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Obese entitled to 2 airline seats- Canada

I think it is crap that airlines are being forced to give away a seat to some one takes up 2 seats. if you take up 2 seats PAY FOR 2 seats. for 95%+ that obese it is there own fault why should I have to pay an increase fare because of it because the airlines will just pass on that cost.

I personally like southwest (and I believe other airlines) approach to this problem. They require a deposit for the 2nd seat so if the flight is full the FAT person has to pay for 2 seats since they are taking away a spot some one of normal size could fly.

Now if it is not a full flight and they have some extra seats they return the deposit since the Fat person did not steal away a seat from a potential customer.

That is my tought on it. They should be charge for 2 seats if the flight is full. If it is not full then return the money to them. Only charge the extra fee if it stop some one else from flying.
 
ChrisA said:
What would happen if these people with the stated condition were to eat less? Would they continue to grow even larger? No natter what is wrong with you if you eat fewer calories than you use you loose weight.

What's really wrong with the above is the idea of "eat quite normally". There is no "normal" amount. There is a different "corect" amount and it's different for each person. So if you are larger than you should be it is because they are taking in more than what is correct for them.
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I have a good friend of mine who eats half the amount of food I consume. He is over 300 lbs and does not fit in a single seat. Has been through tons of stuff, and cannot lose the weight.

What I understood from the article is that it covers people who are in similar conditions where their obesity is almost a handicap. Did I misunderstand that? :confused:

And y'all are forgetting that these same airlines are the ones charging us to check-in and pay for every piece of luggage now. :rolleyes:
 
I'm becoming more and more outraged at the thought of people getting something I'm not and I'm making a pledge to do something about it. I urge you to join me.

Starting tomorrow things are going to be different. Here's what I'm going to do.

Where I work there are a certain number of car parking spaces, these are allocated in seniority order. If I choose to drive to work I would have one, but I walk. So, tomorrow, I am going to claim the space that is rightfully mine and turn it into an ornamental japanese garden. It's only fair...
 
Alchemists have been trying to turn lead into gold for centuries.

How these people turn 1,000 calories a day into added weight, even without exercise, is a modern miracle.

I suspect some snacking goes on during the day.

How else can you create something from essentially nothing?????
 
Ok so here's a different analogy from more of the business aspect:

Say an average person buys and eats a sandwich from a store.
Should an obese person get 2 sandwiches for the price of 1 because 1 is not enough?

Airlines sell seats. When planes fly with empty seats that chance to charge for it is gone..forever. So in order for the airlines to turn a profit they need the money from the seat.

So if airlines have to give away seats, do deli owners have to give away sandwiches? It's only fair!!!
 
iJohnHenry said:
No one said the scale weight had to be public knowledge.

In this day and age, it could be linked to the ticketing system, without causing any "anxiety" to the lardage-challenged.
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Unfortunately, the LAST thing an airline wants to do is use actual weights of the passengers and baggage for an aircraft.
 
.Andy said:
People sure don't like the overweight do they? Gets the sanctimonious streak going.
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Boy, does it ever!
.Andy said:
If they can't have two seats they'd likely to be precluded from flying altogether.
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I don't think anyone wants to deny an extra seat, but an extra seat free of charge. It's an important distinction.
.Andy said:
I guess people get riled up easily by obese people and the perception that people are getting something for free.
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In all fairness, we're talking about a decision in Canada. Obese people already get a great deal of "free" healthcare. Obesity is a major cause of disease, ergo obese people need more healthcare, ergo they're already getting a lot for "free".

I'm fairly ambivalent about the ruling. As much as I have a problem with the rising levels of obesity, I'm also not willing to claim that obesity is purely a disease of laziness. There are many factors that have lead to the prevalence of obesity, and to many it has become a legitimate disability. I would like to see the government doing more to help fight obesity, but I'm not going to get up in arms if a few obese get to be a little more comfortable when flying.
 
iJohnHenry said:
Alchemists have been trying to turn lead into gold for centuries.

How these people turn 1,000 calories a day into added weight, even without exercise, is a modern miracle.

I suspect some snacking goes on during the day.

How else can you create something from essentially nothing?????
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yes it is possible but the people who are truly that way are very very few and far between. Vaste majority of people that fat just are that unhealthy. They do not eat enough food and do not exsersise enough.

yes I will admit it is easier for some other than others. I am on the side that can eat all I want and sit on the couch and not gain weight. But my GF on the other had at one point in her life she was massively over weight due to no fault of her own. I know how little she ate during that time and how much she worked out. Turn out she had thyroid cancer and it screwed everything up. She is now a more in the normal range and yes it is hard for her to stay keep the weight off and she will never be as thin as i am but even she thinks there is just a point....

It is sad how lazy people has become. It honestly is not that hard to stay a healthy weight. it is do physical activity and eat healthy. Most importantly EAT HEALTHY. You need to understand how your body works and know if you can not eat the bad stuff. I know I personally need to slow down as I have put 10 lb on in the past year and i know it will catch up to me. Mind you I am 6'4" and 165 but I know I should try to avoid putting on to much weight .
 
