Soutwest Airlines Charge Fat Extra

[Guest jimmy no nose]

http://www.washtimes.com/business/20020619-692750.htm

 

Basically it says that "persons of size" will be forced to buy two tickets for a plane ride in order for them to have enough room.  They must buy them and it is a judgement call from the seller as to who will need two seats.  If the flight isn't full, the passenger may request a refund after the flight.  They now have a woman from the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination trying to fight this.  Isn't one plane ticket expensive enough?  I'm glad I'm not huge.  What do you think about this?

[Guest Invader3k]

Plane tickets are expensive, but the overweight don't have a right to infringe on other people's space. Honestly, what else can the airline do?

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Im with the overweight people here.  Its discrimination, plain and simple.

[Guest Invader3k]

How is it discrimination? It's not the airlines' fault that someone is so overweight that they cannot comfortably sit in a single seat like a normal person. Quite frankly, I'd rather be sitting next to a fat person taking up two seats than a fat person crammed into one, with his/her elbow jabbed into my side.

 

Oh, but if we force them to pay for two seats, that will hurt their feelings. Wouldn't want to do that...

[Guest]

This is Supply and Demand, not discrimination.

[Guest RetroRob215]

If you take up two seats, pay for two seats.

[Guest]

Let's get something straight here. We're not talking about fat people. These people aren't chubby or overweight. These people are MORBIDLY OBESE. We're not talking 150 lbs, we're talking 300. 400. 500. 600.

 

So forcing them to pay for the inconvenience caused to other people by their gross stupidity, their absolutely disgusting self-inflicted state, is discrimination? Well then, I'm all for it.

[Guest RetroRob215]

The thing is, if a 400 pound person needs two seats and only pays for one, the airline just lost one seat.  Who is going to pay for that extra seat if the person using it doens't have too?

 

I went to a seminar about respecting all people and what not.  This women incharge talked about how buses should make their seats larger to make more room for obese people.  By doing that the bus it self would end up taking two lanes in the street.  These people who want the world to change for disgustingly fat people are insane.  Instead of changing the world for them, why don't they alter their own lifestyles and LOSE SOME FUCKING WEIGHT.  I'm not saying they have to weigh a slim and trim 150, but at least try to stay under 300.  They shouldn't lose weight so they pay less for airline tickets, they should do this because it's HEALTHY.

 

OK, I'm done offending people...

[Guest]

I agree.  I didn't pay $150 bucks for a plane ticket to slab of fat roll off your elbow and into my lap.  I have a right to be comfortable and if your fat ass is invading on my space then you should buy a window seat and the one next to it and let the fat slide where it may.

[Guest DrTom]

If they're fat enough to need two seats, make them buy two seats.  I'm sick of this notion that no one is ever supposed to feel bad about themselves.  Nowhere does it give anyone the right to positive reinforcement and self-esteem.  If you're too fucking sensitive about something (like weighing 500 pounds), maybe you should work to change that condition.

 

Several years ago, when I worked in an office store, the furniture department was instructed to take the cheap task chairs off of display.  The reason?  In a few stores, some obese 400-pound fuckheads had come in, sat on a chair that was visibly not designed to support their fat asses, and broke the chairs.  They then sued the stores and the chair manufacturer for their completely self-inflicted injuries.

 

I really wish it were legal to execute idiots.

[Guest big Dante Cruz]

That is why I hate political correctness. We can't offend anyone, we can't give the idea that violence is ever going on and you can't make any sort of comment that anyone might ever possibly find possibly or remotely offensive.

 

Whatever the thing, you simply cannot do anything. Top if off, run with Denis Leary's rant off his "Lock n' Load" album. Some doctor in California (of course, where else) has stated that being fat is actually a virus. Yeah, sure, whatever.

 

No matter what, something is going to offend anyone. You say you like dogs, someone was either attacked by one, allergic to them, or say that you shouldn't because dogs attacked and killed a gay lady in California and their owners were found guilty of something but were hatemongers against gay people, which is genetic. Believe it or not, I've heard convoluted arguments that get there.

