What an interesting and thought-provoking post. Thank you for doing all the research to put it together. For instance, I have never thought about the fact that people carrying their pets on board might harm those with allergies; I was always just jealous that their pets were small enough to carry in a cute, tiny carrier! (My collies don't stand a chance.)
However, I do fly a lot, and one thing that IS troublesome to me is the problem of very overweight passengers. Just because a person can force themselves into the seat doesn't mean they occupy only that seat. I have been in a situation before where the person next to me was so overweight that they needed the armrest up and they sort of sat on a bit of my own seat as well. I didn't -- and won't in the future -- say anything at the time because I don't know the circumstances of that person's weight or of their need to get on that flight. But it was an inconvenience to me and it made the situation uncomfortable to say the least.
I really think airlines are going to need to deal with this issue in some way. Either make some larger seats available for purchase or, like in your example, be more activist with making sure a very large passenger is seated safely and does not affect the seats next to him or her.
I don't say this lightly. I have gained some weight over the years that I am fighting to take off, so I have to admit that some seats are more snug than I would like them to be. But the last thing in the world I would do is invade another passenger's seat space and expect her or him to accommodate me.
Thanks again for writing such an interesting post.
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Pat,
What an interesting and thought-provoking post. Thank you for doing all the research to put it together. For instance, I have never thought about the fact that people carrying their pets on board might harm those with allergies; I was always just jealous that their pets were small enough to carry in a cute, tiny carrier! (My collies don't stand a chance.)
However, I do fly a lot, and one thing that IS troublesome to me is the problem of very overweight passengers. Just because a person can force themselves into the seat doesn't mean they occupy only that seat. I have been in a situation before where the person next to me was so overweight that they needed the armrest up and they sort of sat on a bit of my own seat as well. I didn't -- and won't in the future -- say anything at the time because I don't know the circumstances of that person's weight or of their need to get on that flight. But it was an inconvenience to me and it made the situation uncomfortable to say the least.
I really think airlines are going to need to deal with this issue in some way. Either make some larger seats available for purchase or, like in your example, be more activist with making sure a very large passenger is seated safely and does not affect the seats next to him or her.
I don't say this lightly. I have gained some weight over the years that I am fighting to take off, so I have to admit that some seats are more snug than I would like them to be. But the last thing in the world I would do is invade another passenger's seat space and expect her or him to accommodate me.
Thanks again for writing such an interesting post.
February 18, 2010 - 6:57amThis Comment
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