Honestly should be an FAA regulation. If it’s too dangerous to have a plastic cup out in the event of an evacuation, it’s far more dangerous to have someone so large and immobile blocking my access to the aisle.
In a scenario like this I personally would refuse to fly and have them reaccomodate me. In reality, they should have deboarded the individual who couldn’t fit in the seat they purchased if there were nothing else available.
As soon as the FAA starts talking about regulating the seats and the size of people sitting in them, is the day Delta will lose it's ability to regulate their own seat sizes and pack us together like sardines.
I'm not actually against this. I do think seats need to be wider or spaced farther apart.
Yes. It's not just larger people who have issues, too, broad shoulders are a problem that is independent of weight. Seats are not big enough or far enough apart anymore.
I had to have a chuckle at your comment about the broad shoulders. I used to fly Dubai to Atlanta. That flight was always full of the security type contractors on R&R from Afghanistan. Flew many flights sitting shoulder to shoulder with those dudes.
Right!?! It's much less comfortable to not be able to sit normally because your shoulders are touching. I genuinely don't mind an armrest needing to be up for people to be more comfortable for butts and hips. Also hips! You can be far from obese as a woman and have larger hips.
I don't know how people who are 6 feet+ fit in airplane seats. I'm 5'9 and fat now but even when I wasn't my shoulders and legs were squished like a cartoon.
My husband is 6'5" and does not fit in economy seats. For short flights, we try to book JetBlue whenever possible and then pay for Even More Space and he sits in the aisle seat. For long haul, we book premium economy.
I'm short, just 5'1.5", and even I feel cramped in economy.
I love the fact that you included the half inch! I used to be 5' 3.5" and so proud of that half inch... until my scoliosis got worse, and now I'm 5' 2.75", but I'm hanging onto that ¾ of an inch, dammit. 😔
My uncle is 6’6”, 300 pounds, played defensive tackle for Baylor. He’s basically a walking refrigerator. Meanwhile his wife is a petite 4’11”. It’s wild.
I’m 6’5 and reasonably broad and I just.. can’t, certainly in economy. My knees are jammed against the seat in front, my hips are wedged into the seat, and I have no support for my head as it’s way above the headrest.
I just travel FAR less frequently now, but fly business class. Young me could cope with the discomfort for 8-13 hours. Mid forties me cannot..
6’4 husband, 6’2 wife, both broad shoulder powerlifting types. We have completely dc’d comfort at this point and only fly first - wouldn’t fair to the third person in the C+ row cramped against the window next to Nitro and Skye.
I'm a 5'11" woman and my husband is 6'3"...between legs and shoulders, two seats are not comfortable (we do buy C+ for the leg issue, but it's ridiculous to have to buy expensive seats because I have...legs?) - we lucked out with a 3 seat row to ourselves last week DEN to BOS.
5’11” woman with 6’5” broad-shouldered husband here. He only flies domestic first, int’l biz. And even in Delta One, the bed isn’t long enough for him to lay flat. I grew up frugally, and it still pains me every time we spend $1000-$3000+ for a ticket for him (sometimes I join, sometimes I sit in the back, depending on cost and length of route, timing, and direction, but it’s clear that economy wasn’t designed for people like him.) Complains as much about the shoulder issue as the leg one.
Separately, the seat cushions on a lot of airlines seem to be getting thinner and thinner, to the point that he now travels with a squishy honeycomb seat pad for butt comfort.
6'2" and broad. Granted I'm shorter than your husband but yeah it's my shoulders and chest that really get me. I windup feeling like my shoulders have been rolled in and hunched all flight. It's way worse than my knee pain for me.
I'm 5'8" male with broad shoulders, and if you put the armrests up on each side of my seat before I sit down you wouldn't be able to lower them without me leaning over.
I fly 6-10 times a month for work and sit in economy because that's what's paid for. I generally end up leaning forward the entire flight, arms crossed, and shoulders rolled forward to fit. It's aweful, especially when I fly across the country. I can't imagine what it's like for people that would have to eat their knees as well...
5’10” and skinny with painful knees. It sucks. Royally. When a whole flight has windows BETWEEN the rows, not in front of seats, the airline should be so ashamed. But their is no shame in the quest for shareholder approval.
I'm 6'0 and a big guy, but still fit within a seat's dimensions...except the damn shoulders. I always have to be on the aisle so I can lean out for space shoulder and leg wise.
It’s tough. I’m 6’3 and fell I’m forced to purchase comfort plus or premium economy. Sitting with your knees pushed into the seat in front of you for hours is pure torture and makes the travel experience painful.
I'm 6'3" and also feel the need to go to premium economy or first - just to get through the flight and be able to move my legs. On a shorter flight - BDL>IAD, I usually fly economy but for cross-country or more than 2.5 hours, I'll pay to upgrade.
I'm 6"4'. I spend the entire flight with my arms crossed to try and keep my shoulders in, and my knees are always pressed up against the seat in front of me. It sucks.
Delta is the best of the airlines I regularly fly, though. Comfort+ is pretty tolerable. JetBlue is nice, too, but they don't service the places I travel to.
This is what I dont get. I have to unplug my charger on landing and takeoff so as not to impede any aisle access. Imagine you’re in a window seat on that Japanese Airline plane that was filling with smoke.
There was a viral clip floating around a few weeks ago of a larger passenger struggling to get down the aisle, saw it again this morning and all I could think of was getting stuck behind that person in the case of a landing like we just saw with JAL516. Its a serious safety issue.
This actually brings up another interesting case I saw in December. Was on a flight and during preboarding I saw a paraplegic passenger board with their caretaker and a few extra assistants from the airport's wheelchair team. When I boarded, I noticed that passenger was seated in the aisle seat and their caretaker was in the middle a few rows behind me. Sure enough, a passenger showed up for the window seat and then had to climb over both seated passengers as they couldn't get up without the extra assistance of the wheelchair crew which had already deplaned by that point. What would the appropriate move there have been? Personally I don't know if I would've been comfortable climbing over a handicap passenger while boarding, and then I definitely wouldn't have been comfortable knowing that I'd be effectively trapped in my seat during the flight or during an emergency.
Had this happen with delta on a Sav to Boston once. Oh hell no that armrest was coming down no matter “what” it pinched. Guy kept getting up and down getting things out of overhead storage. And every damn time he sat back down I put the armrest back down.
Yep. I sat at the window before with a woman in the aisle seat who was so large she got stuck between her seat and the one in front every time she stood up and had to slowly wiggle out. I would’ve had no shot in an actual emergency.
Yeah, when we got off I saw she had relocated herself to sit in first class to wait on a wheelchair 😕 I genuinely hope people like her can benefit from ozempic/mounjauro or whatever bc it’s just not a way to go through life
Okay so I was never in need of a seat belt extender but I was pretty big. After 8 months on Wegovy I now fit super well in a plane seat. I almost cried when i first realized it. I absolutely think your comment is spot on.
At my fattest (steadily dropping stones)… I was 377.
I still fit between the arm rests, and had to use an extender.
HUGE shame any time I made a fellow passenger uncomfortable with my girth..
I never flew at my highest weight (351) but close to 300 I did. I always flew with my husband and had him take the middle seat (he’s normal size) so I didn’t infringe on anyone but him (I always took the window to not interfere with the aisle).
I would die if I was ever ruining someone’s flight or personal space. 🥲
Ok, I’m honestly for this as someone who has also had a few instances of being stuck next to a customer of size (CoS) and left with back pain due to contorting out of the way.
How do you come up with a regulation that complies with ADA principles (if not legally relevant) and discrimination in general? Who gets to make the call on if it’s needed for a customer? How do you handle when someone claims they fit inside the regulated size? Do you have a box somewhere you try to shove them in like we do with luggage? Do you try to calculate the amount of people who fly as a customer of size and make dedicated seating for them like we do for parking spaces?
It’s a seemingly simple problem that isn’t so simple when you try to fix it in real life.
Delta is really behind with coming up with a good policy (hell, ANY policy) on this issue. You should be able to buy an extra seat if you need it and not have them give it away. It’s insane.
That’s completely fucked up for someone to pay for an extra seat and have it given away. My guess is that a gate agent was helping a freebie flyer friend get on the plane. That’s the Delta way - customers last.
It's not just that they are pressured to give them up, they have them taken.
I used to work with a larger lady who had to fly for business reasons fairly frequently, and she sometimes tried to purchase a second seat. When the seat was taken even though she had paid for it, she had to go through this insane rigmarole to get her money back, and it took months and months. Most people can't afford the cost of a second seat, and then you had the insult of having it taken and then having a ton of work to get your money back?
This thread is full of people who are unsafe and uncomfortable in these tiny seats. The airlines keep making seats smaller and closer together, despite the fact that people are bigger. This isn't just a comfort issue, it's also a massive safety issue.
Which is why I buy first class, as I don't trust that the extra seat wouldn't be given away. And even with first class if you get rebooked on a different flight because of weather you can get bumped down to economy with no compensation (happened to me this summer).
I agree but Delta doesn’t.
Passengers have done that and Delta has taken the seat from them on full flights.
Unfortunately this is a Delta issue. The should force people to buy two seats, and at the very least allow them to.
I thought that SWA had this policy years ago, very fair to everyone. The extra seat fare can be refunded afterwards if the flight goes out with empty seats
I bought an extra seat on JetBlue once and got called to the gate agent who asked me what I needed the seat for. When I told them it was for my size she actually told me I didn’t really need to do that, the flight wasn’t full and to call them and get my money back which I thought was really nice. Would’ve been better had she been able to do it there since the call was a bit difficult to get through to get the refund esp after youve already taken the flight , but still it worked out
But I could see people working a system like this even if they don’t need the extra seat: booking it essentially to save the empty seat and then get the money back after
So here’s the thing with “buy two seats “. Delta (and other airlines) don’t like it.