 

I don't care. If you're offended, you're offended and you have to deal with it. There was a case during the Vietnam War when a protestor was standing outside a city courthouse with a big sandwich board that read: "Fuck Vietnam!" The woman that brought him up on charges because she was offended and the judge fined her for backing up the court. He said that there is no Constitutional right not to be offended. Guess what? He's right.

 

Okay, I'm done raving.

[Guest ant_7000]

Well, I know some people can't help that they are fat, but they should pay for the extra seat its a waste of money from the business aspect of it. But airlines should cater to them like making bigger seats or something.

[Guest Invader3k]

At least this might cut down on the number of fat people on an airplane. I mean, if I'm on a long flight, I dont' really want to be sitting next to some big fat person who's probably all stinky anyways.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

I actually agree with you all. I thought that this thing was pretty funny. I wouldn't want to have some guy's fat hanging over into my seat.

[Guest Invader3k]

Actually, I was reading about this in the paper today...the reason for the policy, according to a spokesperson, is that 9 out of 10 complaints Southwest gets are from people complaining about sitting next to an overly large passenger who's infringing on their space.

 

So really all Southwest and the other airlines are doing is responding to what the customers want.

[Guest DrTom]

"But airlines should cater to them like making bigger seats or something."

 

They absolutely should not. Airlines have to make a certain amount of money from ticket sales. Thus, bigger seats = fewer seats = less revenue. The way they would recoup the lost revenue is to raise ticket prices across the board. I personally don't want to pay extra to fly just because some people are too bloody fat for one seat.

[Guest Ripper]

I'm all for charging extra...cool.. But an entire extra seat. Thats like a extra 200-300 dollars sometimes. I think that is a little excessive. I say tack on another 20-40% but to put on another 100% price is ridiculous.

[Guest hardyz1]

Speaking as someone who would likely be affected by this, I have to say I think it is a good policy. I'm not like those dumbasses who don't accept personal responsibility for the way they are, and I think paying for an extra seat is perfectly reasonable.

 

I'd rather not pay twice as much as what everybody else paid, but I wouldn't complain.

 

Thankfully I haven't flown in 5 years.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

"some people can't help that they are fat"

Bullshit. Eat less than you use. You'll get thinner. Promise.

 

You wanna turn your insecurities and your failures into "genetic imbalances," go right the fuck ahead. But I'll have a lot more respect for you if you're honest and if you do what you need to do to make your life better.

 

As for paying less than 100% more, that might be a good idea if 80% of an aeroplane seat had any value. It doesn't. Take up more than one seat, pay for two. Take up two, stop fucking whining.

[Guest big Dante Cruz]

Actually, I had forgotten when I posted that I had dealt with this once. Flying coach is always fun for a big guy like me. (not fat, just big) Well, so I'm sitting in my crampedass coach seat, trying to get situated next to the window, when two extremely large people waddle down the aisle and collapse into the two seats next to me, panting apparently from the effort. I'm sitting there and suddenly, I have NO space. I'm stuck between the wall and a large mass that keeps trying to infringe on my seat. And then the bitch gets mad at me and asks me to gather together.

 

I resisted to urge to pick up the airphone and hand it to her.

 

"It's the pot. Something about a black kettle."

 

Before I ever came to thesmarks.com, bear in mind.

[Guest Ripper]

"some people can't help that they are fat"

Bullshit. Eat less than you use. You'll get thinner. Promise.

 

You wanna turn your insecurities and your failures into "genetic imbalances," go right the fuck ahead. But I'll have a lot more respect for you if you're honest and if you do what you need to do to make your life better.

 

As for paying less than 100% more, that might be a good idea if 80% of an aeroplane seat had any value. It doesn't. Take up more than one seat, pay for two. Take up two, stop fucking whining.

A person from a big family can eat as healty as they want, they are going to be big unless they spend every waking moment working out. Not saying that is the case for everyone, but there are some genetic traits at work alot of times.

 

And 100% charge is ridiculous. Just because someone is big, they should have to pay 600-800 dollars for a seat on a plane?? That is WAYYY to much. I mean, I'd see if flying was cheap, but Goddamn. We aren't talking small amounts of money here.

 

I think that the coach seats are far to small anyway. how do peopel that arent' even fat, just big, get into those thing comfortably.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Ripper, if I may quote Tom:

Thus, bigger seats = fewer seats = less revenue. The way they would recoup the lost revenue is to raise ticket prices across the board.

