Comments on: “Crushed” by an XL passenger on a Southwest flight

By: Whiskey Notes and Parachuting Fish » One or One Hundred

Whiskey Notes and Parachuting Fish » One or One Hundred — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:58:06 +0000

[...] If you’re a mainstream brand, your customer pool is large and diverse. One person, no matter how large their network or how strong their influence is, is not going to reach enough of my customer base to make an impact. And yes, I do see the value in each individual interaction. [...]

By: ajaynejr

ajaynejr — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:12:21 +0000

“I am X feet X and weigh X pounds and while the seats on
many planes are uncomfortable, I do not consider myself a person of
size, “The problem I have with the POS issue is that no one has
really come up with a standard.” If no one else set a standard for
that flight, then you set it. If you cannot sit down without
touching someone who is off in the next seat then you get up and do
what has to be done to correct that situation. Similarly the person
next to you can set the standard for that flight, expecting to be
seated a few more inches from you (practically speaking at least a
few feet), or compensation for getting off and taking a later
flight or expecting the airline to put off a standby passenger to
free up another seat for him or for you. This is done prior to
departure and, if necessary, in the presence of the captain and the
complaint resolution officer, and preferably out of earshot of the
person of size.

By: kat Jenkinson

kat Jenkinson — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:17:05 +0000

it’s actually “tweeted”

By: SB

SB — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:14:15 +0000

I am a “passenger of size” (6.2 almost 400lbs. 56 waist) who can fit (somewhat) into one seat with the armrests down, but I always try to upgrade to biz class or get a second seat (since I always fly Spirit or AirTran, it’s easy… Either I buy another 39 dollar ticket, or pay 50-60 bucks to upgrade), for long-haul flights like DTW-LAX i buy a whole row…

But, as a rule, I always wait in the back until the flight has loaded and I then I survey the flight to see where it will be the least painful for the other people. I usually sit in an aisle, so my body stretches into the aisle, and it only discomforts the stewardess with the cart (if any) once or twice the whole flight.

I have in the past (in full flights, when I didn’t buy a second seat or get upgraded) just spent all the time (in which the seat-belt light is off) in the back, thus making it easier on the other passengers (and somewhat harder on the stewardess, but i just shoot the breeze with the fa’s so they aren’t bored, and don’t get annoyed by me).

I could only recall once that I had an issue with a nasty passenger (when I was smaller) and a nastier fa and it was the last time I flew that airline…

By: Sevenseat

Sevenseat — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:39:34 +0000

I am 6′ 3″ and weigh 235# and while the seats on many planes are uncomfortable, I do not consider myself a person of size, even on the 19 seat Fairchild Metroliners that Bearskin Airlines flys around Ontario and Manitoba.

The problem I have with the POS issue is that no one has really come up with a standard. It is frequently up to each airline, and comes down to a judgment call by the flight crew or gate agent. I really appreciate the way Southwest handles this, “unable to lower both armrests (the definitive boundary between seats) and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating”. This would make a fine standard for all of the other airlines to follow.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:06:33 +0000

There is nothing said here about how Southwest needs to retrain the employees so that this does not happen again.

The refund and voucher were a nice gesture, but isn’t the idea to ensure that this doesn’t happen again?

By: EB

EB — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:53:10 +0000

I’m curious as to exactly how large one must be in order to be deemed a ‘person of size’ by an airline. I am just under 5′ 5″ and weigh 119 lbs, but still I haven’t found airline seats to be roomy or comfortable since I was in elementary school. Most adult men and plenty of adult women are taller and heavier than I am, yet I still have to duck to get to the window seat and my knees are usually touching the seat in front of me. If the seats on planes were made to at least accommodate average size adults comfortably, there might be sufficient room for slightly larger passengers to fly without situations such as this occurring on a regular basis. I think the airlines would rather have passengers blame each other for their weight than provide adequate room, it’s not as if they don’t know that most people are cramped and uncomfortable in their seats.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:33:15 +0000

Why did the OP not put his arm rest up. I would have put that armrest down so that the middle guy wouldn’t fit. Then the flight attendant would have had to do her job…either bump the last guy to get on the plane, or check that the POS had a second ticket.
I’m sorry, but if I’ve paid for an airline seat, I’m not interested in sharing it.

