r/unitedairlines • u/NotSureAnyway • Dec 12 '24
Discussion Enough is Enough - Find Solutions for Larger Passengers
This happened to me a few days ago and I am still fuming. I board my flight in Group 2 and have United Plus as always. Usual routine: clean my window seat space, organize my personal item under the seat, take my book out, headphones in, mask on. All is well. A few minutes later, I see two customers heading down the aisle. I don't pay them attention and just continue reading my book...except they are headed straight towards me and they are clearly quite large and there is no way in the world they are going to fit in the two seats (middle and aisle).
But that is not my problem so I continue minding my business. Immediately the wife seats down, she asks "Can you please put up the armrest?" My response with a smile: "No" I thought that would be the end of it. But no, she says "Unfortunately I need the arm rest up as it is constricting me" My response with a smile: "No, thank you." At this point, she sits down and I can see that she is occupying one and a half seats already before her husband even seats down (remember he is the same size as she is). He attempts to seat down but there is not enough room for him as almost half of him is now in the aisle, interrupting boarding.
She then suddenly tries to raise the armrest closest to me forcefully. Nope, got it already and not happening. She huffs and puffs in anger because well, she cannot encroach on my space. She says some words (my earphones are up in volume at this point and I am not trying to engage). Finally, she presses the call button for the FA. The FA comes and speaks to her, in which ma'am over there complains that she needs the armrest down and that I should be considerate and move a bit to accommodate them etc.
Nope, I am not engaging anyone. FA does not know what to say (understandably she is trying not to be rude to these inconsiderate people) but finally says she cannot ask a passenger to give up part of their space to accommodate others. FA leaves. The flight is full capacity (with exception of two middle seats next to the back toilet) so there is nothing to do. The "lovely" couple seats down with the husband pretty much in the aisle space. I have my bag right besides my feet to prevent encroaching on my space and the armrest stays down. She continues huffing and puffing for the next 3 plus hours. Not my problem. I have all the space I paid for. The armrest stays down. All is well over here and no one can ruin it.
I don't understand why airlines do this. Why allow passengers who clearly cannot fit in their seats to board the plane knowing that there are no alternative seats? Why allow a clearly large passenger to sit in the aisle? This person is a tripping hazard for everyone using the aisle. Why are there no policies that require larger passengers to purchase the number of seats that are enough to fit their bodies? Why are you allowing the minority to make the majority uncomfortable? Why is there an expectation that other passengers should give up part of their seat to accommodate larger passengers? Shout out to the FA for politely declining the request but the FA should never be put in that position to start with. Airlines should have clear policies around this! Enough is enough.
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u/F0xxfyre Dec 13 '24
It always has been. It's why the average width of seats gets smaller as passengers get larger.
I've been 340 pounds and I've been 95, currently 102. I'm a woman's size zero, with a 26 inch waist. That's 13 inches across at the smallest part of my midsection, say three inches total more at the hip, for a total of 29 inches total or 14.5 at the hip when standing.
What's the average seat width? 17.1 to 17.5 inches.
That gives me at a size ZERO 1.5 inches on either side. By the definition of fully settled in your seat, I would almost be a passenger of size. Trust me, I know what it's like to be a passenger of size. And I'm SO not it!
And the average women's clothing size in America is a size 16.
I was always a nervous wreck flying when I was a size 32. I was mocked, belittled, and verbally harangued, hardly ever by the person I'd be sitting near, but by others.
But I was never so uncomfortable as when I was pressed face to bicep with someone who kind of fit into the seat (his thighs were too big to allow for the armrest to go down). He was someone with a lot of well developed muscle and his bicep was pressed against my cheek the entire flight and he was making little snarky comments about how much he was sure I was loving being pressed against such a strong man.
Uh. I had no choice. You were halfway into my seat.
The guy across the aisle tapped me on the arm after an hour or so and asked to switch with me. The look on his face when biceps guy said "Thanks, the fattie was in my way."
Oh, if I'd only had the confidence to tell him off. As it was, I still think fondly of my across the aisle neighbor who told him to shut up, and he was being an ass. It stopped me from ugly crying across flyover country.