When you were at your heaviest....How did you feel about this debate?

Not to leave anyone out...If you have yet to have surgey and you can STILL relate, how does this make you feel? What do you think should be FAIRLY done so that EVERYBODY can fly comfortably?

How Fat is Too Fat to Fly?

This Man Hardly Looks Comfortable on the Airplane and Surly Isn't Seated Safely

Here's the link to the full story.

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTraveler/obese-passenge rs-fat-fat-fly-us-airline/story?id=9227535

What are your thoughts? Do  you think someone like him should be charged for two seat. Because as it stands...looking at the picture above, he definitely need two or three.

Or

Do you think the airlines should be considerate and consider making 2- 4 larger seats for people of a larger stature. What are some of your suggestions?

To be honest, although I one day weighed a whopping 300 lbs, If someone like this sat next to me on a plane today and I'm flying beyond 2 hours, I would be INFURIATED!!! I felt sorry for Jill Scott on Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get married". You guys remember the plane scene???..... I was still there when I first saw the movie so I sympathized, but now I'm wearing the shoe on the other foot, I kinda see things differently.

How about you?

hey steph

truthfully my feelings on this didn't change.  this quote sums it up for me:

"Whoever sits next to the larger passenger loses personal space that they have paid for. Customer service representatives and the cabin crew have to handle these issues with extra sensitivity,"

if your right to be/do [_________] cancels out my right not to, yes we've got a problem.  A problem that isn't exclusive to obesity - put any other word/phrase in there:  smoke, next to me, pull your dog out of their carrier and feed them at the table next to me.  ain't about fat  vs not fat, don't eclipse my rights with your'n.

Hey Marlo-

I agree with you whole heartedly. It's your right to be comfortable. This can be touchy. Why? Because Obese people travel too so its very hard to discriminate against them based on SIZE. Airlines are using safety as their scapegoat. It seems like airlines should be more accomadating as far as seating. just like they can provide handicap seating, seems like they should be able to provide larger seats.

I stradle  both sides od the fence, because as stated before, I can't take a 2+ hour flight miserable and I paid for my seats, my bags, my water, and my peanuts. Awww hell to the nawww!

which brings me to another point - isn't obesity one of the protected classes of disability by federal law?  because if so, why aren't airlines mandated to accommodate passengers under the disabilities act? when wheelchair passengers fly, aren't they accommodated at no extra cost?  is it that, technically, fat isn't considered a permanent disability?   do i feel empathy, absolutely but it skeeves me if i can feel the skin of the dude next to me on the subway, an entire thigh is out of the question

Disabled passengers requiring more than one seat pay for the space.   When my mom became sick abroad we had to pay for three seats so she could be transported laying down plus an additional seat for a medical escort. 

I travel often as a disabled passenger.  All they do for no additional charge is get you to your seat.  This is actually handled by the airport personnel and not the airline.  The airline just submits the request.  I have had to wait as long as an hour in deserted terminals for a wheelchair, even missing connections as a result.

Also, obesity is not recognized as a disability.  The resulting illnesses may be, but not obesity by itself. 

As you may know I do a tiny bit of traveling from time to time and when Becca was at her heaviest it was hell having a fat ass 361 pound 4'11" chick wearing a whopping 38 super size pant sitting next to you.

We would board the plane and I would always make sure she was next to the window and then she would just overlap on top of me and let me tell you it was pure torture.  I remember many times making it to our destination so sore that I had to take vicodin for the pain.

I know both sides of the argument because having to deal with it,  I would definately not want some stranger I don't know that is huge spilling all over me in my seat, cause not only is it painful it can at times be very smelly.  But I would be more understanding than someone who has not lived through it.

Hey Lee. I feel you about knowing both sides. I'm so fickle, I don't want skinny strangers in my space so obese strangers??? I'll leaveit at that. But on the same note, I have to sympathize with an obese person, because I know all to well the discomfort, not to mention embarassment of trying to sit in a tight plane or bus seat knowing the passenger beside me is miserably uncomfortable, trying desperately to ignore the dissaproval movements and gestures their making.

This might be blazed, but eff it.

When I was fat, I did not fly - I drove my big azz around in a car that could haul it.  Now that I'm small  er ---- I DO get miffed when my seat is encroached by some offending thigh meat or elbow or bicep that has crossed the invisible 'this clearly ain't a part of the seat you PAID for' line.
And I've done the  Please lawd don't let that person be comin to sit next to me when the plane in onboarding and I see someone who's gonna be rubbing thigh meat on me my whole trip.

Now - seeing as more than half the azzes in America are too big for the current seats - they SHOULD redesign and increase prices if need be - cause all that azz in the aisle ain't SAFE!!!!

Why would you get blazed. You are entitled to that luxury of flying in comfort.

ETA: In a bad turbelance situation, the last thing I would want is that man in the picture above falling all over me.

Mack, if you pay good money to travel well, you should be selective in how your trip to your destination will fare. You can sit there and be "understanding, and MISERABLE" or be a ***** like me and say YO ass gotta go to the next row! LOL

No seriously, I wouldn't be evil like that, (back in my *****assness days maybe) but I will be the bigger person...no pun intended, and ask to be moved.  I couldn't imagine the airlines asking me to buy a second ticket. I would be humiliated.

I've posted similar thoughts before and got told I was forgetting where I came from and I should have compassion for those still in the struggle.

I have compassion for them - when they in a CAR that can hold they azz and not in my seat WITH me!  Having been on both sides of the fence - it's NOT cool to infringe on someone else just cause whatever doesn't accomodate you - FIND OTHER MEANS to do what you need to do!  THAT'S compassion!!!!