 

Why should others pay more because some people need two seats but are offended if they have to pay for them?

 

This is simply a case of Econ 101. This is not discrimination.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

And 100% charge is ridiculous

No, what's ridiculous is someone who's 200% the weight of a normal person.

 

A person from a big family can eat as healty as they want, they are going to be big... there are some genetic traits at work alot of times

More bullshit. If you eat less, you get thinner. Doesn't matter what genes you have. Just another excuse for being a disgusting sideshow freak.

[Guest cdstunner66]

These fat bastards don't want to pay extra for an extra seat. But to them, to poor son of a bitch that just paid full price for a seet he only gets to use half of means nothing. Am I getting the gist of the argument right?

[Guest Ripper]

I don't mean that they should be bigger to accomidate the fat...I am 5'6' and about 150...and I find coach seats damn near too small, I'd hate to imagine a guy that isn't fat but a little stocky... I think they are too small period, for the skinny and fat alike.

 

But really stop and think about it...you are really saying that because someone is big they should have to pay 600-800 dollars for a plane ticket??? I'm all for making their tickets larger, but you have to look at the amount of money we are dealing with.

 

And everyone is thinking they are talking about the morbidly obese. A guy 6'0 tall and about 220 is going to cramp your style sitting next to you, should he get charged for two seats??? Where is the cut off point, do they have scales or something and say "Hey step on and well see what you should be charged."

 

I say the Airlines should charge more, just not a 100 freakin percent.

 

And yes, being over weight can be a genetic trait, and you know it. Yeah, if you eat less you lose weight, but if you have eat unhealthy amounts of food to do it, you are doing something to your body that is not suppose to naturally happen. Hate to burst you bubble on the belief that all people that weigh outside the "ideal" weight are just sitting at home eating Ice Cream and bon bons, but it doesn't work like that. You know how they alway say if you want to know how someone will look when they are older, look at thier parents. People get thier body traits from genetics mostly. At the same time, scale breaking, unhealthy weight is only acheived by working at it. When you have someone that is breaking the 300-400 lb mark and its all fat, they are very well doing something, but no, every big person isn't lazy eat it all people.

[Guest big Dante Cruz]

Okay, as for how a big guy can fit in a coach seat. I'm 6'3 and tip the scales around 225 lbs. Now, how did I get in the seat? Basically, I jammed myself in and leaned the thing back as far as I could. I almost couldn't get into it if it was all the way up.

 

Now, combine that with the fact that I had some huge ass (literally) people on my left. My head was against the upper curvature of the cabin wall, I had two big masses to my left and I'll be damned if I was uncomfortable. Ended up I couldn't even get to my bag, which was under my seat, because these two people wouldn't even shift if I asked them politely.

 

Discrimination? Sure, whatever. It's a case of where your rights stop and mine start. Yours stop on the other side of the fucking armrest.

[Guest DrTom]

I've had no problems flying, even in coach, and I'm 6'5" and about 260 pounds. Usually, the legroom is scarce, but if the seat in front of you is empty, you can lean down and keep your knees against the back of it. That way, whoever sits in front of you can't kill all your legroom. One guy bitched about it, but I basically told him to shit the fuck up and get a pillow if he wanted to sleep so badly. Thankfully, I've never sat next to some obese blighter, yet.

[Guest Mr. Slim Citrus]

They could probably determine whether or not someone had to pay for an extra ticket the same way they handle the carry-on luggae; have a seat by the ticket counter that suspect customers would be asked to sit in. Anybody who can't fit in the "sample" seat has to pay for an extra ticket.

[Guest converge241]

do "little people" get half off?

if so, then its not discrimination

 

if they were losing so much revenue form people taking up two seats , how come they do it after 9/11 when they are losing money left and right? they are trying to recoup they money any way they can and are using this to do such.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

if they were losing so much revenue form people taking up two seats , how come they do it after 9/11 when they are losing money left and right? they are trying to recoup they money any way they can and are using this to do such.

Actually, they're not. It says in the article that if the flight isn't full they will get their money back. This isn't making them any more money.