Extremely Obese Seatmate on Full Aircraft

[theo]

I am only offended by the term "rocket surgery".

Not really at all offended, but certainly very confused. Rocket surgery? Really?

 

[theo]

This isn't the first time this discussion has come up.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/on-airplane-now-large-woman-spilling-onto-me.168684/

Thanks for the memories! I really enjoyed (howled at, actually) Heathpack's eloquent and entertaining portrayal of her dilemma in that thread, although not without having some sympathy for the overarching (...oversized?) plight in which she found herself "surrounded".

 

[linpat]

Several years ago I saw 3 young women sitting in coach bulkhead seats so you would assume that they had room - at least leg room. The young woman in the middle was so obese that she could not sit all the way back in her seat but sat several inches forward in the seat. I wondered how many seat belt extensions that she needed and felt really sorry for the 2 young women on either side. I don't think that the 3 were traveling together, but it just looked like a miserable way to spend a couple of hours.

 

[dioxide45]

Several years ago I saw 3 young women sitting in coach bulkhead seats so you would assume that they had room - at least leg room. The young woman in the middle was so obese that she could not sit all the way back in her seat but sat several inches forward in the seat. I wondered how many seat belt extensions that she needed and felt really sorry for the 2 young women on either side. I don't think that the 3 were traveling together, but it just looked like a miserable way to spend a couple of hours.

The problem with bulkhead is that often the tray table is stowed between the seats. So they take away a lot of room. For the customer of size, they should never book a bulkhead.

 

[Kal]

I have found it very easy to deal with large people trying to encroach on my space. . It involves me doing lots of fidgeting. . Pulling out a laptop or book and having my elbows protect my space. . And or finding other ways to make their encroachment uncomfortable for them. Ultimately, if you want to invade my space I will do the same to you. I paid for a seat and ultimately if you didn't pay for enough space for you that was your mistake.


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I like the offensive approach as a back up, but would want to take the issue to the flight attendant before all the seats get filled. It's bad enough to manage my own space in tiny seats on a long flight. On a 10 hour flight it could get real ugly.

 

[Jan M.]

Last Monday I was flying with my 5 year old granddaughter and just before the plane was ready to take off a couple decided to move into the empty row behind us. Usually the flight attendants will tell people trying to do this to resume their original seats and wait until the seat belt sign goes off before switching seats. The man sat directly behind me and his very long legs pushed into the back of my seat. I gave it a few minutes thinking he just needed to get settled but no such luck. So I had my granddaughter very quickly switch seats with me as I have an extremely bad back and would have been in agony and barely able to walk from the pressure of his knees on my lower back. Of course then two flight attendants show up asking me what the problem is. I quietly and discreetly explained why I'd had to move asap and made no complaint, saying it was easily fixed. I didn't want to embarrass anyone but hello if your legs are that long angle them towards the empty seat in the middle of your row or pay for a seat with extra leg room.

On another recent flight I had the misfortune of being next to a woman in the aisle seat who although not large sat with her arms cocked and elbows pointing out. I never saw anyone who wasn't a large person take up so much space! Her left elbow was digging into my ribs and the right one stuck out into the aisle enough that the flight attendants had to maneuver around her. I think she was an NFL player in a former life because she sat like she was ready to charge the line. So I lean into her elbow a little bit, even rested my arm on top of hers on my edge of the armrest thinking that she will get the hint. Nope she was not budging. As soon as the seat belt sign went off I was in a new seat. When I asked her to let me out she made some comment about the seats not being big enough. Even with the excess weight I'm currently carrying I still have no problem keeping all parts of my body within the space of my own seat! She sat like that the entire flight and with what had been my seat now empty I was able to see that her arm was easily a good 6 inches over the armrest.

