AirFrance to 'suggest' obese buy a second seat

The_Conductor

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/20/air_france/

Air France KLM has decided to suggest to overweight self-loading cargo that they pay for two seats to accommodate their bulk if it is "deemed too large to fit into just one seat of a 43-44cm width", as the Daily Mail puts it.

The Mail says that obese passengers will be charged 75 per cent of the cost of the second seat, but they'll get that refunded if the flight isn't full.

The paper quotes Air France spokeswoman, Monique Matze, as saying: "People who arrive at the check-in desk and are deemed too large to fit into a single seat will be asked to pay for and use a second seat. They will be charged 75 per cent of the cost of the second seat, which is the full price excluding tax and surcharges, on top of the full price for the first."

This apparently obligatory fat surcharge has been widely reported today, but Air France insisted to Reuters that it is "not planning to force corpulent passengers to pay for a second seat".

Spokesman Jean-Pierre Lefebvre clarified: "It is not an obligation; we suggest to such passengers they buy a second seat for their own comfort and in order to be sure the seats are adapted to their needs. If the plane is not full, they can get a refund." ®

Morlar

Seems reasonable to me. What do you think ?

Eat that fatties.

WeeBushy

Well if they can't fit in the seat and/or are taking up space that another passenger paid for then I don't see a problem with it.

Rented Mule

I am sure that they'll pay for the extra for a shot at an extra meal.

The_Conductor

I agree. I'd go further though- and make it mandatory. Its not fair on fellow passengers to be imprisoned by massive lardasses, who often use both arm rests and for all intensive purposes lock you into your seat for the flight. If you have one on either side of you- you're totally screwed.......

starbelgrade

If you arrive at check-in with baggage that's over the restricted weight limit, you have to pay extra. I don't see what the difference is.

Pushtrak

If they don't use both seats, its not fair.

seamus

44cm diameter = 50 inch waist.

Seems reasonable.

NothingMan

It isn't fair to other passengers if someone is affecting their comfort/space that they paid for. Obviously you can't ask online "Are you a fatty?" so when people turn up to an already sold out flight it's too late. I saw a guy in the cinema once who couldn't fit in the seat and complained all the way through trying to get comfortable. It's a horrible situation to be in, but it's their own fault and I like my elbow space.

Morlar

I know this isn't liveline or ranting and raving but it's equally annoying when parents have kids that are pepped up on sugar and hyper for the whole flight. I think kids/families should all be seated together in one big block either at the front or back of the plane. Let everyone else sit in relative peace.

mikom

Be more in their line to "suggest" that all passengers buy a parachute.....

starbelgrade

Whilst I do think it's reasonable to charge those who can't fit into one seat due to being oversized by their own habits, I also believe that tall people should also not be forced to risk leg breakages by being squeezed into legroom made for short asses.

Morlar

mikom wrote: »

Be more in their line to "suggest" that all passengers buy a parachute.....

'Might I suggest 2 parachutes for a man of your frame sir ? ?'

The_Conductor

Morlar wrote: »

I know this isn't liveline or ranting and raving but it's equally annoying when parents have kids that are pepped up on sugar and hyper for the whole flight. I think kids/families should all be seated together in one big block either at the front or back of the plane. Let everyone else sit in relative peace.

I had a kid continuously kick my seat on a flight from Heathrow to Delhi....... I swear I would have strangled the brat, but for the booze the airhostess kept giving me.......

Its not so bad on short flights- but definitely on longhaul there should be more of an effort made to try to ensure the comfort of other passengers.

The_Conductor

starbelgrade wrote: »

Whilst I do think it's reasonable to charge those who can't fit into one seat due to being oversized by their own habits, I also believe that tall people should also not be forced to risk leg breakages by being squeezed into legroom made for short asses.

I don't think they're designed for dwarves, I think its a ruse someone in Ryanairs marketting department came up with- they'd actually rather you stood up altogether- but for health and safety reasons are going for the next best thing........

starbelgrade

smccarrick wrote: »

I had a kid continuously kick my seat on a flight from Heathrow to Delhi....... I swear I would have strangled the brat, but for the booze the airhostess kept giving me.......

Its not so bad on short flights- but definitely on longhaul there should be more of an effort made to try to ensure the comfort of other passengers.

Maybe they should also lump all the ugly people together too, to avoid offending your eyes?

testicle

Right. They have to buy a second seat, but it gets refunded if the flight is not full.

If there's a second seat available in the first place, then by definition, the flight is not full...

Morlar

smccarrick wrote: »

I had a kid continuously kick my seat on a flight from Heathrow to Delhi....... I swear I would have strangled the brat, but for the booze the airhostess kept giving me.......

Its not so bad on short flights- but definitely on longhaul there should be more of an effort made to try to ensure the comfort of other passengers.

