Momversation
I added what was cut from my footage in a comment:
I know people who cannot fly coach because they have long legs. I can barely fly coach because my knees are always up against the seat in front of me and get crunched when the guy in front drops his seat into my lap. If I could afford business or first class, I would buy tickets there, but as I can’t, I know I have to keep my knees bent and my feet up on something to make room.
I agree with SilverXeno on the standards issue. What didn’t make it into the video was that I believe this issue should not have to come up on the plane, at the gate, or even after the ticket is purchased. There should be guidelines clearly stating seat dimensions on the web site or wherever the purchase is made. If there’s any doubt about being able to sit comfortably in a single seat, then you can have the option of purchasing an upgrade. I think buying two tickets feels… wrong, though I can see the business end of the argument. If you need two chairs, pay for two chairs.
However, there are a few smart business moves/compromises that would attract and retain the “of size” customer base.
1. People could be offered the two seats at the price of a seat-and-a-half. It’s psychologically friendlier, and the difference would be more than covered by the increase/retention in business.
2. If there is an empty seat on a flight, invite passengers to rearrange seating so that the passenger can have two adjacent seats so that they don’t have to be thrown off. If a seat is going unsold, give it up rather than humiliate that passenger in public and destroy travel plans.
3. I’d go so far as to suggest that the airline, when faced with an inadvertent situation like this, offer a $200 certificate to anyone willing to be bumped. That’s just enough money to make it worth someone’s while, and not so much that the airline will miss it. Again, it’s less than the lost business that would result from the negative experience and subsequent treatment in the press.
But that’s just my opinion.
See the video of us mom bloggers in Cabo (below)! So nice not to be scripted. Lovely operation, first class.
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03.08.10 at 11:03 PM |
IMO the airlines should spec how wide the seats are and the width of a person (seated) that will trigger a “buy two seats” scenario.
And (don’t shoot me) set up a mock chair in the waiting area. You know, how they set up a mock dimension box to make sure people understood how big their carry-on luggage has to be? If you can’t fit in the chair’s dimension, contact an airline employee and start talking options.
As I understand it, Kevin Smith had purchased 2 seats for his original SWA flight. He then wanted to catch an earlier flight, but only 1 seat was available. I agree, they never should have seated him on that earlier flight. But he did know that he needed to have 2 seats. What’s up with that? Communications/Enforcement FAIL.
03.10.10 at 10:52 PM |
There really does need to be a compromise.
03.12.10 at 02:15 PM |
Shit, I’m kind of at a loss here.
But being of the “plus” size is similar to people with very young kids, or with some other type of situation that is not the norm.
We all have to figure out how to be more patient and accommodating, and the people themselves have to realize that not everyone will be more accommodating. It’s a delicate dance for sure.
OK, I said nothing basically. Happy Friday!
03.12.10 at 03:34 PM |
As a very overweight person, the idea of flying on my trip to America (I gotta get from one coast to the other), scares the hell out of me. I have always said that if I can get a standard seat belt with no extender to fit over my lap then I am small enough to fly.
I don’t understand why this is an issue NOW. Fat people have been flying since year dot. Why now do they decide, “Oh, that person poses a FLIGHT RISK, get them off the plane.”
Flight risk? Being fat? No… a flight risk is outsourcing plane maintenance to a 3rd world country that doesn’t have nearly the same standards of any local company. A flight risk is a drunk pilot.
It obviously comes down to money, like you said, Mindy. They need as many bodies on that plane as possible to make money for the shareholders. If they cared about the comfort of passengers, the seats would be as they used to be - wider. No one complained that I was encroaching their space back then.