By: MoNgo

MoNgo — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Whoa, der pardner.
“Southwest refunded the $79.50 for her ticket and e-mailed a “LUV” voucher for another $79.50.”
Is this the amount the passenger paid for the ticket, including, Federal sales tax, federal exise tax, departure tax, 9/11 tax, airport security tax?
It could have been worse. I bet the passenger would not recoup the paper ticket fee, reserve a seat in advance fee, baggage fee, automatic flight insurance enrollment, snack and beveage fees, skycap fee, browsing airline magazine rental fee if this wasn’t a Southwest flight.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:31:46 +0000

First, does anyone see the irony in the FAA regs? A P.o.S. who is crammed into a seat and barely able to move is guilty of FAA violations if he is not buckled in, yet every single person on the flight could have a baby with them on thier lap and it is perfectly legal. Yet it is against the law in all 50 states to have a baby in your car unbuckled or in a non approved child safety seat…

It is on the flight attendants to make sure that everyone is buckled and that everyone occupies their own seats. if they aren’t even capapble of this, why would we call them “attendants” anymore? A new name may have to be made up for a new class of workers who no longer serves complimentary beverages or meals, checks for FAA violations, and may soon be a restroom monitor on a certain airline.

By: Norm

Norm — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:58:10 +0000

Am I the only one here who noticed the fact that two passengers (POS and crushed guy) were unable to fasten their seat belts, and had thus created an FAA violation during take-off and landing? Ensuring that compliance is clearly the responsibility of the flight attendants.

By: Grant Ritchie

Grant Ritchie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:31:58 +0000

I’m the “crushed” passenger in question, and I ‘d like to address some of the questions that have arisen.
The “passenger of size” (POS) in this instance had not purchased a second ticket. I was told that he should have been stopped by the Gate Agent, but I can well imagine the reluctance of the agent to embarrass the POS by holding up the line of boarding passengers. He probably just took a deep breath, and hoped for the best. Southwest really is between a rock and a hard spot here.
I was also told that if a passenger of size purchases a second seat, that seat is never “bumped”. It is kept open even if the flight fills completely, and if the flight doesn’t fill completely, the cost of the second seat is refunded.
An interesting aside… I was told that, although all the seats on Southwest flights are the same size, the ones in the middle of the plane are more widely separated than the ones in the front and back due to the taper of the airframe. I haven’t had a chance to check that out yet, but it might be something for passengers of size to keep in mind.
And finally… the Ontario to which I flew was the city in California, not the Province in Canada, so Canadian law would not apply.

By: Chicky

Chicky — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:30:18 +0000

Southwest does not fly to Canada. According to their route map on their web site, they do not fly outside the continental U.S. This flight was from Sacramento, California, to Ontario, California. According to the driving directions on Google, it’s a little over 400 miles. That translates into roughly a 90 minute flight.

By: ptkdude

ptkdude — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:27:38 +0000

- Most notably — this flight went to Canada. It is currently illegal in Canada for airlines to charge for 2 seats if a flyer needs them — the airline MUST give the flyer the 2nd seat. To be fair, I’m not sure if this involves all flights into [and out of] Canada or just ones internally in the country.

The flight went to Ontario, CA (California). Ontario, Canada is a province, not a city.

By: J. McMurry

J. McMurry — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:00:12 +0000

regarding the passenger not receiving a seat-belt extender….that’s where the real safety issue lies here. Two years ago I flew PHX to ALB — full flight. A very large man came on toward the end of the boarding process and had to sit in the middle seat–I had the window seat, another medium-sized lady had the aisle. This man was totally uncomfortable the entire flight–and his seatbelt was not fastened. I was shocked that the flight attendant didn’t automatically give him the extender. This poor man sat, gripping his left arm with his right arm, and vice-versa the entire flight so he wouldn’t spill over into the two women. I’ve always been under the impression that it was a law you had to be seat-belted in.