Big Brother

I just back from a 12 hour plane ride home to Hawaii from Atlanta. Basil got off the plane in L.A. to visit a friend for a week. Trying to do the right thing, I notified the airline that he had gotten off the plane and that his seat would be open to accomodate one of the 78 standby passangers waiting in the airport lobby. Boy was that a mistake! I got stuck sitting in economy, shoved between the window and a XXL man.

Now, don't get me wrong, the guy was super sweet. He joked around with me before the flight and I assured him that there would be no chit chat during the flight because I had taken a couple of sleeping pills and was planning to sleep during the whole flight. I took my blanket, my pillow, put the seat back and tried to get comfortable. There was only one problem. His left arm.

The man was literally too big to fit in one seat on the plane. So, I spent 5 1/2 hours with his left arm taking up half of MY seat. I tossed. I turned. I sweated. I grumbled. I passed on dinner and beverages for fear of having to climb over a sleeping mountain to get to the bathroom.

I've heard of people buying two seats on planes to have more room to stretch out. This guy would have been a prime candidate. I want to be a compassionate person on this subject, but I feel like I should have gotten a discounted rate on my seat since I only truly got to occupy 1/2 of it. If you were, or are, an XXL person, would you consider buying two seats to accomodate your needs?

Comments

I'd like to think that if I were that big, I'd also have the grace to match and pay for two seats if I take more than one. But, pride is a powerful force, and while some airlines have a stated policy to charge, not all do. And even for those that do... it's gotta be a tough question to ask. If I were a ticket agent, I'd never have the nerve.

It's a tricky area, and the mixed messages don't help. Outspoken "plus size" advocates make a good case for not over-emphasizing the stick-thin figure, noting that a fast majority of Americans have curves. But at the same time we're told weighing more than 150 pounds is okay, we also have an obesity epidemic in this country, with issues of morbid obesity becoming more common but meanwhile an entire industry springing up to service the incredibly large.

Obese passengers are actually rallying for equal-rights style litigation. I would say crying "discrimination" is a tough sell. If you want two hats, you pay for two. If you take two seats, you pay for two. Simple as that.

Then again, if airlines get desperate, they could start making some pretty damn narrow seats. (Narrower than they already are, that is!)

I have only one thing to say: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." ;)

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