ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Woman suffers leg injury after being squashed by an obese passenger sitting next to her on airline flight, sues airline, and gets $20,000 in compensation.
Why Airlines Can't Cut The Fat
10.24.02, 11:55 AM ET
NEW YORK - There aren't many times when the airline industry deserves public sympathy, but the current flap over whether and how to deal with overweight passengers is a no-win situation.
The latest dustup involves a woman flying from London to Los Angeles on Virgin Atlantic in 2001. She apparently suffered leg injuries after being seated next to an obese woman who spilled over into her seat, reportedly squashing her. This week, Virgin paid the woman $20,000 in compensation, but the company is not changing its policy on overweight passengers. That is, Virgin is not planning to charge obese passengers for extra seats if they don't fit.
The airlines are in an impossible situation here, and appear to be caving into political correctness: catering to the complaints of a vocal minority while ignoring the comfort of the majority.
"Southwest got into trouble saying, if you are too big, you have to buy two tickets," says Dr. Adam Pilarski, an airline consultant at Avitas. "Various organizations that represent the calorically challenged had a freak attack over this, saying they're discriminating against those that may have a medical condition."
In June, Southwest Airlines began enforcing a longstanding rule of charging extra-large passengers for two seats. One month later, an obese brother and sister threatened to sue after they were denied boarding when they refused to buy extra seats. The airline later refunded the cost of the original flight and apologized, saying the siblings were not asked to pay for extra seats at the time of purchase.
Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart says the problem in that particular case was one of consistency. The siblings were not asked to purchase extra seats on the outbound flight because it was half empty. The issue arose on the inbound, when the plane was filled to capacity.
"You must be consistent," says Stewart. "We sell the second seat at a reduced rate, which the customer gets back immediately if the flight isn't full."
The issue is, of course, a delicate one for airline employees to approach with obese passengers. Should people be sized up by gate agents, or asked their weight as part of those pointless security questions?
The bottom line is there is no delicate way to handle the situation, no matter how comfortable someone feels with their weight. This puts airlines in an impossible spot, one that seems to favor political correctness.
"I have a legitimate beef if someone that's 300 pounds takes up a third of my seat," says Pilarski. "The airlines are caving into political correctness, but they have no choice."
Organizations and individuals that oppose the practice of double charging make the argument that people who "disturb" passengers in other ways should also be charged. For example: parents with crying babies, blind people with guide dogs, or even people with unpleasant body odor.
As annoying as those things may be, they aren't in the same category as the physical discomfort caused by being squished into a coach-class seat that, on average, measures only 19 inches across.
It's unlikely that this problem will be fixed. That's because airlines will want to avoid the publicity and potential embarrassment of forcing passengers to pay for a second seat or even denying them boarding. It's even less likely that cash-strapped airlines (several of which are fighting for their very survival) will retrofit their planes with wider seats to accommodate large customers.
Southwest's Stewart doesn't put much credence in any lawsuits that have sprung up from the rule. "The customer takes the hanky out and claims [he has] suffered mightily. This is a non-issue [that] gets attention for the entertainment value."
That may be true, but with obesity in America reaching epidemic proportions, more "average"-sized people can expect to be squeezed in coach class in the coming years.
Entire article: Why Airlines Can't Cut The Fat - Forbes.com
Why Airlines Can't Cut The Fat
10.24.02, 11:55 AM ET
NEW YORK - There aren't many times when the airline industry deserves public sympathy, but the current flap over whether and how to deal with overweight passengers is a no-win situation.
The latest dustup involves a woman flying from London to Los Angeles on Virgin Atlantic in 2001. She apparently suffered leg injuries after being seated next to an obese woman who spilled over into her seat, reportedly squashing her. This week, Virgin paid the woman $20,000 in compensation, but the company is not changing its policy on overweight passengers. That is, Virgin is not planning to charge obese passengers for extra seats if they don't fit.
The airlines are in an impossible situation here, and appear to be caving into political correctness: catering to the complaints of a vocal minority while ignoring the comfort of the majority.
"Southwest got into trouble saying, if you are too big, you have to buy two tickets," says Dr. Adam Pilarski, an airline consultant at Avitas. "Various organizations that represent the calorically challenged had a freak attack over this, saying they're discriminating against those that may have a medical condition."
In June, Southwest Airlines began enforcing a longstanding rule of charging extra-large passengers for two seats. One month later, an obese brother and sister threatened to sue after they were denied boarding when they refused to buy extra seats. The airline later refunded the cost of the original flight and apologized, saying the siblings were not asked to pay for extra seats at the time of purchase.
Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart says the problem in that particular case was one of consistency. The siblings were not asked to purchase extra seats on the outbound flight because it was half empty. The issue arose on the inbound, when the plane was filled to capacity.
"You must be consistent," says Stewart. "We sell the second seat at a reduced rate, which the customer gets back immediately if the flight isn't full."
The issue is, of course, a delicate one for airline employees to approach with obese passengers. Should people be sized up by gate agents, or asked their weight as part of those pointless security questions?
The bottom line is there is no delicate way to handle the situation, no matter how comfortable someone feels with their weight. This puts airlines in an impossible spot, one that seems to favor political correctness.
"I have a legitimate beef if someone that's 300 pounds takes up a third of my seat," says Pilarski. "The airlines are caving into political correctness, but they have no choice."
Organizations and individuals that oppose the practice of double charging make the argument that people who "disturb" passengers in other ways should also be charged. For example: parents with crying babies, blind people with guide dogs, or even people with unpleasant body odor.
As annoying as those things may be, they aren't in the same category as the physical discomfort caused by being squished into a coach-class seat that, on average, measures only 19 inches across.
It's unlikely that this problem will be fixed. That's because airlines will want to avoid the publicity and potential embarrassment of forcing passengers to pay for a second seat or even denying them boarding. It's even less likely that cash-strapped airlines (several of which are fighting for their very survival) will retrofit their planes with wider seats to accommodate large customers.
Southwest's Stewart doesn't put much credence in any lawsuits that have sprung up from the rule. "The customer takes the hanky out and claims [he has] suffered mightily. This is a non-issue [that] gets attention for the entertainment value."
That may be true, but with obesity in America reaching epidemic proportions, more "average"-sized people can expect to be squeezed in coach class in the coming years.
Entire article: Why Airlines Can't Cut The Fat - Forbes.com