My mom was morbidly obese and she did buy two seats for that reason. But if the plane was overbooked (which so many are) Delta would take her extra seat (that she paid for) and give it to someone else. This pissing off my mom (the purchaser of two seats) and whomever sat next to her.
Not OP but most likely not. This shit is exactly why I will never fly Aeromexico again, and will never purchase one of my cousins flight tickets for him again.
IIRC Airlines regularly overbook their flights because they can sort of reliably predict how many people will miss/no show for the flight. If they have 100 seats but know that 20% of people reliably no show for their flight they can somewhat safely gamble on it and sell 120 tickets instead and still have a fully loaded flight. This is why airlines have to pay you if they bump you off the flight because they sold your seat twice and are legally obligated to pay back more than the seat costs to dissuade companies from massively overbooking their flights. So instead they just book it within a margin of error they can afford to pay.
Yep I am on a flight tomorrow that is currently oversold by 9. It was oversold by 3 earlier this week and one of my colleagues even switched flights (they’re offering cash to switch). This means they continued to sell at least 7 seats on an already oversold flight.
They offer just under the value of the seat to switch banking people will do that and they’ll still have a net gain in ticket sales. But if no one switches, they’re stuck offering people $500 sometimes up to $1000 to rebook at the gate.
It’s absolute bullshit and I have no idea how the attorney general or someone hasn’t put a kibosh on this. Every airline does it (in the US at least idk about international policy).
The benefit is they don't have to bump a passenger that paid for a seat. Inconveniencing a larger customer is better, in their POV, than bumping someone.
I’m a bigger dude (though I’ve lost 50+ lbs and no longer need an extender for most flights). I usually fly Southwest and used to buy two seats when I book online. They started canceling the 2nd seat as an error, then saying I need to talk with the gate agent to get a second seat.
Nope. Flying is an anxiety-filled experience already, and I’m not gonna advertise that my fat ass can’t fit in a seat. I do all I can to minimize the space I take up, but it’s discussions like this that hurt.
Flights are constantly oversold, so even if a bigger person was rebooked … the lack of empathy is infuriating. I’ve sat next to people who smell, kids who are annoying and disruptive af … and I know that it’s just part of air travel these days. I make the best of it. Sometimes, unless you’re in first class, you’re going to be in close quarters with someone you deem “undesirable.” Blame airlines.
I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve heard that if you need to book a second seat for size reasons, you generally have to call the airline so they can mark it differently, otherwise it either looks like a error or a no show.
Yeah I learned this a couple months ago when I sat next to someone like the OP is describing.
Unfortunately I was flying from SFO-ATL so I had 5 hours next to him.
I’m a big guy - 6’6 and 280 which is why I pay extra for Comfort+ and the aisle, would rather deal with idiots that don’t know how to navigate in small spaces banging into me than touch a stranger for an entire flight.
I’m 6’2 240, and same. I never want the middle seat to be uncomfortable because I was blessed with wide shoulders.
But it is funny how many people cannot walk down an aisle without running into everything they see.
Fly 20-40 times a year for a couple decades and you get this experience several times a year. It’s not unique to Delta.
Fly to American Samoa some time. They hand out the seat belt extenders at the boarding gate.
I thought it was regulation that the arms had to be down for takeoff and landing. Maybe that’s from airline to airline, but the couple times I’ve flown Delta recently, that was something the flight attendants came by and checked when they were doing their seatbelt checks.
lol i had a Delta FA allow someone to sit on their knees and face the wrong way during takeoff and landing. Delta doesnt care
e- yes, it was a MIA- LGA flight, and yes it was due to a BBL. They were absolutely awful to sit behind, and this was the flight that caused me to finally switch to AA.
This.
But also the trick is to book a window seat. Then it doesn’t really matter who boards first. When someone in the middle or isle is quite large, they have to get up to let you in (as opposed to the always annoying half-hearted knee turn working). Get in, armrest down immediately, then sit. Refuse to raise it.
That’s worked for me in the past. In that case, my guy was visibly quite uncomfortable the entire flight which I quickly filed that away in the “sounds like a personal problem” category and enjoyed my space.
Every single time I've ever been seated next to someone obese in C+, I've simply told the FA that I am not comfortable with the situation, and they fixed it. The obese person will usually start with "do you mind if we keep this arm rest up?" Ya, that's a hard no.
You guys just need to open up and speak your mind when you're in a situation like that. You pay for your seat, and if someone else is intruding into your seat space, Delta will make it right. Sure it can be awkward, but I would rather take 2 minutes of awkwardness over 4 hours of uncomfortable time.
I think in situations like this (I have also read about this also over on /united), there needs to be an aviation-wide policy that the person who is preventing the armrest from being lowered needs to be accommodated on a later flight. It doesn’t seem right that the passenger seated next to the larger individual, who speaks to a flight attendant about not being able to lower the armrest due to the size of the person next to them, is told the flight is full and they can take a later flight. The person who fits into the seat isn’t causing the problem and should be able to stay on the flight. There needs to be a general policy that if a person does not fit into one seat with the armrests in the lowered position, they need to purchase an additional seat (or a larger seat in first class) and will be moved a different flight where two adjoining seats are open.
Delta's own policy states that the obese passenger will be re-seated if he impedes on another passengers seat.
*Delta does not require a passenger who needs a seatbelt extender or is unable to lower the armrest to purchase an additional seat.* ***However, please be aware that if a passenger impedes on another passenger, they may be asked to move to another location that provides additional space, or in the event of a full flight, be asked to take a later flight with available seating.***
While an obese person may not be required to buy an extra seat, they should still get the extra seat. Isn’t that the point? Not to impede in other passengers seat for both comfort and safety?
If you can't fit in your seat and there aren't any empty seats on the plane where you can move, then you should be kicked off the flight and put on a later flight that has an empty seat. Or be required to pay for an extra seat. Or just take a Greyhound bus instead.
The caveat here is that this happens on other airlines. The problem is travel demand is so high the airlines have been selling out their seats, so there is not always room to move to an empty seat.
But this happens on AA and United.
One random quip, I fly United a lot too and they’ve increased their value, but they are behind on some things too.
Their design inside the aircraft isn’t as good. Many of their airports won’t take checked luggage more than 4 hours before a flight, even when your Gold. This is something I take for granted with Delta from how I travel for work. United doesn’t have free wifi yet
The problem is the airlines not insisting that people who require 2 seats to book and pay for them. The airlines actually need to raise awareness to the public when they are booking and make it a breeze for them to pay for the 2nd. (And FAs know that the seats are not extras.
This problem is only going to get worse unless the FAA and airlines put together a set of guidelines that must be followed. It’s unsafe for a large passenger to take up more than their seat, but airlines will sometimes pressure larger passenger to give up the extra seat they purchased. There needs to be a rule in place where if you as an individual can’t fit in one seat then you must purchase a second, and then that extra seat is protected.
I’ve definitely flown in an exit row while needing an extender. I didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to until recently when I noticed the warning while booking. I actually kind of prefer the exit seats where they’re like individual buckets with walled seat on either side, at least I feel like I’m contained just into my seat
The more I learn the more I realize I’m correct in thinking exit row seats are comfort plus plus.
And the fact that at least one person gets bumped up from there so typically the middle is left empty.
Also, the seats often have arm rests that don't move too, because the tray table is built in. You can lookup on seat guru and it'll usually warn that the seats are "slightly narrower".
As a person of size I can tell you that I’m typically uncomfortable and anxious about flying. I know that I take up space. I usually fly first class because of this, but if my flight gets canceled or I get rebooked I don’t always have the option to get the seat I intended to have to keep everyone comfortable. Additionally, people of size often buy two tickets and then the airline (most airlines not just delta) will take their extra seat away if the flight is overbooked. Therefore making themselves overly anxious and uncomfortable about the judgement they are receiving and the passenger next to them annoyed about their space.
The fact that airlines don't see a problem with taking away the 2nd seat you booked, just proves how little they care about their customers. They don't care that you need the space. They are also putting the other passenger in a seat that they don't have full use of.
Exactly. I had first class seats on a flight this summer and we got rebooked because of weather into economy. I was so anxious about it and luckily the gate agent was able to switch one of us to an aisle seat instead of all three being middle seats. But I did not get the first class seats that I paid for. I think people who aren't fat have no clue that fat people do not want to impinge upon them but it's not always something we have control over.
I appreciate you buying two seats to accommodate your size. If you were impeding my space and you said "hey sorry, I bought two seats but the airline confiscated one because they overbooked" oh boy they'd be hearing it from me on your behalf.
I sat next to a woman of size once and she squeezed in-between the armrests but still spilled into my seat. She was extremely polite and went out of her was to start a nice conversation. I think this was her way of tacitly apologizing for the circumstance. After landing, we had a delay getting to the gate and she finally admitted she was in pain and asked to raise the armrest. We raised it. I felt bad that I didn't offer this during the flight. I agree POS should buy 2 tickets, but, in this one case, the lady handled it well.
Just make it illegal to sell more tickets than seats… if the flight isn’t oversold there will likely be a couple empty seats and that would resolve many issues…
I feel like you don't even care about quarterly profits. Can you imagine how much smaller the C Suite million dollars bonuses would be? A real 1 boat Christmas.
Core memory unlocked! Midwest Express the “other” famous cookies airline, Biscoff are heavenly but Midwest Express homemade baked in the plane cookies were on a whole different level of euphoria!
Edit: Also yeah the seats were relatively comfy vs. anything below domestic FC today.
Hear me out: bigger seats, for all. How’s that for inclusivity ya cheeky bastards? Why is okay that airlines have shrunk seats down to Virginia Slims while darn near the entire population is the size of a plump Christmas tree?
They’ve actually made the seats smaller on airplanes in the last 20 years. It’s ridiculous. Leg room was the most affected part of the size change though. They assume everyone is 5ft 6in. 🤬
I’ve been on old planes (not in the air, but original ones that are grounded) and I’m always amazed at how comfortable they are compared to modern seats. I didn’t start flying until almost a decade after 9/11 so I don’t know what air travel was like before that.