But my all time favorite seatmate story was on an overnight flight home from Vegas. My husband and I were across the aisle from each other. Our middle seat mates were a couple in their late 20's to mid 30's. I offered to have my husband take my aisle seat and I would take her middle seat so she could move across the aisle and sit next to her husband/boyfriend. She says no thanks. Okay, maybe the trip hadn't gone well. Well it didn't take long for me to figure out why this attractive, thin woman didn't want to sit next to her male companion. She had the most foul gas ever and every 10-15 minutes would release another noxious cloud of it. I periodically rummaged through my purse to get myself mints and gum that I didn't really want so I could offer them to her thinking it might help her. I stood up to stretch several times during the flight hoping she would take the opportunity to use the restroom. No such luck but when they announce it is your last chance to use the restrooms before the flight lands she finally goes. She took a large tote bag from the overhead bin in with her and I suspect she changed her pants while she was in the restroom. Throughout that night there was no sleep for me and it took everything I had not to say to her "Dear Heaven woman, what crawled up inside you and died?"

 

[Phydeaux]

Not really at all offended, but certainly very confused. Rocket surgery? Really?

Humor. You're not the sharpest bulb in the deck, huh theo? Smile. That, too, was meant to be humorous.

Airlines weigh checked in luggage. Me thinks that they should add another scale directly below those podiums to weigh passengers in question. Over the limit? You pay extra for that additional fuel you're burning.

 

[theo]

Humor. You're not the sharpest bulb in the deck, huh theo? Smile. That, too, was meant to be humorous.

O.K.....if you say so. I may have completely missed the "humor" in what otherwise seemed like a somehwhat aggressive "proclamation".

 

[Phydeaux]

O.K.....if you say so. I may have completely missed the "humor" in what otherwise seemed like a somehwhat aggressive "proclamation".

Now now. Please don't play the ever too popular "I'm offended" thing. People need to laugh, and it begins with laughing at oneself. I do so everyday.

 

[theo]

Now now. Please don't play the ever too popular "I'm offended" thing. People need to laugh, and it begins with laughing at oneself. I do so everyday.

Certainly not at all "offended", not for a passing moment. Don't know why you would even suggest otherwise, but it doesn't matter.
Thanks for the Blazing Saddles memory. I can't even imagine that movie being possible in today's society.
Fortunately, Mel Brooks has never cared even one little bit about being "politically correct".

 

[Kel]

I am a small person and I cannot tell you how many times my space is encroached on by a large person next to me. It bothers me that I paid for a whole seat and I don’t always get my whole seat. I rarely get to put my arm on an armrest.

Two other things bother me on flights:

1. For safety and comfort - babies should have their own seat and should be buckled into a car seat. I was on a flight one time where I couldn’t use my tray table because of a large woman traveling alone with a “baby” that looked older than 2 years old. And, the baby had a poopy diaper when she got on the plane and she had to wait until we were in the air to change it. Fortunately it was a short flight.

2. Stinky people. Smokers, people with body odor, people who wear perfume, strong hand lotions or cologne and the people who have been drinking at the bar for hours are the worst. We were on a flight one time where a woman was applying finger nail polish. That set off about eight of us around her. She put it away.

 

[Roger830]

Fat-shaming' newspaper columnist is sacked after 30 years for penning a piece about sitting next to an overweight passenger on a plane

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4243950/Fat-shaming-columnist-sacked-newspaper.html

 

[Kal]

Fat-shaming' newspaper columnist is sacked after 30 years for penning a piece about sitting next to an overweight passenger on a plane

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4243950/Fat-shaming-columnist-sacked-newspaper.html

Maybe we should just focus on the fact that the seatmate was substantially intruding on my personal space. When I am forced to pull up my arm rest on the aisle, it's not safe and I am very uncomfortable. The seatmate would not move over so it's time for ACTION. Reminds me of the movie Broadcast News...."I'm as mad as H**l and I'm not going to take this anymore...".

 

[Phydeaux]

Maybe we should just focus on the fact that the seatmate was substantially intruding on my personal space. When I am forced to pull up my arm rest on the aisle, it's not safe and I am very uncomfortable. The seatmate would not move over so it's time for ACTION. Reminds me of the movie Broadcast News...."I'm as mad as H**l and I'm not going to take this anymore...".

Incorrect. It was the movie 'Network' that made that phrase popular.

 

[am1]

Incorrect. It was the movie 'Network' that made that phrase popular.