I had the same thing on a flight before christmas, turned around stared straight at the dad and said 'do you mind not letting your kid to that ?' (not in a happy tone of voice). The mam and the dad then told the kid to stop and the kid stopped. You really shouldn't have to tell parents how to parent. Easier to sit them all together at one end of the plane or the other.

Xluna

NothingMan wrote: »

It isn't fair to other passengers if someone is affecting their comfort/space that they paid for. Obviously you can't ask online "Are you a fatty?" so when people turn up to an already sold out flight it's too late. I saw a guy in the cinema once who couldn't fit in the seat and complained all the way through trying to get comfortable. It's a horrible situation to be in, but it's their own fault and I like my elbow space.

Hey fatty, I got a movie for ya-A fridge too far.:D

The_Conductor

starbelgrade wrote: »

Maybe they should also lump all the ugly people together too, to avoid offending your eyes?

Nah- as long as they're reasonably calm and quiet.
I'm more worried about the likes of a woman I had sitting next to me on a flight from Lisbon to Dublin who insisted on saying the rosary out loudly for most of the flight. I got really worried when the pilot had to make a few attempts to land at Dublin because of severe cross winds

homerjay2005

damn right....and they should be made pay the "fat tax" too that o leary was on about last year....

i spend one flight to england looking sideways as the lady beside me was, shall we say, not one for soft ground.

starbelgrade

smccarrick wrote: »

I don't think they're designed for dwarves, I think its a ruse someone in Ryanairs marketting department came up with- they'd actually rather you stood up altogether- but for health and safety reasons are going for the next best thing........

It's not just Ryanair - I find most airlines have very little legroom.. and inevitably, some idiot sitting in front of me usually slams their seat back on my kneecaps without the courtesy of asking "do you mind if I put my seat back?". I do mind, but as long as you warn me that it's going to happen, I can deal with it.

I wouldn't mind - I'm not even that tall.. just slightly over 6ft.

starbelgrade

smccarrick wrote: »

I got really worried when the pilot had to make a few attempts to land at Dublin because of severe cross winds

She must've been praying to the wrong God.

The_Conductor

testicle wrote: »

Right. They have to buy a second seat, but it gets refunded if the flight is not full.

If there's a second seat available in the first place, then by definition, the flight is not full...

Depends on what their loading ratio is- Ryanair operate on 110%-120% loading- others are a bit fairer- but there is an assumption that a number of passengers with tickets are not going to turn up....... Just cause they sell you a ticket- doesn't mean you've got a seat- and if you haven't got a seat but you have a ticket- you're entitled to a refund. Seems fair to me.......

youcancallmeal

Wouldnt sitting across two seats be against the health and safety regulations because you cant get the seatbelt to fit properly? Unless of course the large passenger in questions put a seatbelt around each thigh.

The_Conductor

starbelgrade wrote: »

It's not just Ryanair - I find most airlines have very little legroom.. and inevitably, some idiot sitting in front of me usually slams their seat back on my kneecaps without the courtesy of asking "do you mind if I put my seat back?". I do mind, but as long as you warn me that it's going to happen, I can deal with it.

I wouldn't mind - I'm not even that tall.. just slightly over 6ft.

Do what I do- ask for a seat at the emergency exit. You're not allowed access any hand luggage during the flight- but at least you've a bit of comfort legwise. I'm not tall either- only 5'9"- but it makes a hell of a difference to me.......

DazMarz

I can sympathise totally.

Was on a flight from Newark-Las Vegas there about a month ago. Was sitting in an aisle seat. Across from me, this HUGE guy was sitting. He was across the aisle from me... but he was still brushing off me!!!!!!:( I shít you not! I had unreal sympathy for the poeple actually sitting right beside him! Jesus!!!:mad:

Gummy Panda

seamus wrote: »

44cm diameter = 50 inch waist.

Seems reasonable.

So this lad had a bigger waist then 50 inches or am i reading this wrong?

seamus

Gummy Panda wrote: »

So this lad had a bigger waist then 50 inches or am i reading this wrong?

The seats are 44cm wide (allegedly), which should accomodate anyone up to a 50 inch waistline. Except in extreme circumstances*, anything over a 40 inch waist is generally an obese person, so accomodating people who are 25% bigger again, seems reasonable. Anyone over 50 inches would be super obese and are aware that their size poses problems performing all sorts of everyday functions.

*Height generally plays the biggest part in this. A 5'10" man with a 40" waist will probably be obese. A 6'6" man with the same waist may be the correct weight or only marginally overweight

GavRedKing

Seems fair tbh, theres also a safety issue to be considered when there is a fat person in the aisle seat they are potentially blocking 2 people from escaping safely should something happen.

