The US government has been cracking down on airlines recently but some say a bigger problem is still being pushed under the seat: obese passengers.
"I paid for an entire seat, but only got less than two thirds of it," said one complaining passenger of her fat friend. "Please tell me that there is an FAA regulation regarding this situation."
There isn’t. But there should be, argues George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Without a doubt, Marsha St. Clair, a Los Angeles-based retiree, would agree. St. Clair flew recently with her husband and sat next to a woman who was so obese that she "spilled over" into a third of St. Clair’s middle seat on a Boeing 757, forcing her to remain in full body contact for the duration of the five-hour flight.
Although some airlines have rules addressing such situations, including Southwest, which requires "passengers of size" to purchase a second seat, there’s no standardized regulation, says Hobica in USA Today.
But with figures from the National Center for Health Statistics stating that more than one-third of adults are obese, and that another third are merely "overweight," something needs to be done, he maintains.
What can be done?
One solution would be for the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and other nations’ transportation authorities to mandate that all airlines install extra wide "obesity" seats in their economy class sections. Each plane could have one or two rows with two by two seating instead of the usual three by three configuration. Obese passengers could be pre-assignedthese seats, either for the usual economy fare, or perhaps by paying a small premium.
If there are no obese passengers, normal sized travelers could upgrade at the last minute for an extra charge.
“Barring that solution, or in addition to it, the D.O.T. should require all airlines to publish clear policies stating how they will protect squished and uncomfortable passengers who find themselves getting less than what they paid for. It’s only fair,” said Hobica.
By David Wilkening
