Up, Up and Away

I recently returned home from a vacation on the east coast.  The destination is a little island off the coast of South Carolina and requires several airplane connections.  The worst part of traveling can be getting from one gate to the next in time to board, load your bag in the overhead compartment, fasten your seat belt and get settled in.  As I experienced that six times in less than a week, it was fresh on my mind as I read an article on flying restrictions for obese travelers. Chances are you are going to sit next to someone you don't know as most planes have a minimum of three seats across.  This is becoming more of a hot topic as more and more lawsuits are being filed.  I've read several articles online and newspapers.

The irony of flying is that the airplane seems to be getting smaller while the average American is getting larger.  Should there be weight restrictions on air planes?  If so, how would they be managed? Is that a question that should be asked at the time of booking or would we have a "mock" seat for everyone to sit in prior to boarding? The need is cogent but it seems fallacious to be able to make the assessment via a phone call or online booking. There have been several stories recently online.  One being a woman who flew to Hungary and then was unable to board to fly back.  She passed away in the 9 days it took to try to find a suitable flight.  I believe this is fallacious, the article states she was able to fly to Hungary but could not board a plane to get home.  It seems if she was able to fly out, there should have been accommodations to get her home.

There is an article in NY Daily News about a 340 pound man who was flying Southwest Airlines and was asked to leave the plane on a Chicago to Denver flight.  The reason for his removal was the "flight was overbooked".  The man was eventually allowed to return to his seat but only after a 30 minute delay.  I can't imagine how uncomfortable he must have felt boarding the plane while the other passengers watched.  The need to handle these situations better is cogent.

Southwest and Delta as do many other airlines have their own "customer of size" policy. The policy states that you can't infringe on the arm rest or the seat next to you.  As measured by what?  You don't always know until you sit down. There is even a website discussion board, like a blog, for people to try to find the best airline available for larger individuals. Air Canada has made certain concession by determining obesity as a medical condition. Ultimately, most airlines are leaving the decisions to the gate attendants whether to let the passenger board or not.  Again, this seems fallacious. This decision should be made prior to booking.

Whereas, I definitely believe the experience for the man flying from Chicago to Denver that was removed from the flight was wrong, having size restrictions is cogent. Policing it seems to be a challenge and based on some of the comments associated with these articles, consumers are not very tolerant of larger travelers.