Posted on 08/09/2002 5:24:19 PM PDT by chance33_98
Airline Defends Seat Policy To Fat Acceptance Group Southwest Airlines Affirms Policy Posted: 6:03 p.m. EDT August 9, 2002
ATLANTA -- Officials from Southwest Airlines Friday affirmed their policy requiring passengers who fill more than one seat to buy a second.
Representatives of Dallas-based Southwest went before members of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance at the group's conference in Atlanta. Fort Worth-based American and Delta Air Lines also sent a customer service representative to the panel session.
The 22-year-old policy drew attention in June when Southwest switched to a new boarding card system. The carrier reminded agents that large customers needed to buy two seats.
Southwest says its policy is designed to make sure every customer has use of his or her entire seat. Southwest refunds the second-seat purchase when a flight is not oversold.
Critics contend gate agents enforce the policy arbitrarily and without sensitivity.
American Airlines also requires the purchase of a second seat for people who extend beyond their own. An American representative says the company doesn't make an issue of large passengers' seat arrangements unless another customer complains.
Delta Air Lines has no policy requiring a second seat purchase.
This is a joke, right? Right????
Tell me it is, even if it isn't....................
Hmmmm........if they're for real, what would be their motto, one wonders aloud....................
Lard-Asses of the World, Unite!
Fat is........um.........Phat!
Compared to Elephants................!!!!
Takes Us Two Trips to Haul Ass
Slide Over, Skinny
Spread Out!!!!!!!!
......feel free to add your own.
I don't want to "accept" fat. Hell, I don't even want to look at it.
It used to be that folks took pride in the way they looked. Now, I'm not talking about running 20 miles a day or being the perfect size. I'm simply talking about being able to go out in public without being the size of a whale.
Not taking pride in the way you look would be bad enough, but now their attitude is "I'm huge... it's your duty to like me the way I am. I'm not going to change. If you don't like me for being 500 lbs, you're a bigot."
Most groups would have caved to PC pressure by now.
-PJ
News Flash!!
Southwest Airlines unveils new 6" wide seats, says they can now accomodate more passengers per plane than the competition!
While checking in at the ticket counter (or gate), step on the scale, insert your credit card, and you are discretely billed for the flight. It doesn't have to be complicated.
If they offered 6 FOOT seats I'd be buying too. (On more than one return flight from Europe, years ago, the wife and I would stretch out across several seats to sleep.) But the convention I used translates to 6 inches. Have you seen your doctor lately?
In principle, I agree with you.
But, airlines seats have gotten so narrow that airlines may see this as an excuse to make them even narrower---and then charge anyone who is packing a few extra pounds for a second seat.
As a tall person, I find it almost impossible to fly already. And I won't do it for any trips less than a six hour drive. When you add in the Mineta Moron patrols who are in charge of airport security, I believe that lots of people are coming to the same conclusion.
The vast majority of the time, yes, but not always. Even when it is self inflicted, it's usually due to factors in addition to a weak will. Everybodys knows people who can eat the worst things, never exercise , and stay as thin as old Abe. For most of us, it's somewhat more effort than that, so lets not get too ugly about fat people.
Ah but you are, believe me I know. I had to eat nothing but a small bowl of cereal for breakfast (no milk), salad (no dressing or cheese) for lunch and a very modest supper, plus run 3 miles 3 times a week, plus 5 miles 2 times a week, just to stay below the maximum weight allowed by the USAF when I was a Reservist. If I had done any muscle building stuff, I wouldn't have been able to do it all, since muscle weighs more than fat. Although it also allows you to eat more to maintain the same weight, as it burns more calories per pound, even at rest.
There would still be the seat size problem. Seats only come in two sizes, one on Southwest and other "Cattle Car" type airlines. Yes more weight means more fuel burned, but since the weight of the passengers is fairly small compared to the weight of the plane, the additional cost isn't large. Instead they might have a half row of seats, if you can sit in one without overlaping, you get the normal fare, and one seat, otherwise you pay more and get two seats. If you are going to have to pay more, you'd darn well better get more.
Here's what I do when I forget or can't find my reading glasses.:
If are using Internet Explorer, click on "View" and then "Text Size" then try a larger font. It will save lots of headaches.
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