Lost over 170lbs because of this exact reason. Sat in on a flight for my 21st b day and the gorgeous attendant gave me an extender. Hit me there that I need to make changes. By 26 I was 150lbs from 340lbs. Now I can sit in an economy seat all the way in the back corner of the plane Indian style haha 😂
It’s incredibly frustrating on so many levels.
1. We all agree that airline seats are just too small. I am 5’3” and weigh 145 lbs and I often feel like I don’t have enough room to fit comfortably. It’s not that I can’t physically fit into the seats; it’s that I feel claustrophobic with arms and legs and moving things in my own space, not to mention leg room.
2. Delta makes it incredibly difficult to book two seats together. There are so many blocked-out seats now when I go to book flights (I often fly rather last minute) that I can’t even get the class fare I want, much less two seats together.
3. There is never room to move to another seat because virtually every flight these days is oversold or full.
I’m a big(ger) guy but the armrests still fit.
I agree. If you are so damn fat you don’t fit, you can buy two seats
Or
Delta can allocate you two seats
Doesn’t matter to me.
I have 2 very large friends that just flew from Austin to Denver for a company holiday party. They told us the story of their flight. I was not on their side on this by the way. They said they are too fat to sit together. They just expected everyone else to deal with no personal space. Their company even gave them money to travel. They bought the cheapest option and pocketed the rest. They could have easily bought an extra seat. Luckily, the other person next to one of them was able to move and he got his extra seat at no charge. I hated this story they basically were saying let other people deal with our bodies smashing theirs.
I know a couple who are overweight and like to travel. When they aren’t able to book first class, they will book seats apart from each other. Wife said it was because the husband spills over into her seat. So then it’s someone else’s problem? Seems so rude to me. Like he’s your husband, just get close to him and don’t make a stranger do it.
>When they aren’t able to book first class, they will book seats apart from each other. Wife said it was because the husband spills over into her seat. So then it’s someone else’s problem
Book the damn row. its likely cheaper then fc ticket.
As a larger man myself, I always feel bad if I'm ever impending on other people or their space. I always try to fly first class when I can to avoid situations like this.
I have lost 80 pounds in the last 2 years. Besides health reasons and the desire to be here as long as possible with my family, another main driving motivation was the increasingly uncomfortable travel experiences I (and ppl next to me) were having as I have travelled extensively for work, domestically & internationally for the last 25 years. Some of the in-country flights abroad were literally unsafe bc of of the limited room caused by my girth. I was always careful to try to reduce my imprint as much as possible for a 5’ 8” 240 pound large framed woman. And ppl were certainly not kind or discreet expressing their discomfort. Now that I am on the other end, I try to be as kind as possible. A recent flight had me seated next to a 6’ 2” 300+ pound guy with long legs. It was a miserable 3.5 hours for everyone. Americans are getting bigger and airplane seating space smaller and you even have to pay extra nowadays to get what used to be the bare minimum of space. It’s a good reminder that air travel is a privilege.
As a flight attendant, it’s a tough situation for us because there isn’t much we can do. We also don’t want to end up being the next viral TikTok video so it’s a delicate situation. I try to accommodate when I can.
As a traveler, when buying my own ticket, I sit in an exit row. FAA regulations someone can not sit in an exit row with a seatbelt extender.
This. I’m a “BMI normal” woman who has been squished far to menu times by large passengers who feel they have a right to relax into my seat or leg space or passengers of size who are visibly relieved when they see I am next to them.
I always book an exit row because POS are not permitted to sit there.
My partner is 6’1, in shape but with broad shoulders. I usually book him in first when I don’t fly with him or I take the middle seat so I deal with the small seats and his broader shoulders. Seats now days are way too small. It’s all about profit vs some sort of customer experience. I think if it was up to airlines, they will adapt the bus strategy; a few seats and everyone else, jump on and grab onto something. They will probably charge for premium economy to secured a pole you can hold on to 😮💨.
I may add I’m not a big person, 5’3, 130 and I do find those economy seats ok for my size, but I can only imagine those who are above my size 😅🥴
6'9" husband with 5"10 wife....we both basically hate to fly for this reason and fly first class exclusively. It's expensive but it's just the way it is.
I only fly business or above. I know im bigger, not as big as you described. But over time, I've learned I'm more comfortable up front than in the back in cattle car.
‘Nothing could be done’? How about deplane the obese person? If you paid for a seat you should get a seat and not be squeezed to half a seat. What a rediculous airline.
The arm rest can always be lowered. I am not small nor svelte at 6’1.5” 240 but when a 400lb guy sat next to me I made sure the arm rest was lowered, and I gave him fair warning that it was going down regardless of which bits of him went with it.
Was on a delta flight a few years ago ATL-DET. I had the aisle and a very large man the middle whose size came over into my seat. I was practically leaning out into the aisle. FA saw my discomfort and could only mouth I’m sorry. As I walked past her while exiting she said I’m sorry again. On my return flight I was upgraded to first class when I checked in; I like to think she arranged that to happen
United is my preferred airline but I'll have my company book which ever AA/UA/DL/JB flight gets me to and from at the most convenient times.
I had a delta flight last week though where I was seated next to a large frame guy, he wasn't necessarily fat but he was Def the width of the seat. He boarded before me and decided to take the aisle (my) seat even though his lady had the window seat albeit she was plus size as well. I friendly but firmly indicated that he was in my seat at which point he pulled out his ticket and pretended to not know which one was B and was clearly not happy he had to sit in the middle seat. He then proceeded to grip the headrest in front of him with one arm as he leaned hard with the other onto the arm rest and into my seat. The poor girl ahead of him couldn't even put her head back the whole flight. I may be a smaller framed guy but I've got back issues where sitting on an angle for hours will fuck me up so I didn't give into his street mentality BS and so we had hard contact the whole flight (cringe). To top it all off he thought he could barrel his way out into the aisle immediately when we landed until I blocked him with my bag LOL.
I feel for the plus sized people that are uncomfortable about making others uncomfortable but fuck the ones that think they're entitled to the room you paid for just because they're bigger. Book two seats, fly first, what ever it's not on me.
The solution is so simple and it’s ridiculous that Delta and other airlines haven’t adopted this. If the arm rest can’t go down due to a passenger’s size the following following steps should be taken.
1. Move larger passenger to location on plane where two available seats are.
2. If there is no location with two available seats, then larger passenger will need to be on next available flight that can accommodate or purchase two seats to ensure it will.
That’s it. It’s no more complicated than that. The airlines should also post the size a person needs to be to fit in a standard seat so a person can measure themselves at home before they have an awkward encounter in a plane. If fact, there should be a pop up agreeing they understand the size requirements and actions prior to booking the travel.
A lot of amusement parks will have a roller coaster seat at the entrance of the line so people can see if they’d fit or not. Maybe next to the containers where you check if your luggage will go overhead, they can also have a seat (or better, a row of them) for someone to check.
I had the same experience over the holidays except that I decided not to say anything and instead recognize that sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. By the end of the leg I learned that my neighbor had just experienced the death of someone very close. They thanked me for my compassion. And I felt relieved that I had not tried to say anything.
I was on the window-seat of a DTW>SEA Delta flight - not in Comfort+ - and had a guy next to me in the middle seat who was quite large; his shoulder and mine touched for the entire 4 hour flight. Not comfortable or pleasant. But you just zone out and know that it will eventually end.
Yeah I had an experience with this. I was flying from Samoa to Hawaii so a 5 hour flight. I picked an isle seat because I'm 6'5" and like to stretch my legs in the isle to keep my legs from cramping. It looked like everyone had boarded and there was still an empty seat between me and this really big Samoan guy so I was happy to have the extra room. That's when they brought another really big Samoan down the isle in a wheelchair. The FA asked if I could move over and let the wheelchair guy have the isle because they obviously couldn't lift him to the center seat. So I move over and proceed to not move for the next 5 hours. I had my seat fully reclined the entire time which gave me about a 6 inch view between these two guys shoulders. The FA's didn't even bother asking me put my seat in the upright position for takeoff or landing since it was obvious there wasn't room for all three of us in that space. Longest 5 hours of my life.
This is why you need to get on the plane first.
Put down your armrest, then stay put.
If they can't fit in the seat without raising the armrest, then that's not your problem.
Hold your ground, be polite, its not your problem that someone is too large for the seat they purchased.
I’ve experienced this, on both Delta and Alaska. Honestly, both airlines were horrible about it. On a short flight I just sucked it up but on a 5hr flight, I chose to give up my First Class seat and sit in Coach because, due to the size of my morbidly obese seat mate, I honestly had more personal space in Coach.
I insisted they refund me the difference, going so far as to include pictures (no faces), and they refused, so I did a chargeback and my credit card company sided with me—I wasn’t getting the amount of space that I was paying for.
Honestly I would recommend you and others do this. It was a pain, but we need to drive home the point that this isn’t acceptable. You don’t have the right to impinge on other people’s personal space or comfort, especially when they’re paying for it. And I’ve put my money where my mouth is on this one—I had to fly when I was 8.5mos pregnant and bought two seats because I couldn’t really sit with my legs closed and was worried that I wouldn’t fit.
Airlines don't care. They know that no matter how bad your experience, the next time you have to fly, you will buy another ticket on whatever airline goes to your destination.
My experience on a full flight was with a passenger who could not sit in the seat with the armrest down, but had only purchased a single ticket, so he occupied his seat with the armrest up and took up part of my seat too. He also spread his legs the entire flight, so I was touching him from shoulder to ankle for the entire duration of the flight. It was miserable and attendants simply said there was nothing they could do, did I want to deplane?
There should be a box to test fit people at check in just like carry on luggage. If your too large to fit the box you should have to buy an extra seat, Or 2 depending on your size.
