I work in aviation, and all of the seats on an airliner have to go through a series of pull tests. While the loads are different, all seats are certified for forward, side, and aft loads. And the certification is done with the arm rests in place and down.
Some people get on the plane and immediately put the arm rest up because they won't fit inside it. If I'm next to them, the flight crew is immediately faced with a problem, because I let them know I will not be onboard for landing and takeoff with that arm rest up. And if I'm asked to get off, I will go straight to the nearest FSDO and file a violation.
I'm sorry that airline seats were designed around a 170 pound person - but that's the way it is. And a large persons’ right to fly is no greater right than my right to be safe.
Sorry, but the rights of anyone with an *of* designation (ie people *of* color, people *of* size, etc) always have more rights than anyone else. I’m not sure what happens when any two *of* groups are pitted against each other, however.
While I'm certain that there are many large people, who, through no fault of their own, would never be able to sit between the seat arm rests, it IS illegal for that arm rest to be up during take offs and landings.
I've been forced to sit between or next to folk, who, as you state, immediately jerk up that arm rest, even to get into their seat!
One recent time, a young black woman sat in the aisle seat next to me (the middle seat), jerked up the arm to get in and proceeded to attempt to get on her seat belt. As I attempted to lower the arm rest she sharply stated, "We don't need that 'thing' down there, and I don't like it anyway."
When I flagged down the next FA, I asked her to see to it that my seat mate lower the arm rest or move.
The FA happened to be of the same race as my seat mate and proceeded to tell me that the arm rest could stay up.
I asked for the attendant in charge (unfortunately, the same race as the others and no- I'm not making a point here but only to state that all of these ladies seemed to agree upon violating the FAA rules for some reason), said that she also had no problem, whereupon I demanded a seat in First Class because I didn't intend to pay for a "full seat" and only be granted half one on the basis of the large size of the flyer next to me.
The FA in charge told me there were NO seats in First Class left and that I'd just have to move to another seat, "if I didn't like it."
The result was that my seat mate had a much smaller sister and mom in another row. The smaller sister traded places with her much larger sister so that she became mom's problem (along with another passenger, I assume.)
I'm sick and tired of FAs who refuse to follow federal safety mandates, rather than do her/his job. I know that they are protected by their unions so I don't expect anything will take care of their rude, obnoxious behavior but it's a real shame, especially those with "an attitude."
The airlines could solve this one by doing what they do for carry on bags at the gate now, having a seat so that there are no questions and no dominating FAs telling others that even though you paid for a "full sized seat" in which you fit, you must also share it with over-sized people.