Thankfully lately I have been flying with my sons so have not had this issue. I would suggest have a certain number of business class sized seats in economy that are more then economy and less then business.

 

[Kal]

Incorrect. It was the movie 'Network' that made that phrase popular.

Yup, but you get the point.

 

[Phydeaux]

Will never forget the flight I was on with a business colleague. He had had enough of the flatulence wafting through the cabin, and in a LOUD voice exclaims - "STOP FARTING!!! I don't need to be breathing what's been in someone's colon!

He sure had a point, and he wasn't afraid to express it either.

 

[x3 skier]

This is one of the reasons I'm building my own airplane. I and I alone decide who will fly with me

Cheers

 

[Phydeaux]

This is one of the reasons I'm building my own airplane. I and I alone decide who will fly with me

Cheers

Very nice! Whatcha building?

 

[x3 skier]

Actually two. A single seat WW I Fokker D-VIII kit on order and a Sonex under way. Temporarily on hold while I spend the ski season in Steamboat Springs.

Cheers

 

[presley]

I am not obese, but have often thought of buying 2 seats because I want more room and I don't really like being that close to strangers. It seems I read somewhere, thinking it was here, that someone had 2 first class paid seats and were forced to give up their extra seat because the flight was overbooked. They had already paid for 2 first class seats and had to give one up. Actually, now that I am typing it out, I think it was on Mouseowners and not here that i read about it.

I've noticed lots of times, first class is much more $ than buying 2 regular seats. I'd be pretty disappointed if I bought 2 regular seats and they put someone next to me.

 

[clifffaith]

I am not obese, but have often thought of buying 2 seats because I want more room and I don't really like being that close to strangers. It seems I read somewhere, thinking it was here, that someone had 2 first class paid seats and were forced to give up their extra seat because the flight was overbooked. They had already paid for 2 first class seats and had to give one up. Actually, now that I am typing it out, I think it was on Mouseowners and not here that i read about it.

I've noticed lots of times, first class is much more $ than buying 2 regular seats. I'd be pretty disappointed if I bought 2 regular seats and they put someone next to me.

That's why I was wondering up thread how one went about making a reservation for and paying for two seats while planning on "occupying" both, without someone else being sat there. Or what about non-refundable tickets home to visit family for a few days and a spouse can't go at the last minute. You know the airline is going to want to put a body in that seat.

 

[VacationForever]

Not really at all offended, but certainly very confused. Rocket surgery? Really?

Cross between rocket science and brain surgery.

 

[theo]

Cross between rocket science and brain surgery.

Got it. Humor. Must tread very carefully here so as to neither offend nor somehow be perceived to be offended.

 

[dougp26364]

For me it's not all about the morbidly obese person next to me on a flight. I somehow manage to gut it out most times. What kills me is the person with exceptionally poor hygiene that stinks to high heaven, someone who's had far to much to drink, the really loud talker who won't shut up, the person who bathes in perfume or cologne, the person (usually a child) that kicks the back of my seat repeatedly, the person who plays footsy with me in my space because they've used all their under seat storage and are now uncomfortable, the person who eats their 6 peanuts with their mouth open smacking their lips and licking their fingers or the person who falls asleep and tries to use me as their pillow. We've enjoyed all of these types on flights over the years. And let's not forget the flyers who have never flown before and can't navigate the ticket counter, security checkpoints or figure out the boarding process (no sir, you're in boarding group 16 and we've only started boarding first class, you'll need to sit back down). Oh......and the gate lice. They start pre-boarding and everyone has to stand up and block the gate for everyone, even if they're in the last boarding group.

Flying for us just isn't much fun anymore. Between the airlines making things less convenient, airport security and travelers who are just plain inconsiderate, morbidly obese flyers are just a small drop in the pond.

Examples I can think of: The girl who was military and didn't understand why she couldn't take a loaded side arm in her carry on bag (She fought with the ticket for a loooonnnngggg time). The person who showed up at the ticket counter to check her bag 15 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart and was upset when they told her she was to late to catch that flight. The guy sitting next to me, obviously drunk but still being served by the flight attendant, crying inconsolably (felt sorry for him but......).