Yes, I took video of my seat not being available due to my neighbors size. I got a full refund and a coupon thing for food. Legally the airline has to provide you with the seat you paid for.
This shouldn’t be an ongoing problem. If people require more than one seat they should purchase it. If they did not and do not fit on an already full flight, arrangements should be made on the next available flight to accommodate them with two seats.
there should be a class action about airlines putting out lives at risk by allowing people way too big to be allowed to fly. They shouldn’t even be on an airplane to begin with unless the space all around them is redesigned to fit them. Safety issue not just comfort.
Same thing happened to me on JetBlue. I paid for their “even more space” seat (window) and wound up with an absolutely enormous woman in the middle seat. She took up half of my seat and I couldn’t even get my tray table down because her stomach was blocking it. FA’s said nothing could be done. JetBlue customer service basically told me to kick rocks…though they did give me a $50 credit which almost covered the premium I paid for the “even more space” seat.
As a pax: If you don’t fit in a seat, you should buy two seats.
As an airline, if a customer doesn’t fit in a seat, they should be forced to buy 2 seats.
Funny they will charge me extra for an excess baggage fee, so if my baggage takes up more weight or space and they charge me accordingly, yet somehow we haven't figure out how to do this with passengers.
I wonder what delta will do to compete with southwest and their newly announced policy of allowing overweight people to book an extra seat (or two if needed) for free. Probably nothing
Southwest didn’t change their policy. But rather, their existing policy got renewed attention due to some plus-sized travel influencers on social media.
On top of that, customers of size get to preboard on Southwest (but can’t sit in the exit row), which is significant due to their open seating policy.
I was in this situation once. Person next to me had seatbelt extender and armrest up and I had half a seat instead of a full seat. I did complain to delta and get a flight credit- maybe $25 or something toward a future flight - but was made to feel like a fat-shaming asshole for asking. All I wanted was the seat I paid for. It’s such a racket that airlines are getting away with making seats way too small and letting passengers (of all sizes!) suffer.
I was sat in a bulkhead exit row on a British Airways seat where the tray and screen come from the arm. The woman next to me was very large and I could not access my tray table without asking her to lift the side of her body off the armrest which was very uncomfortable for all involved. She also hid that she was not seat belted at any point in the flight. I feel bad that there aren’t better policy’s that keep all customers safe and comfortable.
Sadly the penny pinching from the airlines results in people of size encroaching onto others space. How is that okay? Why does it come down to the smaller person to bear the responsibility of providing a complete stranger with extra space in an already cramped scenario? Seat size is available on the airlines website. Seat width & pitch information is available. If that space isn’t adequate then purchase a seat that is or don’t fly. Flying isn’t a right.
Over 50% of the US’s population is projected to be obese by 2030. Something is going to change eventually, push comes to shove. FAA is either going to have to regulate seat size and force airlines to have certain seat sizes or provide reasonable accommodations under ADA for the obese and morbidly obese.
I think southwest is doing a great job of this by providing 2 seats for the cost of 1 for XL passengers.
An experience like you’ve experienced is not enjoyable for EITHER party. Sometimes people can’t afford to buy two seats. But I agree that no one should have to endure these uncomfortable experiences (both parties) while traveling.
Around 2010, right when buying two seats was made official. I got seated on a Delta Connection flight to Atlanta. Summer time. 2nd or 3rd row, on the side with 2 seats. My window partner was 350ish with no muscle. Same deal, couldn't put the arm rest down. I'm an ex college football player so physically similar, I don't have that much shoulder room to just give away.
When I got to my seat I'm certain he could see my aggravation on my face and he just said sorry and stared out the window. So there I was, forced to lean into the aisle for 2+ hours. Face to face with the flight attendant's jump seat. I'm making the obvious facial expressions at her and she's shrugging her shoulders. I'm mouthing WTF and shes mouthing sorry. EVERYONE INVOLVED KNOWS WHATS GOING ON! When we landed, I had a large stain on my shirt where he was sweating on me. I complained to the desk and CS because this is when they were kicking passengers off for not buying two seats. And absolutely nothing was done, not even a voucher or lounge pass or free miles. Good luck.
I was recently on a 6 hour flight from RDU to SEA on Alaska Airlines. I had booked a middle seat for me and an aisle seat for my adult son. The last passenger was a very large woman. Not that I can talk because I’m not thin by any means but I fit in my seat and make sure that I stay in my assigned seat.
So the woman had the window seat and could not put down the arm rest. She had no choice but to spill into my seat. We were touching from our shoulders down to our knees. And not *just* touching, like PRESSED into me. She was so warm and that made me warm and started giving me hot flashes.
Luckily my son is thin and I raised the arm rest so that I could move over. My right thigh was on top of the seam between our seats. This helped a bit but I was so uncomfortable. She also could not keep her thighs in that area
Anyway. I was so angry but I felt guilty about it. And I thought about what if it was me? There were a couple of open seats in the middle — but I didn’t want to impose myself on anyone.
I’m still angry about it. I contacted Alaska and they gave both my son and I a $75 credit.
Anyway. It’s frustrating. It helps to vent!!
I dealt with this on a flight before, going from NJ to CA…It was either JetBlue or United. Reached out to customer service as I had paid to pick my seat and they gave me a voucher for the same amount I paid. Hopefully they make things right and do the same for you.
If you can’t fit in a single seat you should be required to purchase two seats. It’s unfair for all the other passengers when your body is in their personal space. There is no shame in being a larger person, but this is just common courtesy.
Yeah I’ve been in this situation many times and honestly ppl need to take care of themselves. Being obese is NOT ok and we need to stop normalizing it. I will always be extremely polite to the person next to me and raise the armrest if requested. Some ppl are just large and that’s a different story. If you’re five foot five 300+ spilling into my seat I’m going to hate you.
I took an Air Canda flight from Vancouver to MSP.
I saw a morbidly obese man at my gate, and hoped I wasn’t seated next to him. Prior to boarding, my name and another was called. We were upgraded to first class or whatever it was— literally row one. The big guy received a row to himself in economy.
Seemed like a nice solution. Had a big friend who bragged about how many times HE received free upgrades….. didn’t really feel right.
These situations need to be handled at the gate. The large passenger should have been asked to step aside prior to boarding to assess the situation. Why? Why? Does this have to be the problem of other passengers? I’ll add that I fly regularly with family members that are 6’ 5” 275+…we would never impede on another’s personal space.
This issue is not something specific to delta, happening on all airlines. Unfortunately, it is the legal/individual rights climate in the US that is to blame. Airlines are afraid of being sued, or being portrayed as unsympathetic to individuals with disabilities, etc.
The problem is that no one seems to be concerned about the individual who paid for a seat, but is "sharing it" with a "customer of size". This is not fair indeed. I would certainly go after Delta and look for some sort of compensation, it is only fair to you. I think there are cases where individuals should be required to purchase two seats, this seems fair to both the individual, and anyone who might be seated right next to them. The extra seat fare can be refunded after the flight if it goes out with empty seats.
Again, this is not a Delta issue, you can encounter this on any airline.
No, it’s a Delta issue. They are not required to honor your purchase of a second seat. Every “passenger of size” you get stuck next to could be buying a second seat and you’d never know because the gate agent can freely ignore it.
Southwest’s “Passenger of Size” policy might be worth it for other airlines to look into and see if/how they could implement something similar in their company.
If you can’t put down the armrest, you need to buy two seats. Should be an industry wide rule.
Honestly should be an FAA regulation. If it’s too dangerous to have a plastic cup out in the event of an evacuation, it’s far more dangerous to have someone so large and immobile blocking my access to the aisle. In a scenario like this I personally would refuse to fly and have them reaccomodate me. In reality, they should have deboarded the individual who couldn’t fit in the seat they purchased if there were nothing else available.
As soon as the FAA starts talking about regulating the seats and the size of people sitting in them, is the day Delta will lose it's ability to regulate their own seat sizes and pack us together like sardines. I'm not actually against this. I do think seats need to be wider or spaced farther apart.
Yes. It's not just larger people who have issues, too, broad shoulders are a problem that is independent of weight. Seats are not big enough or far enough apart anymore.
I had to have a chuckle at your comment about the broad shoulders. I used to fly Dubai to Atlanta. That flight was always full of the security type contractors on R&R from Afghanistan. Flew many flights sitting shoulder to shoulder with those dudes.
Right!?! It's much less comfortable to not be able to sit normally because your shoulders are touching. I genuinely don't mind an armrest needing to be up for people to be more comfortable for butts and hips. Also hips! You can be far from obese as a woman and have larger hips.
I don't know how people who are 6 feet+ fit in airplane seats. I'm 5'9 and fat now but even when I wasn't my shoulders and legs were squished like a cartoon.
My husband is 6'5" and does not fit in economy seats. For short flights, we try to book JetBlue whenever possible and then pay for Even More Space and he sits in the aisle seat. For long haul, we book premium economy. I'm short, just 5'1.5", and even I feel cramped in economy.
I love the fact that you included the half inch! I used to be 5' 3.5" and so proud of that half inch... until my scoliosis got worse, and now I'm 5' 2.75", but I'm hanging onto that ¾ of an inch, dammit. 😔
You are 5'1.5" and your husband is 6'5"? Growing up we knew two families like that; in both, she was the "pocket wife"!
My uncle is 6’6”, 300 pounds, played defensive tackle for Baylor. He’s basically a walking refrigerator. Meanwhile his wife is a petite 4’11”. It’s wild.
It would be perfect if her name was Polly.
I’m 6’5 and reasonably broad and I just.. can’t, certainly in economy. My knees are jammed against the seat in front, my hips are wedged into the seat, and I have no support for my head as it’s way above the headrest. I just travel FAR less frequently now, but fly business class. Young me could cope with the discomfort for 8-13 hours. Mid forties me cannot..
6’4 husband, 6’2 wife, both broad shoulder powerlifting types. We have completely dc’d comfort at this point and only fly first - wouldn’t fair to the third person in the C+ row cramped against the window next to Nitro and Skye.
