearly putting yourself before the person next to you even though it's YOUR SIZE that presents the issue. That is just plain selfish, entitled, and pathetic.

Regarding the armrest as the determining factor as to whether someone needs to purchase two seats: The fact is, men and women have different silhouettes and carry their weight differently. Men generally are slimmer through the hips and thighs, whereas many women of all sizes often have a pear-shaped bone structure and carry more of their weight there. Women are disproportionately affected by this standard, since the armrest hits low on the body.
As a petite woman, I find time and again that a big, tall man sitting next to me, has no issue whatsoever with fitting into the seat, buckling his belt or putting down the armrest, but his shoulders infringe into my space. If women�s hips are to be judged, I think that men�s shoulders too should be judged. If your shoulders are too broad, you should pay for two seats also. That�s only fair.

The way this issue is presented neatly deflects our attention from the fact that steerage passengers on airflights have been subject to ever smaller space allowances. You would think that airlines would start from a calculation based on the variations in their customer base, and plan their seating arrangements accordingly. One would think that in an age where (despite the propaganda to the contrary) our heights, weights AND life expectancies are all rising together in lockstep, that airlines would begin to see the profit-sense in providing bigger seats to make a larger customer base happy and comfortable. But the opposite has happened. People have gotten bigger (and this is NOT an emergency, but a fact to be celebrated) and airline seats have gotten smaller. The airlines procrustean response is to blame the customer. This may be a useful policy in the short-term, but is bound to backfire badly when the science catches up to, and overturns, the prejudice.

Why has United Airlines received 700 complaints? As an airline passenger, I am not disturbed if the person next to me needs a seat belt extension unless his body is also encroaching upon my seat. So, the issue is not obesity per se but �seat infringement� which potentially may be caused by persons who are not overweight. For example, I have had the misfortune of sitting in flight between the size equivalents of a George Foreman and a Lenox Lewis. These passengers had no space of their own for their long, sprawling legs and bulky shoulders and left little room for petite me. Are we going to demand that heavyweight athletes pay a double seat penalty too? I doubt it. You doubt it. And THAT�S why targeting just persons suffering from obesity IS discrimination.