'Person Of Size' Angry About Need For Spill-Over Ticket

Sacramento Bee via Scripps Howard ^ | June 18, 2002 | Bob Shallit

[Reaganwuzthebest]

As a professional services executive for a software company, Steve McAllister travels a lot. The resident of the California foothills figures he's accumulated a couple million frequent flier miles and flown on Southwest Airlines at least 100 times.

But he never before experienced what happened a week ago. And he was hopping mad.

While buying a ticket for a Southwest flight from Sacramento to Burbank, Calif., he was told he'd need to buy an extra ticket.

The reason? He's what the airline calls "a person of size" - the PC term, evidently, for someone so large he may need more than one seat.

McAllister is, in fact, a big man - 6 feet 2 inches, 350 pounds. But the former college football player says he's never been accused of taking up more than a single seat on a flight.

"To be honest, I was really outraged," McAllister says of the request for double payment. Eventually, after some heated words, he was allowed to get a single ticket but only because the Southwest people were a little premature in enforcing a new policy.

As of June 26, large customers will have to pay the extra fare - but can seek reimbursement if it turns out the flight has unoccupied seats. In the past, ticket agents had the option of charging big people for an extra seat when a flight was fully booked. But they apparently didn't do it very often.

So how do the agents determine if a customer is likely to exceed his allotted space? It's a judgment call, says airlines spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger.

It is, she acknowledges, "a very delicate situation."

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Looks like the airlines are desperate to sell tickets.

[Jorge]

LOL! This is too funny.

[Honcho Bongs]

It's not THAT funny. Have you ever been seated next to a double-wide on a flight? Makes me claustrophobic - not to mention that I'm then paying for less than a full seat since the out-sized one takes up some of my space.

[r9etb]

A few weeks back I saw a guy who actually had to force his butt to fit between the armrests. That was bad enough, but his seatmate was a rather burly guy as well.

That musta been one uncomfortable ride....

[DoughtyOne]

You haven't lived until you've been placed between two of these 350 pounders on a long trip.

[Billthedrill]

Wait a minute - "person of size?" I'm offended! I'm a person of size, too - small and skinny is a size too. We have just as much right to use the "person of size" sobriquet as weight-challenged lardbuckets. I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I'm suing.

[Endeavor]

If the airlines are going to do this (and I wish they would - I fly several times a month and get tired of being squeezed by "people of size"), then they'd better also not put another customer in the "extra" seat.

[Ditter]

You must have never had to sit beside one of these oversized folks or.............. you ARE one. This is an idea whos time has come.

[Paul Atreides]

Person of size? Is it me, or are we all "of size"?

[LibKill]

Hell's donkeys! I'm a short thin dude and I find airplane seats cramped.

I can't imagine what torture it must be for the big sized folks and now they want them to pay double?

[nonliberal]

I avoid flying because, knowing my luck, I would get stuck beside one of these blimps who brought his own salami.

[Paul Atreides]

I guess Hillary would be known as a Person of Thighs.

[spycatcher]

I'm thinking "person of fries" is appropriate for Bill Clinton

[HiTech RedNeck]

They should have spillover test seats, just like they have test frames for carry on luggage. Then the determination would be objective.

[sockmonkey]

You know those things they make you place your carry on in to see if it fits the "size" requirements before you board...I can't wait until they have one that they measure people's butts with...too funny.

Actually, I have had to sit next to people whose largesse pokes through the space under the arm rest. They always pretend not to notice that they are spilling over into your seat, and squashing you.

[alaskanfan]

It always happens to me too!

It doesn't matter who I fly with, They always put me between the two biggest guys on the plane. (I'm 6' 0" 260 lbs.)

[Paul Atreides]

Or, person of lies.

[Jorge]

I agree with you, and I agree with the new policy.

But I just think of the "person of size" being forced to pay for TWO seats...and I just have to laugh.
Maybe they should load them on the plane with a cargo net.

[sockmonkey]

They should have spillover test seats, just like they have test frames for carry on luggage.

Darn, I typed so slow that you beat me to it. Maybe we should start a company that manufactures them, and sell these to all the airlines.