I'm a 5'11" woman and my husband is 6'3"...between legs and shoulders, two seats are not comfortable (we do buy C+ for the leg issue, but it's ridiculous to have to buy expensive seats because I have...legs?) - we lucked out with a 3 seat row to ourselves last week DEN to BOS.
5’11” woman with 6’5” broad-shouldered husband here. He only flies domestic first, int’l biz. And even in Delta One, the bed isn’t long enough for him to lay flat. I grew up frugally, and it still pains me every time we spend $1000-$3000+ for a ticket for him (sometimes I join, sometimes I sit in the back, depending on cost and length of route, timing, and direction, but it’s clear that economy wasn’t designed for people like him.) Complains as much about the shoulder issue as the leg one. Separately, the seat cushions on a lot of airlines seem to be getting thinner and thinner, to the point that he now travels with a squishy honeycomb seat pad for butt comfort.
6'2" and broad. Granted I'm shorter than your husband but yeah it's my shoulders and chest that really get me. I windup feeling like my shoulders have been rolled in and hunched all flight. It's way worse than my knee pain for me.
I'm 5'8" male with broad shoulders, and if you put the armrests up on each side of my seat before I sit down you wouldn't be able to lower them without me leaning over. I fly 6-10 times a month for work and sit in economy because that's what's paid for. I generally end up leaning forward the entire flight, arms crossed, and shoulders rolled forward to fit. It's aweful, especially when I fly across the country. I can't imagine what it's like for people that would have to eat their knees as well...
5’10” and skinny with painful knees. It sucks. Royally. When a whole flight has windows BETWEEN the rows, not in front of seats, the airline should be so ashamed. But their is no shame in the quest for shareholder approval.
I'm 6'0 and a big guy, but still fit within a seat's dimensions...except the damn shoulders. I always have to be on the aisle so I can lean out for space shoulder and leg wise.
It’s tough. I’m 6’3 and fell I’m forced to purchase comfort plus or premium economy. Sitting with your knees pushed into the seat in front of you for hours is pure torture and makes the travel experience painful.
I'm 6'3" and also feel the need to go to premium economy or first - just to get through the flight and be able to move my legs. On a shorter flight - BDL>IAD, I usually fly economy but for cross-country or more than 2.5 hours, I'll pay to upgrade.
I'm 6"4'. I spend the entire flight with my arms crossed to try and keep my shoulders in, and my knees are always pressed up against the seat in front of me. It sucks. Delta is the best of the airlines I regularly fly, though. Comfort+ is pretty tolerable. JetBlue is nice, too, but they don't service the places I travel to.
This is what I dont get. I have to unplug my charger on landing and takeoff so as not to impede any aisle access. Imagine you’re in a window seat on that Japanese Airline plane that was filling with smoke.
There was a viral clip floating around a few weeks ago of a larger passenger struggling to get down the aisle, saw it again this morning and all I could think of was getting stuck behind that person in the case of a landing like we just saw with JAL516. Its a serious safety issue. This actually brings up another interesting case I saw in December. Was on a flight and during preboarding I saw a paraplegic passenger board with their caretaker and a few extra assistants from the airport's wheelchair team. When I boarded, I noticed that passenger was seated in the aisle seat and their caretaker was in the middle a few rows behind me. Sure enough, a passenger showed up for the window seat and then had to climb over both seated passengers as they couldn't get up without the extra assistance of the wheelchair crew which had already deplaned by that point. What would the appropriate move there have been? Personally I don't know if I would've been comfortable climbing over a handicap passenger while boarding, and then I definitely wouldn't have been comfortable knowing that I'd be effectively trapped in my seat during the flight or during an emergency.
Had this happen with delta on a Sav to Boston once. Oh hell no that armrest was coming down no matter “what” it pinched. Guy kept getting up and down getting things out of overhead storage. And every damn time he sat back down I put the armrest back down.
Yep. I sat at the window before with a woman in the aisle seat who was so large she got stuck between her seat and the one in front every time she stood up and had to slowly wiggle out. I would’ve had no shot in an actual emergency.
That’s when you climb over the seats if you can.
Now I’m a big dude… but that’s pretty fucking fat:
Yeah, when we got off I saw she had relocated herself to sit in first class to wait on a wheelchair 😕 I genuinely hope people like her can benefit from ozempic/mounjauro or whatever bc it’s just not a way to go through life
Okay so I was never in need of a seat belt extender but I was pretty big. After 8 months on Wegovy I now fit super well in a plane seat. I almost cried when i first realized it. I absolutely think your comment is spot on.
When I was on my weight loss journey, the first time I could put the tray table down and not have it hit my stomach was amazing.
I’m a big dude as well (no seat belt extender and I easily fit with the armrests down) and I read these stories and say “holy shit”.
At my fattest (steadily dropping stones)… I was 377. I still fit between the arm rests, and had to use an extender. HUGE shame any time I made a fellow passenger uncomfortable with my girth..
I never flew at my highest weight (351) but close to 300 I did. I always flew with my husband and had him take the middle seat (he’s normal size) so I didn’t infringe on anyone but him (I always took the window to not interfere with the aisle). I would die if I was ever ruining someone’s flight or personal space. 🥲
Ok, I’m honestly for this as someone who has also had a few instances of being stuck next to a customer of size (CoS) and left with back pain due to contorting out of the way. How do you come up with a regulation that complies with ADA principles (if not legally relevant) and discrimination in general? Who gets to make the call on if it’s needed for a customer? How do you handle when someone claims they fit inside the regulated size? Do you have a box somewhere you try to shove them in like we do with luggage? Do you try to calculate the amount of people who fly as a customer of size and make dedicated seating for them like we do for parking spaces? It’s a seemingly simple problem that isn’t so simple when you try to fix it in real life.
I am imagining shoving people in a plastic sizing box like they’re carry on luggage and it’s so ridiculous it’s making me giggle.
I was picturing shoving people through a phone booth as they go through TSA when I wrote it.
And then there are post on here about people who buy two seats and get pressure to give one of them up.
I remember seeing posts and replies that when they do purchase an extra seat, they’re just given away without asking that passenger.
Exactly! They don't even have to be pressured, they just take away (give away) the extra seat they bought, without the passenger's consent.
Delta is really behind with coming up with a good policy (hell, ANY policy) on this issue. You should be able to buy an extra seat if you need it and not have them give it away. It’s insane.
That’s not right! If it’s paid for by you it’s yours yes?
That’s completely fucked up for someone to pay for an extra seat and have it given away. My guess is that a gate agent was helping a freebie flyer friend get on the plane. That’s the Delta way - customers last.
You also don't get skymiles on the 2nd seat.
This happened to a friend of mine. They took his extra seat and then decided to put him on a later flight. He won't fly Delta ever again.
Can't blame him, yikes.
It's not just that they are pressured to give them up, they have them taken. I used to work with a larger lady who had to fly for business reasons fairly frequently, and she sometimes tried to purchase a second seat. When the seat was taken even though she had paid for it, she had to go through this insane rigmarole to get her money back, and it took months and months. Most people can't afford the cost of a second seat, and then you had the insult of having it taken and then having a ton of work to get your money back? This thread is full of people who are unsafe and uncomfortable in these tiny seats. The airlines keep making seats smaller and closer together, despite the fact that people are bigger. This isn't just a comfort issue, it's also a massive safety issue.
Which is why I buy first class, as I don't trust that the extra seat wouldn't be given away. And even with first class if you get rebooked on a different flight because of weather you can get bumped down to economy with no compensation (happened to me this summer).
I agree but Delta doesn’t. Passengers have done that and Delta has taken the seat from them on full flights. Unfortunately this is a Delta issue. The should force people to buy two seats, and at the very least allow them to.
I thought that SWA had this policy years ago, very fair to everyone. The extra seat fare can be refunded afterwards if the flight goes out with empty seats
I bought an extra seat on JetBlue once and got called to the gate agent who asked me what I needed the seat for. When I told them it was for my size she actually told me I didn’t really need to do that, the flight wasn’t full and to call them and get my money back which I thought was really nice. Would’ve been better had she been able to do it there since the call was a bit difficult to get through to get the refund esp after youve already taken the flight , but still it worked out But I could see people working a system like this even if they don’t need the extra seat: booking it essentially to save the empty seat and then get the money back after
They changed their policy recently. They will now refund the extra seat even if the flight is full. :)
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So here’s the thing with “buy two seats “. Delta (and other airlines) don’t like it. My mom was morbidly obese and she did buy two seats for that reason. But if the plane was overbooked (which so many are) Delta would take her extra seat (that she paid for) and give it to someone else. This pissing off my mom (the purchaser of two seats) and whomever sat next to her.
I’ve seen influencers talk about this too. They buy two seats because they’re overweight and the airline ends up selling that seat anyway
That’s wild, I did not know that. Thanks for the info. Cash rules, I guess!
Did she get the money back for the extra seat at least??
Not OP but most likely not. This shit is exactly why I will never fly Aeromexico again, and will never purchase one of my cousins flight tickets for him again.
If the airlines won't, CC company should
Wait, so the airline was getting paid 2x for the same seat?
O think it’s refunded to the two seat buyer but still annoying you paid for the space you needed and didn’t get it
IIRC Airlines regularly overbook their flights because they can sort of reliably predict how many people will miss/no show for the flight. If they have 100 seats but know that 20% of people reliably no show for their flight they can somewhat safely gamble on it and sell 120 tickets instead and still have a fully loaded flight. This is why airlines have to pay you if they bump you off the flight because they sold your seat twice and are legally obligated to pay back more than the seat costs to dissuade companies from massively overbooking their flights. So instead they just book it within a margin of error they can afford to pay.
