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United Air to charge obese double on full flights
Reuters ^ | 04/15/09

Posted on 04/15/2009 7:33:49 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

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To: antceecee

My longest flight, in pain although not in length, was next to a woman so fat that when she needed the restroom, the stewardess had to pull on her arms to get her out of her seat. When she returned, she took about 5 minutes to work her butt back into the seat.

About an hour later, the guy in the window seat needed to potty. After a whispered exchange with me, he stood up in his seat, stepped on the armrest and jumped for the aisle. Made it, too! To get back in, he stood on the aisle arm rest and jumped back.

Me? I didn’t drink ANYTHING for the 5 hour flight...


41 posted on 04/15/2009 8:44:53 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (Obama - Making Jimmy Carter look like a giant!)
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To: antceecee

My longest flight, in pain although not in length, was next to a woman so fat that when she needed the restroom, the stewardess had to pull on her arms to get her out of her seat. When she returned, she took about 5 minutes to work her butt back into the seat.

About an hour later, the guy in the window seat needed to potty. After a whispered exchange with me, he stood up in his seat, stepped on the armrest and jumped for the aisle. Made it, too! To get back in, he stood on the aisle arm rest and jumped back.

Me? I didn’t drink ANYTHING for the 5 hour flight...


42 posted on 04/15/2009 8:45:54 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (Obama - Making Jimmy Carter look like a giant!)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

“Ever had someone sit next to you so big that they took up part of YOUR seat, too? If you are going to take up two seats, then pay for two seats unless the plane isn’t full.”

I used to travel 5 days per week, basically 3 - 5 flights per week, sometimes as many as 7. I’ve been seated next to a person whose arm fat droops over into my seat area many times. Usually these people also sweat copiously and don’t smell good. I agree and support the idea of making them buy two seats so they don’t make another person miserable. Otherwise, reserve one row, all normal size seats, for the obese people and let them work it out - they might understand and stop eating so damn much. And don’t give me the garbage about “it’s all glandular.”


43 posted on 04/15/2009 8:48:31 PM PDT by Rembrandt
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To: AndyTheBear

“Maybe they could have a long bench down the side of plane, and arm rests that move such that people can be charged by how many inches of bench they take up.”

That’s a good idea but there should be a base ticket price for people of “average” size and weight, with a surcharge for every x, 2x, 3x pounds over that average. Nobody wants to pay extra and probably couldn’t write off the overage on an expense report - people would begin to lose weight if they were frequent travelers.


44 posted on 04/15/2009 8:52:29 PM PDT by Rembrandt
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To: newnhdad

Got it! :)


45 posted on 04/15/2009 8:52:52 PM PDT by Hildy (Dr. King had a dream. Obama has an ELF who has a “plan”.)
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To: Perdogg
Ever been on a flight with some huge blubberbutt hanging over the sides, hot as a $2 pistol from the extra strenght metabolism and huffin and puffin the whole damn flight? I have, more than once.

Lardasses want to go somewhere, they need to take a cattle haulin truck or buy both seats they encroach on.

46 posted on 04/15/2009 8:55:12 PM PDT by dusttoyou
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To: Rembrandt
That’s a good idea...

Really? It was meant as a joke.

47 posted on 04/15/2009 10:11:23 PM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: editor-surveyor
You're obviously not an engineer!

Actually I am an engineer (Though I think you meant wrench wasn't one, and I'm not sure you meant software).

And no, I'm not convinced that being 250 pounds makes it dangerous for me to fly...but my shoulder width does make it uncomfortable when I'm between people.

48 posted on 04/15/2009 10:19:51 PM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: TigerLikesRooster

http://images.google.com/images?q=naafa

Seriously, it makes more sense than charging for checked baggage, then whining about how long it takes to turn a flight around.


49 posted on 04/15/2009 10:28:35 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: Mr Rogers

It really is depressingly hilarious when you think about the indignity we will endure on an airline flight that we would never put up with anywhere else!


50 posted on 04/15/2009 11:06:19 PM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: editor-surveyor

There are two sides to this, not just one. Sure it is a hassle for those who need extra room on a plane to purchase an extra seat. What about the hassle for those who pay for a seat, only to have a large person use part of it to accomodate their extra size?

If you are unable to fit into one seat, you should be required to purchase two. It is rude and inconsiderate not to. If the airline supports this policy, it is beneficial to the other passengers. Southwest apparently has a dress code. They have made passengers leave for wearing inappropriate clothing, which doesn’t seem to directly benefit anyone else on the flight.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/braun/20070905-9999-1m5braun.html


51 posted on 04/16/2009 5:20:16 AM PDT by ga medic
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To: coloradan
Will they charge kids or anorexics less?

Perhaps, if they use less than one seat.

52 posted on 04/16/2009 6:13:47 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine (Is /sarc really necessary?)
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To: AndyTheBear
"And no, I'm not convinced that being 250 pounds makes it dangerous for me to fly...but my shoulder width does make it uncomfortable when I'm between people."

No argument, and that gets to the real point that the big airlines that controled the design of our aircraft, deliberately cheated on the space that they knew was needed. - The fact that it is those same airlines that are going broke now is kind of sweet irony.

Viva Southwest!

53 posted on 04/16/2009 8:03:49 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (The beginning of the O'Bummer administration looks a lot like the end of the Nixon administration)
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To: ga medic
Interesting article, I'm all on the young woman's side, sounds like this Keith guy was being a real jerk. But I'm dubious about attributing it to "sexism" in the general way Pascaul suggests:

Pascual detected sexism in the way Ebbert was treated, wondering if a man would have been asked to change clothes.

Actually, uhm, without doing a study or anyting, I'm still dang sure a man dressed in that outfit would on average be treated with much less respect--and we would probably not be as sympathetic to him as we are to her if Keith had done the same thing to him.

54 posted on 04/16/2009 10:20:00 PM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: editor-surveyor

You’re obviously not an engineer!

Airliners last 40 years or more, without requiring significant chasis repair. The reason that they do is that they have an adequate safety factor in their design. Nobody would buy them if they didn’t; the investment is just too large........................................................................

You do realize aircraft are completely overhauled many times during their limited lifespan, right?

See also “aging aircraft initative” based inspections mandated by the FAA.

A part can fail without causing a crash. Inspections at overhaul look for such failures, and some areas require more frequent inspections to preclude failure (such as the 3 cone bolts that attach a jet engine to the airframe, they have to be recertified every time they are removed from an engine), and there are many other examples.

As I stated, aircraft are designed and built to a standard and are not overbuilt.

Put a 300 pound fatty in a Weber aircraft seat, pull 2.5 Gs, and you have a broken seat, and probably a cracked seat mount rail. You best check the floor supports for buckling while you are there.

Pulling 8Gs wouldn’t be a problem, though, cause the commercial airliner wouldn’t stand it.

There are 2 seats in every transport catagory aircraft that is built to higher strength levels than the pax seats, those are the ones on the flight deck.


55 posted on 04/19/2009 8:04:21 PM PDT by wrench
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To: wrench
It's your particular idea of what constitutes "overbuilt" that is amiss.

"A part can fail without causing a crash."

A whole lotta parts can fail without causing a crash; that is the point.

56 posted on 04/19/2009 8:13:42 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (The beginning of the O'Bummer administration looks a lot like the end of the Nixon administration)
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