Is there a legal status for obesity in canada?

Is it really worth meeting that status for a free seat?

"functionally disabled by obesity" seems to be a pretty key section in the ruling.
 
I can see the need for this, they may accidentally eat or smother the passenger sitting next to them on a long flight.
 
This is stupid.

You're not really paying for space on an airplane. It's real estate. The piece of property just happens to come in well defined units, and the unit happens to be the size of the seat cushion. If you need 2 of them, you should pay. You shouldn't have an option of paying for 1/2 a seat for a small child because the space isn't sold in half units.
 
I've always thought that passengers should pay a small flat rate per seat plus a cost per kilogram of passenger+luggage. That way those who pack lite will be rewarded and the airline will save fuel.

Then again, I'm a fly-weight and I always pack lite. :D
 
People need to realize that not every obese person is that way simply because they eat too much and move too little. Such view points are narrow and ignorant. Cushing's Syndrome, hypothyroidism, and a host of other diseases make is extremely difficult or nigh impossible to lose weight.

I think this is an OK ruling, but I could see it being abused. The things that dictate the size of our body are sometimes well beyond our control. And sometimes, not fitting in an airline seat has nothing to do being obese and just being "big". Have you seen Shaq in person? The guys isn't fat, but he is enormous! It wouldn't surprise me at all if he didn't fit in a coach airline seat...
 
.Andy said:
All space and weight on an aircraft costs money. Nothing is free, especially transporting live animals.
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iJohnHenry said:
Weight requires fuel.

Jump on the scale with your bags, and we'll let you know how much we are billing your credit card.
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That's one of my favorite gripes. Our oldest daughter requires a seat, our middle one will need one soon. We can pack all our stuff for a week at grandma's in one large suitcase that exceeds the weight limit by maybe 25%. They want to charge us extra for that. Yet we could each bring a bag at the weight limit and check 4 bags which would weigh over 3x what our one bag solution does. Navigating the airport with 2-3 little kids is easier when you only have one suitcase to worry about.

Eclipse278 said:
Ok so here's a different analogy from more of the business aspect:

Say an average person buys and eats a sandwich from a store.
Should an obese person get 2 sandwiches for the price of 1 because 1 is not enough?

Airlines sell seats. When planes fly with empty seats that chance to charge for it is gone..forever. So in order for the airlines to turn a profit they need the money from the seat.

So if airlines have to give away seats, do deli owners have to give away sandwiches? It's only fair!!!
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Flip it, someone has a genetic high metabolism that requires them to consume more calories per day than the next person. Should the higher metabolism person get extra portions for free when they go out to eat?

Don't get me wrong, when someone is overweight to the point of considering it a disability through no fault of their own, then there should be some sort of documentation proving the disability and at that point I can see a free seat being given, but if there's no proof of it being a disability then it becomes something easily abused.
 
Honestly this seems like not only are they saying that it is OK to be obese, but that you also get perks. I have to be smashed into my 1 seat, while someone else gets to have the comfort of 2?

Makes me think of our public transportation.

Guy "Can you move over?"
Me "I am over all the way, The entire seat next to me here is open"
Guy "But I need more then one seat"
Me "sorry, There is 2 seats and I am sitting in one of them"
The guy then sits down on top of me pinning in the seat.
Me "Damn it, get the F off me. You can't just go around sitting on people"
Transit cop also on the train "Sir, I am going to have to ask you to get off the train at the next stop"
Me "Why"
Cop "Your harassing him"
Me "Harassing him, he SAT on me."

I was then escorted off the train because I would not let a rather large person sit on me. Personally I find the whole thing ridiculous.
 
synth3tik said:
Honestly this seems like not only are they saying that it is OK to be obese, but that you also get perks. I have to be smashed into my 1 seat, while someone else gets to have the comfort of 2?

Makes me think of our public transportation.

Guy "Can you move over?"
Me "I am over all the way, The entire seat next to me here is open"
Guy "But I need more then one seat"
Me "sorry, There is 2 seats and I am sitting in one of them"
The guy then sits down on top of me pinning in the seat.
Me "Damn it, get the F off me. You can't just go around sitting on people"
Transit cop also on the train "Sir, I am going to have to ask you to get off the train at the next stop"
Me "Why"
Cop "Your harassing him"
Me "Harassing him, he SAT on me."

I was then escorted off the train because I would not let a rather large person sit on me. Personally I find the whole thing ridiculous.
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lol that was hilarious, probably not while it was happening or to you but that's pretty funny, and also really messed up...
 
Situation...

Lets say that an obese person (who is taking up two seats for the price of one) also has schizophrenia (two personalities). Can my wife and I (two personalities) pay for one seat and occupy two? That would make vacations cheaper.
 
I hope these dudes don't have to use the closet toilets. What next, the toilets are too small so make them bigger (which wouldn't be a bad thing for everyone).

What about meals? Would they get two meals because they are taking up two or three seats?
 
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