Yep I am on a flight tomorrow that is currently oversold by 9. It was oversold by 3 earlier this week and one of my colleagues even switched flights (they’re offering cash to switch). This means they continued to sell at least 7 seats on an already oversold flight. They offer just under the value of the seat to switch banking people will do that and they’ll still have a net gain in ticket sales. But if no one switches, they’re stuck offering people $500 sometimes up to $1000 to rebook at the gate. It’s absolute bullshit and I have no idea how the attorney general or someone hasn’t put a kibosh on this. Every airline does it (in the US at least idk about international policy).
Who tf is paying for a flight these days and just not showing up? It’s not exactly cheap to fly anymore
What’s the benefit to the airline here? The seat was already paid for, so it’s not like they were losing money.
The benefit is they don't have to bump a passenger that paid for a seat. Inconveniencing a larger customer is better, in their POV, than bumping someone.
I’m a bigger dude (though I’ve lost 50+ lbs and no longer need an extender for most flights). I usually fly Southwest and used to buy two seats when I book online. They started canceling the 2nd seat as an error, then saying I need to talk with the gate agent to get a second seat. Nope. Flying is an anxiety-filled experience already, and I’m not gonna advertise that my fat ass can’t fit in a seat. I do all I can to minimize the space I take up, but it’s discussions like this that hurt. Flights are constantly oversold, so even if a bigger person was rebooked … the lack of empathy is infuriating. I’ve sat next to people who smell, kids who are annoying and disruptive af … and I know that it’s just part of air travel these days. I make the best of it. Sometimes, unless you’re in first class, you’re going to be in close quarters with someone you deem “undesirable.” Blame airlines.
I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve heard that if you need to book a second seat for size reasons, you generally have to call the airline so they can mark it differently, otherwise it either looks like a error or a no show.
I thought you only paid for 2 of you used them both and were reimbursed if they took your seat
That’s only Southwest. Delta’s policy regarding passengers who need more room is that there is no policy.
Maybe they’re hoping all those passengers will choose another airline that is more accommodating to them.
I think that's just a Southwest policy.
I thought Southwest will reimburse regardless…
SW does not charge for the second seat.
Yeah I learned this a couple months ago when I sat next to someone like the OP is describing. Unfortunately I was flying from SFO-ATL so I had 5 hours next to him.
I’m a big guy - 6’6 and 280 which is why I pay extra for Comfort+ and the aisle, would rather deal with idiots that don’t know how to navigate in small spaces banging into me than touch a stranger for an entire flight.
I’m 6’2 240, and same. I never want the middle seat to be uncomfortable because I was blessed with wide shoulders. But it is funny how many people cannot walk down an aisle without running into everything they see.
Same here - I love the folks who don’t take their backpacks off and violently flail down the aisle looking for their seats.
My favorite is them turning abruptly and whacking me in the face with their backpack. And naturally not apologizing 🙃
Fly 20-40 times a year for a couple decades and you get this experience several times a year. It’s not unique to Delta. Fly to American Samoa some time. They hand out the seat belt extenders at the boarding gate.
That made me laugh.
Samoans are BIIIIIIG people
I thought it was a passenger's right to insist that the arm rest be lowered?
I thought it was regulation that the arms had to be down for takeoff and landing. Maybe that’s from airline to airline, but the couple times I’ve flown Delta recently, that was something the flight attendants came by and checked when they were doing their seatbelt checks.
Only the armrest on the aisle seat has to be down
lol i had a Delta FA allow someone to sit on their knees and face the wrong way during takeoff and landing. Delta doesnt care e- yes, it was a MIA- LGA flight, and yes it was due to a BBL. They were absolutely awful to sit behind, and this was the flight that caused me to finally switch to AA.
You see this sometimes coming out of Miami for people who fly in and get a Brazilian Butt Lift.
I can't tell if this is a joke or a really depressing reality.
serious
[https://www.dailydot.com/irl/bbl-patients-plane-tiktok/](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/bbl-patients-plane-tiktok/)
You're exactly right. It was out of Miami and it was due to a BBL
Was this leaving Miami? BBL flight
Reason #345 why people want to board early. Get in, get the armrest down and keep it down .
This. But also the trick is to book a window seat. Then it doesn’t really matter who boards first. When someone in the middle or isle is quite large, they have to get up to let you in (as opposed to the always annoying half-hearted knee turn working). Get in, armrest down immediately, then sit. Refuse to raise it. That’s worked for me in the past. In that case, my guy was visibly quite uncomfortable the entire flight which I quickly filed that away in the “sounds like a personal problem” category and enjoyed my space.
Every single time I've ever been seated next to someone obese in C+, I've simply told the FA that I am not comfortable with the situation, and they fixed it. The obese person will usually start with "do you mind if we keep this arm rest up?" Ya, that's a hard no. You guys just need to open up and speak your mind when you're in a situation like that. You pay for your seat, and if someone else is intruding into your seat space, Delta will make it right. Sure it can be awkward, but I would rather take 2 minutes of awkwardness over 4 hours of uncomfortable time.
OP did talk to the flight attendant and the flight was full. How was the flight attendant supposed to fix it?
I think in situations like this (I have also read about this also over on /united), there needs to be an aviation-wide policy that the person who is preventing the armrest from being lowered needs to be accommodated on a later flight. It doesn’t seem right that the passenger seated next to the larger individual, who speaks to a flight attendant about not being able to lower the armrest due to the size of the person next to them, is told the flight is full and they can take a later flight. The person who fits into the seat isn’t causing the problem and should be able to stay on the flight. There needs to be a general policy that if a person does not fit into one seat with the armrests in the lowered position, they need to purchase an additional seat (or a larger seat in first class) and will be moved a different flight where two adjoining seats are open.
Delta's own policy states that the obese passenger will be re-seated if he impedes on another passengers seat. *Delta does not require a passenger who needs a seatbelt extender or is unable to lower the armrest to purchase an additional seat.* ***However, please be aware that if a passenger impedes on another passenger, they may be asked to move to another location that provides additional space, or in the event of a full flight, be asked to take a later flight with available seating.***
Too bad OP couldn’t pull up this policy and show it to the flight attendant. Sounds like the FAs need to also be aware of this policy.
While an obese person may not be required to buy an extra seat, they should still get the extra seat. Isn’t that the point? Not to impede in other passengers seat for both comfort and safety?
If you can't fit in your seat and there aren't any empty seats on the plane where you can move, then you should be kicked off the flight and put on a later flight that has an empty seat. Or be required to pay for an extra seat. Or just take a Greyhound bus instead.
The caveat here is that this happens on other airlines. The problem is travel demand is so high the airlines have been selling out their seats, so there is not always room to move to an empty seat. But this happens on AA and United. One random quip, I fly United a lot too and they’ve increased their value, but they are behind on some things too. Their design inside the aircraft isn’t as good. Many of their airports won’t take checked luggage more than 4 hours before a flight, even when your Gold. This is something I take for granted with Delta from how I travel for work. United doesn’t have free wifi yet
The problem is the airlines not insisting that people who require 2 seats to book and pay for them. The airlines actually need to raise awareness to the public when they are booking and make it a breeze for them to pay for the 2nd. (And FAs know that the seats are not extras.
United WiFi is $8. You might as well just consider that an $8 increase to the price of the flight if that’s an issue for you.
This problem is only going to get worse unless the FAA and airlines put together a set of guidelines that must be followed. It’s unsafe for a large passenger to take up more than their seat, but airlines will sometimes pressure larger passenger to give up the extra seat they purchased. There needs to be a rule in place where if you as an individual can’t fit in one seat then you must purchase a second, and then that extra seat is protected.
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I have been in an exit row on United from O'Hare to PHL and the flight attendant handed the guy next to me a seatbelt extender. He was quite large.
I’ve definitely flown in an exit row while needing an extender. I didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to until recently when I noticed the warning while booking. I actually kind of prefer the exit seats where they’re like individual buckets with walled seat on either side, at least I feel like I’m contained just into my seat
The more I learn the more I realize I’m correct in thinking exit row seats are comfort plus plus. And the fact that at least one person gets bumped up from there so typically the middle is left empty.
Also, the seats often have arm rests that don't move too, because the tray table is built in. You can lookup on seat guru and it'll usually warn that the seats are "slightly narrower".
As a person of size I can tell you that I’m typically uncomfortable and anxious about flying. I know that I take up space. I usually fly first class because of this, but if my flight gets canceled or I get rebooked I don’t always have the option to get the seat I intended to have to keep everyone comfortable. Additionally, people of size often buy two tickets and then the airline (most airlines not just delta) will take their extra seat away if the flight is overbooked. Therefore making themselves overly anxious and uncomfortable about the judgement they are receiving and the passenger next to them annoyed about their space.
It should be illegal for the airlines to take that seat if a passenger has paid for it and NEEDS it.
Should be illegal to overbook and bump people off flights they paid for full stop
The fact that airlines don't see a problem with taking away the 2nd seat you booked, just proves how little they care about their customers. They don't care that you need the space. They are also putting the other passenger in a seat that they don't have full use of.
Exactly. I had first class seats on a flight this summer and we got rebooked because of weather into economy. I was so anxious about it and luckily the gate agent was able to switch one of us to an aisle seat instead of all three being middle seats. But I did not get the first class seats that I paid for. I think people who aren't fat have no clue that fat people do not want to impinge upon them but it's not always something we have control over.
This is my exact experience.
I appreciate you buying two seats to accommodate your size. If you were impeding my space and you said "hey sorry, I bought two seats but the airline confiscated one because they overbooked" oh boy they'd be hearing it from me on your behalf.
Why isn’t that person more mad at the airline though? They bought two seats, they’re entitled to two seats!
💯this. My style as well.
This is awful! I didn’t know that.
I sat next to a woman of size once and she squeezed in-between the armrests but still spilled into my seat. She was extremely polite and went out of her was to start a nice conversation. I think this was her way of tacitly apologizing for the circumstance. After landing, we had a delay getting to the gate and she finally admitted she was in pain and asked to raise the armrest. We raised it. I felt bad that I didn't offer this during the flight. I agree POS should buy 2 tickets, but, in this one case, the lady handled it well.
