Posted on 09/16/2007 6:11:32 PM PDT by MotleyGirl70
And the lady stops and says, Sir, you need to have another ticket. And I said what for and she said, because of your size.' I hate to admit it but I was in tears.
“Ahh.... Southwest Americas Airline you couldn’t pay me to fly with them”
While kicking that young girl off of the plane because SW perceived her skirt to be too short was plain dumb, they got this one right. I feel sorry for folks that are obese. However, these fat people do not have the right to encroach into my seat space. It is sort of the same logic as “one’s right to swing one’s fist stops where the other party’s nose begins”. To put it in plain language, I don’t want some othe person hanging over into my seat - their problem should not become my problem.
Well, in keeping with their policy, he is now entitled to a refund. Since he flew with them often, and wasn't called on it, I doubt he KNEW it.
He's going to get his money back, and I couldn't care less about him, to me, the whole thing is that they made a judgement, and used this as an oppurtunity to force him to buy an extra ticket, since it was unsold, my concern, is how they can enlarge (no pun intended) this policy easily.
I am just glad that Southwest has finally started enforcing the rule, finally. If the plane is not full and they give him the price of the 2nd ticket back that’s good. But he and other double sized people should go on a list and when ever they make a reservation or buy a ticket on line they should be asked if they have lost any weight. Sorry if that hurts their tender feelings because anyone who has been forced to share their seat with one of these whales is due some of their ticket money back from said whale.
I agree with you on that. My personal way of handling it would have been to have the policy on the front page of any website, forms or whatever, when purchasing tickets. No way anyone can say they do not know the policy.
If somehow, someway, they get past it (i.e. travel agent or someone else buys the ticket, at check in, the policy would again be in force and the passenger informed.
I don't support a database for passengers, simply because I could see the airline (who have been debating the idea for years) using selective pricing (unrelated to weight, seperate issue) or discriminatory pricing.
The only reason I even have opinions about this, has to do with a recent flying experience, I had a seat, and the row I was in was vacant. In essence I had 3 seats (and was quite happy, got to stretch out, etc). The stewardess was joking that I was getting 3 seats for the price of one, and that one day the airline would figure out a way to recoup that money, because the airline always win.
I was laughing, but it did get me thinking, could the airline make me change seats because I'm getting more then I paid for, or could they try and charge me more, because I am getting 3 seats, for the price of one? And would anyone doubt that this idea hasn't gone through some airlines executives head?
Back to the fatties (and you know who you are). Buy 2 seats or take your own car.
The price discrimination I'm referring to was something econimists have been kicking around for awhile.
Its where 2 people, at the same time, seek to buy seats, the same kind of seats, however, the airline, knowing that the 2 of have different price ceilings, would charge them different prices, one guy would be charged more, because he either is able to, or has been know to pay more, while one would be charged less.
Neither one would know what the other paid, or why they were charged differently. Milton Friedman talked about the whole concept in detail several times. Some airlines started experimented with variations of the concept, but not in the original sence but in a different way. The way to do this requires a database and individual history.
That said, fatties do need 2 tickets....if not, forget the car and get a flatbed truck.
Yea, the “liquor by the drink” reference is a reference to the time when “Bars” were prohibited in Texas from selling liquor “by the drink”; thus you had people buying bottles and going to the bars with the bottles and ordering “set ups”, i.e. coca cola or mixers to pour their liquor into. Used to be the case right here in Houston as late as, according to my Vietnam Vet buddy, as the 1960’s. Then the law was changed so you could order individual drinks at bars and such, although some Counties in Texas are still “dry” counties. And I wasn’t being facetious in the reference to an attempt to end sale of liquor by the drink.
People don’t realize it but the reason the feminist tyrants have pushed through the smoking ban is because one of their front organizations, MADD, has noted a significant decline in DWI cases in jurisdictions that have banned smoking in all bar establishments. This is never mentioned in the Marxist managed MSM outlets, which somewhat puzzles me, but I guess they are concerned that the sheeple might suddenly jolt to full consciosness, realize the connection and actually see the next two shoes to drop, (in Texas that is),i.e., 1) full statewide ban on smoking anywhere in Public, Bars, Restaurants, etc. and 2) Statewide scheme for DWI roadblocks as mandated by the Texas Supreme court ruling that said such roadblocks would be legal in Texas ONLY if promulgated under a uniform statewide scheme. Next of course they will severely increase the sales tax on liquor, Beer and Wine sold “over the counter” at the retail level, i.e. Bars and Restaurants, like a Dollar a drink, just like the Dollar a pack of cigarette sales tax increase. Finally of course, they’ll then drastically increase the sales tax on Liquor, Beer and Wine sold at the “bottle” level, i.e. retail at Liquor stores and Grocery Stores.
By then of course, they will have started the assault on fast food outlets which will force the closings of hundres of such franchize locations. All of this will force a drastic decline in sales taxes and will create rampant unemployment which of course will push the economy into the long night of recession. But hey, we’ll be smoke free, drink free and skinny because of starvation! And death by starvation will drastically reduce Global Warming!
Hey, it’s ALL good!
Or half, for taking up half the space.
You can't talk back to employees on airplanes without getting kicked off or worse, I suppose...but someone should point out that they were overfull and overbooked, if they couldn't offer you a seat.
Imagine getting up, demonstrationg how much space you had left, and taking a picture of it?
I am 6’ 250lb and at about the limit for a Quasimodo to fit in a SW airlines seat..
at 435 the guy needs two seats to prevent overloading a section of the plane..
In an accident he puts everybody at risk.. He is not a frail old person or a disabled person of human proportions who you can pickup and carry out as you get the heck out.
In an Aircraft Evacuation no doubt he will be the first to stand up and block one or more routes of egress for humans.
Further as mass increases it has an exponential effect on energy.. At 435lbs in a plane crash his seat will likely rip from it’s moorings and he will go crashing thru the plane like a human steam roller killing all in his path.
The guy at that weight is a human blob and it is not at all fair to allow him to jeopardize the lives of others by his presence.
I say if you cannot fit in the seats as designed by the planes manufacturer you cannot fly.
W
I do believe you make a reasoned case for your point.
For one thing, anyone not able to fly would get a serious wake up call that something was seriously wrong.
The safety issue is something that should recieve more attention.
I did not realize that smoking on an airplane is a right.But wow, if it is the framers of the Constitution were very forward thinking.
Makes sense to me. Besides, weight and volume are linked. There’s a weight limit for baggage. If you’re over the limit, you pay more.
No, he did not fit in one seat and did not want to pay his own weigh(t). On the bright side, he is now losing weight. Funny what a financial motivation can do for you ...
“I say if you cannot fit in the seats as designed by the planes manufacturer you cannot fly.”
Airline seats are designed for a 170 pound adult.”
If that is the case then that should be the standard which I exceeded at 18
It also explains why a Company of Marines in the back of a Jumbo Jet used to be such fun. We would rock gently back and forth in sync shoulder to shoulder...Soon the planes tail would begin to sway pretty good. The Pilots (mostly Air Force Reservists I imagine) would come over the PA...
“Alright Marines ..Knock it off” lol
Seriously if that is the standard then stick too it. Or change it. But keep some standard. Don’t create a situation where a few passengers by their girth endanger the lives of everyone aboard.
W
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