Fat people to be thrown in the under carriage with the luggage FTW.

pickarooney

What happens if a tubby chap is sitting beside an unaccompanied kid? Do they then have to go find two seats next to one another to relocate him to?

MaybeLogic

pickarooney wrote: »

What happens if a tubby chap is sitting beside an unaccompanied kid? Do they then have to go find two seats next to one another to relocate him to?

He's a suspected (fat) paedophile and gets moved.

The_Conductor

pickarooney wrote: »

What happens if a tubby chap is sitting beside an unaccompanied kid? Do they then have to go find two seats next to one another to relocate him to?

Just move the kid......

starbelgrade

smccarrick wrote: »

Just move the kid......

Before the fatty gets hungry.

starbelgrade

I'm surprised that BMI haven't already started this, considering their name.

jon1981

starbelgrade wrote: »

I'm surprised that BMI haven't already started this, considering their name.

ba-dum-dish! :pac:

Herb Powell

youcancallme>al wrote: »

Wouldnt sitting across two seats be against the health and safety regulations because you cant get the seatbelt to fit properly? Unless of course the large passenger in questions put a seatbelt around each thigh.

nah, they have their own natural impact protection

Faithless

AirFrance are the worse airline I have ever been unfortunate enough to travel with.

The onboard service was dismal at best and less than one week later, the exact same route which I flew on four days previous crashed. (Yes, Rio - Paris).

Safety is not the companies main concern. BA on the other hand, is far better.

Also, apart from the fuel/pollution concerns, AirFrance single-handedly frightened the crap out of people by crashing the greatest piece of engineering the human species has ever known, Concorde.

What a bunch of absolute monkeys, the whole organisation.

Cookie_Monster

Morlar wrote: »

Seems reasonable to me. What do you think ?

+1 about fvcking time

Captain_Generic

gavredking wrote: »

Seems fair tbh, theres also a safety issue to be considered when there is a fat person in the aisle seat they are potentially blocking 2 people from escaping safely should something happen.

They are a safety feature, who else is going to plug the holes during decompression?

pickarooney wrote: »

What happens if a tubby chap is sitting beside an unaccompanied kid? Do they then have to go find two seats next to one another to relocate him to?

I'd imagine the kid would eventually get enveloped for nutrients

ballsymchugh

this has just reminded me about a flight from cape town to london a few years ago stuck at the window with 2 of the fattest people ever to squeeze into a seat. the plane was full so couldn't move anyway. but they were so fat that they kept hitting the control for the little tv in front of them, turning it on. i could only watch the crappy movies all the way home.
i got my revenge when the cabin crew came around with ice cream for anyone that was awake, so i took some. i swear, the look of disappointment on the lard ass' face when she woke up to see me finishing ice cream was priceless!!

IvySlayer

Shudders

That made should've been forced to buy 2. Maybe 3. I mean getting the trolley through must of been a toughie. The man beside, I feel sorry for. Hope it was a short flight.

Captain_Generic

IvySlayer wrote: »

That made should've been forced to buy 2. Maybe 3. I mean getting the trolley through must of been a toughie. The man beside, I feel sorry for. Hope it was a short flight.

Oh that trolly was never getting through no matter where he was sitting

MrPain

IvySlayer wrote: »

Shudders

That made should've been forced to buy 2. Maybe 3. I mean getting the trolley through must of been a toughie. The man beside, I feel sorry for. Hope it was a short flight.

I wonder how he got through the metal detector in security

Columbia

Very happy to hear this.

Always annoyed me that I (a 5'8" cyclist) have the same baggage allowance as someone who weighs 18 stone. I'm not advocating a total passenger + baggage weight limit, but there should be grades of what is permissable, e.g. 10 stone or under, 30 kgs; 11-13 stone, 25 kgs; 14-16 stone, 20 kgs, or something. Over this, people have to pay some reasonable price for extra allowance.

Then again, as a frequent traveller I might just become anorexic to get under 10 stone :rolleyes:

RMD

I've always found it unfair that if I bring 1 kilo extra in baggage weight I get charged heavely enough, but if some lardy person brings on an extra 30-40k in a different form of "baggage" to myself they encur no extra cost.

AARRRGH

I think it's unfair because it's not their fault they're fat.

ballsymchugh

AARRRGH wrote: »

I think it's unfair because it's not their fault they're fat.

well it's not glandular!

starbelgrade

AARRRGH wrote: »

I think it's unfair because it's not their fault they're fat.

Yeah - being fat is genetic.

RMD

AARRRGH wrote: »

I think it's unfair because it's not their fault they're fat.

Most Obese people I know are Obese for the following reasons:

1. Poor diet
2. Lack of attitude
3. **** all willpower to change their lifestyle.

Yes, certainly not their fault.