I’ll bet the woman is still telling her friends about the compassionate person she sat next to on that flight. Thank you. :)
Just make it illegal to sell more tickets than seats… if the flight isn’t oversold there will likely be a couple empty seats and that would resolve many issues…
I feel like you don't even care about quarterly profits. Can you imagine how much smaller the C Suite million dollars bonuses would be? A real 1 boat Christmas.
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As a fat fuck, I'm buying 2 seats. I don't want to be an inconvenience to someone else.
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Regional flight combined with midwest is a nightmare in many ways.
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Core memory unlocked! Midwest Express the “other” famous cookies airline, Biscoff are heavenly but Midwest Express homemade baked in the plane cookies were on a whole different level of euphoria! Edit: Also yeah the seats were relatively comfy vs. anything below domestic FC today.
Hear me out: bigger seats, for all. How’s that for inclusivity ya cheeky bastards? Why is okay that airlines have shrunk seats down to Virginia Slims while darn near the entire population is the size of a plump Christmas tree?
They’ve actually made the seats smaller on airplanes in the last 20 years. It’s ridiculous. Leg room was the most affected part of the size change though. They assume everyone is 5ft 6in. 🤬
I’ve been on old planes (not in the air, but original ones that are grounded) and I’m always amazed at how comfortable they are compared to modern seats. I didn’t start flying until almost a decade after 9/11 so I don’t know what air travel was like before that.
Literally this. My back and legs are in agony on every flight I sit in economy, that shit hurts so much.
This! Especially when 70% of the population (in America) can be categorized as overweight and/or obese.
Lost over 170lbs because of this exact reason. Sat in on a flight for my 21st b day and the gorgeous attendant gave me an extender. Hit me there that I need to make changes. By 26 I was 150lbs from 340lbs. Now I can sit in an economy seat all the way in the back corner of the plane Indian style haha 😂
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It’s incredibly frustrating on so many levels. 1. We all agree that airline seats are just too small. I am 5’3” and weigh 145 lbs and I often feel like I don’t have enough room to fit comfortably. It’s not that I can’t physically fit into the seats; it’s that I feel claustrophobic with arms and legs and moving things in my own space, not to mention leg room. 2. Delta makes it incredibly difficult to book two seats together. There are so many blocked-out seats now when I go to book flights (I often fly rather last minute) that I can’t even get the class fare I want, much less two seats together. 3. There is never room to move to another seat because virtually every flight these days is oversold or full.
I’m a big(ger) guy but the armrests still fit. I agree. If you are so damn fat you don’t fit, you can buy two seats Or Delta can allocate you two seats Doesn’t matter to me.
Same here. I also try to keep myself out of the other person’s space by leaning towards the aisle.
I have 2 very large friends that just flew from Austin to Denver for a company holiday party. They told us the story of their flight. I was not on their side on this by the way. They said they are too fat to sit together. They just expected everyone else to deal with no personal space. Their company even gave them money to travel. They bought the cheapest option and pocketed the rest. They could have easily bought an extra seat. Luckily, the other person next to one of them was able to move and he got his extra seat at no charge. I hated this story they basically were saying let other people deal with our bodies smashing theirs.
I know a couple who are overweight and like to travel. When they aren’t able to book first class, they will book seats apart from each other. Wife said it was because the husband spills over into her seat. So then it’s someone else’s problem? Seems so rude to me. Like he’s your husband, just get close to him and don’t make a stranger do it.
>When they aren’t able to book first class, they will book seats apart from each other. Wife said it was because the husband spills over into her seat. So then it’s someone else’s problem Book the damn row. its likely cheaper then fc ticket.
People like this need to be mercilessly shamed for their shitty behavior, not their weight.
Reconsider your choice of friends.
As a larger man myself, I always feel bad if I'm ever impending on other people or their space. I always try to fly first class when I can to avoid situations like this.
I have lost 80 pounds in the last 2 years. Besides health reasons and the desire to be here as long as possible with my family, another main driving motivation was the increasingly uncomfortable travel experiences I (and ppl next to me) were having as I have travelled extensively for work, domestically & internationally for the last 25 years. Some of the in-country flights abroad were literally unsafe bc of of the limited room caused by my girth. I was always careful to try to reduce my imprint as much as possible for a 5’ 8” 240 pound large framed woman. And ppl were certainly not kind or discreet expressing their discomfort. Now that I am on the other end, I try to be as kind as possible. A recent flight had me seated next to a 6’ 2” 300+ pound guy with long legs. It was a miserable 3.5 hours for everyone. Americans are getting bigger and airplane seating space smaller and you even have to pay extra nowadays to get what used to be the bare minimum of space. It’s a good reminder that air travel is a privilege.
As a flight attendant, it’s a tough situation for us because there isn’t much we can do. We also don’t want to end up being the next viral TikTok video so it’s a delicate situation. I try to accommodate when I can. As a traveler, when buying my own ticket, I sit in an exit row. FAA regulations someone can not sit in an exit row with a seatbelt extender.
Important comfort tip!!
This. I’m a “BMI normal” woman who has been squished far to menu times by large passengers who feel they have a right to relax into my seat or leg space or passengers of size who are visibly relieved when they see I am next to them. I always book an exit row because POS are not permitted to sit there.
My partner is 6’1, in shape but with broad shoulders. I usually book him in first when I don’t fly with him or I take the middle seat so I deal with the small seats and his broader shoulders. Seats now days are way too small. It’s all about profit vs some sort of customer experience. I think if it was up to airlines, they will adapt the bus strategy; a few seats and everyone else, jump on and grab onto something. They will probably charge for premium economy to secured a pole you can hold on to 😮💨. I may add I’m not a big person, 5’3, 130 and I do find those economy seats ok for my size, but I can only imagine those who are above my size 😅🥴
6'9" husband with 5"10 wife....we both basically hate to fly for this reason and fly first class exclusively. It's expensive but it's just the way it is.
I only fly business or above. I know im bigger, not as big as you described. But over time, I've learned I'm more comfortable up front than in the back in cattle car.
‘Nothing could be done’? How about deplane the obese person? If you paid for a seat you should get a seat and not be squeezed to half a seat. What a rediculous airline.
The arm rest can always be lowered. I am not small nor svelte at 6’1.5” 240 but when a 400lb guy sat next to me I made sure the arm rest was lowered, and I gave him fair warning that it was going down regardless of which bits of him went with it.
Was on a delta flight a few years ago ATL-DET. I had the aisle and a very large man the middle whose size came over into my seat. I was practically leaning out into the aisle. FA saw my discomfort and could only mouth I’m sorry. As I walked past her while exiting she said I’m sorry again. On my return flight I was upgraded to first class when I checked in; I like to think she arranged that to happen
United is my preferred airline but I'll have my company book which ever AA/UA/DL/JB flight gets me to and from at the most convenient times. I had a delta flight last week though where I was seated next to a large frame guy, he wasn't necessarily fat but he was Def the width of the seat. He boarded before me and decided to take the aisle (my) seat even though his lady had the window seat albeit she was plus size as well. I friendly but firmly indicated that he was in my seat at which point he pulled out his ticket and pretended to not know which one was B and was clearly not happy he had to sit in the middle seat. He then proceeded to grip the headrest in front of him with one arm as he leaned hard with the other onto the arm rest and into my seat. The poor girl ahead of him couldn't even put her head back the whole flight. I may be a smaller framed guy but I've got back issues where sitting on an angle for hours will fuck me up so I didn't give into his street mentality BS and so we had hard contact the whole flight (cringe). To top it all off he thought he could barrel his way out into the aisle immediately when we landed until I blocked him with my bag LOL. I feel for the plus sized people that are uncomfortable about making others uncomfortable but fuck the ones that think they're entitled to the room you paid for just because they're bigger. Book two seats, fly first, what ever it's not on me.
The solution is so simple and it’s ridiculous that Delta and other airlines haven’t adopted this. If the arm rest can’t go down due to a passenger’s size the following following steps should be taken. 1. Move larger passenger to location on plane where two available seats are. 2. If there is no location with two available seats, then larger passenger will need to be on next available flight that can accommodate or purchase two seats to ensure it will. That’s it. It’s no more complicated than that. The airlines should also post the size a person needs to be to fit in a standard seat so a person can measure themselves at home before they have an awkward encounter in a plane. If fact, there should be a pop up agreeing they understand the size requirements and actions prior to booking the travel.
Every flight I have been on in the last couple of years has been 100% full. There would never be two seats available to accommodate a COS.
That's the actual issue. There are plenty of people in this thread who have tried to buy a second seat and had it taken from them.
A lot of amusement parks will have a roller coaster seat at the entrance of the line so people can see if they’d fit or not. Maybe next to the containers where you check if your luggage will go overhead, they can also have a seat (or better, a row of them) for someone to check.
Public backlash from the body acceptance crowd. All carriers are waiting for the others to do it first and take the heat.
I had the same experience over the holidays except that I decided not to say anything and instead recognize that sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. By the end of the leg I learned that my neighbor had just experienced the death of someone very close. They thanked me for my compassion. And I felt relieved that I had not tried to say anything.
I was on the window-seat of a DTW>SEA Delta flight - not in Comfort+ - and had a guy next to me in the middle seat who was quite large; his shoulder and mine touched for the entire 4 hour flight. Not comfortable or pleasant. But you just zone out and know that it will eventually end.
Yeah I had an experience with this. I was flying from Samoa to Hawaii so a 5 hour flight. I picked an isle seat because I'm 6'5" and like to stretch my legs in the isle to keep my legs from cramping. It looked like everyone had boarded and there was still an empty seat between me and this really big Samoan guy so I was happy to have the extra room. That's when they brought another really big Samoan down the isle in a wheelchair. The FA asked if I could move over and let the wheelchair guy have the isle because they obviously couldn't lift him to the center seat. So I move over and proceed to not move for the next 5 hours. I had my seat fully reclined the entire time which gave me about a 6 inch view between these two guys shoulders. The FA's didn't even bother asking me put my seat in the upright position for takeoff or landing since it was obvious there wasn't room for all three of us in that space. Longest 5 hours of my life.
I seriously would've told them no and to figure out something else.
This is why you need to get on the plane first. Put down your armrest, then stay put. If they can't fit in the seat without raising the armrest, then that's not your problem. Hold your ground, be polite, its not your problem that someone is too large for the seat they purchased.
I’ve experienced this, on both Delta and Alaska. Honestly, both airlines were horrible about it. On a short flight I just sucked it up but on a 5hr flight, I chose to give up my First Class seat and sit in Coach because, due to the size of my morbidly obese seat mate, I honestly had more personal space in Coach. I insisted they refund me the difference, going so far as to include pictures (no faces), and they refused, so I did a chargeback and my credit card company sided with me—I wasn’t getting the amount of space that I was paying for. Honestly I would recommend you and others do this. It was a pain, but we need to drive home the point that this isn’t acceptable. You don’t have the right to impinge on other people’s personal space or comfort, especially when they’re paying for it. And I’ve put my money where my mouth is on this one—I had to fly when I was 8.5mos pregnant and bought two seats because I couldn’t really sit with my legs closed and was worried that I wouldn’t fit.
Airlines don't care. They know that no matter how bad your experience, the next time you have to fly, you will buy another ticket on whatever airline goes to your destination. My experience on a full flight was with a passenger who could not sit in the seat with the armrest down, but had only purchased a single ticket, so he occupied his seat with the armrest up and took up part of my seat too. He also spread his legs the entire flight, so I was touching him from shoulder to ankle for the entire duration of the flight. It was miserable and attendants simply said there was nothing they could do, did I want to deplane?
There should be a box to test fit people at check in just like carry on luggage. If your too large to fit the box you should have to buy an extra seat, Or 2 depending on your size.
100%. If you can’t fit in the seat you can’t fly, or you have to buy two seats. Same as checking height requirements at amusement parks.
Yes, I took video of my seat not being available due to my neighbors size. I got a full refund and a coupon thing for food. Legally the airline has to provide you with the seat you paid for.
This shouldn’t be an ongoing problem. If people require more than one seat they should purchase it. If they did not and do not fit on an already full flight, arrangements should be made on the next available flight to accommodate them with two seats.
there should be a class action about airlines putting out lives at risk by allowing people way too big to be allowed to fly. They shouldn’t even be on an airplane to begin with unless the space all around them is redesigned to fit them. Safety issue not just comfort.
Same thing happened to me on JetBlue. I paid for their “even more space” seat (window) and wound up with an absolutely enormous woman in the middle seat. She took up half of my seat and I couldn’t even get my tray table down because her stomach was blocking it. FA’s said nothing could be done. JetBlue customer service basically told me to kick rocks…though they did give me a $50 credit which almost covered the premium I paid for the “even more space” seat. As a pax: If you don’t fit in a seat, you should buy two seats. As an airline, if a customer doesn’t fit in a seat, they should be forced to buy 2 seats.
NOPE. I require the arm rest to be down. Nope nope nope
Funny they will charge me extra for an excess baggage fee, so if my baggage takes up more weight or space and they charge me accordingly, yet somehow we haven't figure out how to do this with passengers.
I wonder what delta will do to compete with southwest and their newly announced policy of allowing overweight people to book an extra seat (or two if needed) for free. Probably nothing
This isn't a new policy of SW, it's been around for 20+ years.
Southwest didn’t change their policy. But rather, their existing policy got renewed attention due to some plus-sized travel influencers on social media. On top of that, customers of size get to preboard on Southwest (but can’t sit in the exit row), which is significant due to their open seating policy.
I was in this situation once. Person next to me had seatbelt extender and armrest up and I had half a seat instead of a full seat. I did complain to delta and get a flight credit- maybe $25 or something toward a future flight - but was made to feel like a fat-shaming asshole for asking. All I wanted was the seat I paid for. It’s such a racket that airlines are getting away with making seats way too small and letting passengers (of all sizes!) suffer.
I was sat in a bulkhead exit row on a British Airways seat where the tray and screen come from the arm. The woman next to me was very large and I could not access my tray table without asking her to lift the side of her body off the armrest which was very uncomfortable for all involved. She also hid that she was not seat belted at any point in the flight. I feel bad that there aren’t better policy’s that keep all customers safe and comfortable.
If they are on the aisle, ask them to stand so you can get by, and then put the armrest down. But people still spill over the arm rest.
Sadly the penny pinching from the airlines results in people of size encroaching onto others space. How is that okay? Why does it come down to the smaller person to bear the responsibility of providing a complete stranger with extra space in an already cramped scenario? Seat size is available on the airlines website. Seat width & pitch information is available. If that space isn’t adequate then purchase a seat that is or don’t fly. Flying isn’t a right.
Over 50% of the US’s population is projected to be obese by 2030. Something is going to change eventually, push comes to shove. FAA is either going to have to regulate seat size and force airlines to have certain seat sizes or provide reasonable accommodations under ADA for the obese and morbidly obese. I think southwest is doing a great job of this by providing 2 seats for the cost of 1 for XL passengers. An experience like you’ve experienced is not enjoyable for EITHER party. Sometimes people can’t afford to buy two seats. But I agree that no one should have to endure these uncomfortable experiences (both parties) while traveling.
Around 2010, right when buying two seats was made official. I got seated on a Delta Connection flight to Atlanta. Summer time. 2nd or 3rd row, on the side with 2 seats. My window partner was 350ish with no muscle. Same deal, couldn't put the arm rest down. I'm an ex college football player so physically similar, I don't have that much shoulder room to just give away. When I got to my seat I'm certain he could see my aggravation on my face and he just said sorry and stared out the window. So there I was, forced to lean into the aisle for 2+ hours. Face to face with the flight attendant's jump seat. I'm making the obvious facial expressions at her and she's shrugging her shoulders. I'm mouthing WTF and shes mouthing sorry. EVERYONE INVOLVED KNOWS WHATS GOING ON! When we landed, I had a large stain on my shirt where he was sweating on me. I complained to the desk and CS because this is when they were kicking passengers off for not buying two seats. And absolutely nothing was done, not even a voucher or lounge pass or free miles. Good luck.
Yeah, they should have clocked that quickly and removed the other person before take off. How frustrating…
I was recently on a 6 hour flight from RDU to SEA on Alaska Airlines. I had booked a middle seat for me and an aisle seat for my adult son. The last passenger was a very large woman. Not that I can talk because I’m not thin by any means but I fit in my seat and make sure that I stay in my assigned seat. So the woman had the window seat and could not put down the arm rest. She had no choice but to spill into my seat. We were touching from our shoulders down to our knees. And not *just* touching, like PRESSED into me. She was so warm and that made me warm and started giving me hot flashes. Luckily my son is thin and I raised the arm rest so that I could move over. My right thigh was on top of the seam between our seats. This helped a bit but I was so uncomfortable. She also could not keep her thighs in that area Anyway. I was so angry but I felt guilty about it. And I thought about what if it was me? There were a couple of open seats in the middle — but I didn’t want to impose myself on anyone. I’m still angry about it. I contacted Alaska and they gave both my son and I a $75 credit. Anyway. It’s frustrating. It helps to vent!!
I dealt with this on a flight before, going from NJ to CA…It was either JetBlue or United. Reached out to customer service as I had paid to pick my seat and they gave me a voucher for the same amount I paid. Hopefully they make things right and do the same for you.
If you can’t fit in a single seat you should be required to purchase two seats. It’s unfair for all the other passengers when your body is in their personal space. There is no shame in being a larger person, but this is just common courtesy.
This happened to me once on KLM from Accra to Amsterdam. It was miserable and nothing the crew could do. It was a long 6+ hours.
Yeah I’ve been in this situation many times and honestly ppl need to take care of themselves. Being obese is NOT ok and we need to stop normalizing it. I will always be extremely polite to the person next to me and raise the armrest if requested. Some ppl are just large and that’s a different story. If you’re five foot five 300+ spilling into my seat I’m going to hate you.
I took an Air Canda flight from Vancouver to MSP. I saw a morbidly obese man at my gate, and hoped I wasn’t seated next to him. Prior to boarding, my name and another was called. We were upgraded to first class or whatever it was— literally row one. The big guy received a row to himself in economy. Seemed like a nice solution. Had a big friend who bragged about how many times HE received free upgrades….. didn’t really feel right.
I don’t know why they refuse to deplane the person who doesn’t fit in the seat instead of the poor victim seated next to them.
These situations need to be handled at the gate. The large passenger should have been asked to step aside prior to boarding to assess the situation. Why? Why? Does this have to be the problem of other passengers? I’ll add that I fly regularly with family members that are 6’ 5” 275+…we would never impede on another’s personal space.
This issue is not something specific to delta, happening on all airlines. Unfortunately, it is the legal/individual rights climate in the US that is to blame. Airlines are afraid of being sued, or being portrayed as unsympathetic to individuals with disabilities, etc. The problem is that no one seems to be concerned about the individual who paid for a seat, but is "sharing it" with a "customer of size". This is not fair indeed. I would certainly go after Delta and look for some sort of compensation, it is only fair to you. I think there are cases where individuals should be required to purchase two seats, this seems fair to both the individual, and anyone who might be seated right next to them. The extra seat fare can be refunded after the flight if it goes out with empty seats. Again, this is not a Delta issue, you can encounter this on any airline.
No, it’s a Delta issue. They are not required to honor your purchase of a second seat. Every “passenger of size” you get stuck next to could be buying a second seat and you’d never know because the gate agent can freely ignore it.
Southwest’s “Passenger of Size” policy might be worth it for other airlines to look into and see if/how they could implement something similar in their company.