Orange County Nesties
Dear Community,

Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.

If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.

Thank you.

Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.

those who are large are no longer in charge

ouch:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30227335/?GT1=43001

Effective today, United Airlines has a new official policy that affects ?seatmates of size? and those passengers seated near them.

The airline?s policy ? posted on United's Web site ? states that if a passenger cannot fit into a single seat, buckle their seatbelt with an additional seatbelt extension, or put the seat?s armrest down, the airline will ask that passenger to pay for an extra seat or stay behind.

makes sense, but I have a feeling people are going to be PISSED.

Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

Re: those who are large are no longer in charge

  • I originally asked if they get asked to stay behind if there are no other seats but then I read the article and answered my own question...the "stay behind" part of it is definitely not going to go over well. But I guess its one way for the airlines to make more money in a bad economy....
  • imagemrsmj2008:
    What if the plane's full and there are no other seats that said large person can buy? Do they make them get off the plane?

    yep.  per the article, the person will be put on the next flight or given a refund.

    there are going to be some mighty angry people out there.

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • Hmmm....I wonder if this will cause lawsuits
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • It kinda makes sense.  I mean, would you want to be the person sitting next to them?

    I was on a flight once, and there was a girl spilling over her seat.  Her fat was seriously over the armrest and into the other seat.  She had an aisle seat.  There was a girl in the middle seat, and she tried to move seats, but the flight was full and had to go back to the middle seat.  She was not a happy camper.... I remember she said something like, "I'm the lucky one that gets to sit there."  The big girl looked really embarrassed... and honestly, I thought she was going to cry.  But this was a flight from CA to MI, so not a short one.  I would not have wanted to be in that middle seat. 

  • I was stuck on a redeye home from Hawaii seated next to one of those people. It was horrible. I am glad that they're finally doing this. I believe Southwest already does this.
    imageBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  •  Indifferent

    I feel terrible for those people but it makes sense. I just hope they are open to making special exceptions for people. What if someone is flying our for an emergency and can't afford to pay the extra seat? 

     

    All I am saying is I hope a special arrangement can be made other wise I see law suits of discrimination coming their way. 

  • I just have one question. Is Charles still in charge?
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • imageMrsBrock2B:
    I just have one question. Is Charles still in charge?

    I'm pretty sure he's still in charge of our days and our nights. As well as our wrongs and our rights.

  • imageMrsBrock2B:
    I just have one question. Is Charles still in charge?

    Bwhahaha!

  • This doesn?t make sense to me at all. Unless it is a safety concern, what is the point of making someone pay more just because they don?t fit well in their seat. What about all of the other people I do not want to sit next to on a flight? Do they have to pay more as well?  The smelly armpit guy? The annoying jerk who won?t shut up? The sick lady who won?t stop coughing?  If people had to pay more anytime they were annoying, the world would be a very, very different place.

  • imagethemarshmalo:

    imageMrsBrock2B:
    I just have one question. Is Charles still in charge?

    I'm pretty sure he's still in charge of our days and our nights. As well as our wrongs and our rights.

    Phew, I was scurred.

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • imagemelissa*n*chris:

    This doesn?t make sense to me at all. Unless it is a safety concern, what is the point of making someone pay more just because they don?t fit well in their seat. What about all of the other people I do not want to sit next to on a flight? Do they have to pay more as well?  The smelly armpit guy? The annoying jerk who won?t shut up? The sick lady who won?t stop coughing?  If people had to pay more anytime they were annoying, the world would be a very, very different place.

    I agree with Melissa on this.  It just feels wrong to do this.

  • imagemelissa*n*chris:

    This doesn?t make sense to me at all. Unless it is a safety concern, what is the point of making someone pay more just because they don?t fit well in their seat. What about all of the other people I do not want to sit next to on a flight? Do they have to pay more as well?  The smelly armpit guy? The annoying jerk who won?t shut up? The sick lady who won?t stop coughing?  If people had to pay more anytime they were annoying, the world would be a very, very different place.

    I didn't read this as "don't fit well" - I read it as "don't fit at all"

    I feel bad for anyone in that position, but at the same time to me it's less about being annoying, and more about making it fair. Gas costs more, and airlines are using more fuel than ever because the average weight per traveler has been steadily increasing. Have you noticed that the planes are flying slower/flights are taking longer than they did years ago? That's to conserve gas. Have you also noticed that there are fewer flights? The airlines need to make money too, and getting a passenger in each seat is huge for them. So if they have a passenger that takes up two seats, why shouldn't they have to pay for two seats? Does a mother who chooses not to hold their baby on their lap have to pay for the seat they take? I'm pretty sure they do. It's sad, but it's reality and it's business. I'm not sure why the airline needs to sacrifice for something they have no control over, i.e. a person's weight.

  • imageSerendipitie:

    Does a mother who chooses not to hold their baby on their lap have to pay for the seat they take? I'm pretty sure they do.

    Yes, they do.

  • I would also like to point out that they aren't going to charge more money if there is an available extra seat on the flight that they are scheduled for. This is only in the case of full flights.
  • "Spokesperson Robin Urbanski Janikowski, meanwhile, said the airline will first attempt to take measures to avoid the extra charge. 'If there is another seat on the airplane that is next to an empty seat, we will re-accommodate our guest in that seat and there is no charge,' "
  • I guess I look at it as possibly having to be the person that sits next to them. ?That would suck. ?I'm paying for a flight too, and I should be able to sit comfortably, without another person over flowing into my seat.

    xoxo,

    large and in charge pg woman.?

  • imageSerendipitie:
    I would also like to point out that they aren't going to charge more money if there is an available extra seat on the flight that they are scheduled for. This is only in the case of full flights.

     

    If it is truly a case of them not fitting at all, and it is a full flight, how does them paying for an extra ticket suddenly free up a seat?

     

  • It doesn't - if an extra seat is not available, they have to purchase the extra seat for the next flight to ensure they will be able to board.
  • imageSerendipitie:
    It doesn't - if an extra seat is not available, they have to purchase the extra seat for the next flight to ensure they will be able to board.

    wow, that really bites.

  • imagemelissa*n*chris:

    imageSerendipitie:
    It doesn't - if an extra seat is not available, they have to purchase the extra seat for the next flight to ensure they will be able to board.

    wow, that really bites.

    Yes, it does.  And like I said, it just feels wrong.

  • image10YearsTogether:

    And like I said, it just feels wrong.

    This is totally your soft?side speaking.?

    But for the record, it does feel wrong, and it would totally suck.?

  • Again, the airline has nothing to do with that person's weight. So the choice is to either lose money or pass the extra costs on to us. I don't blame them, and all they are asking is that the seatbelt fits with one extender, and the arm rests can be lowered. And according to the article, there are other airlines that have this kind of policy, but with no cut and dry enforcement.

    I read more, and if they do not want to purchase the extra ticket, they can keep waiting until a flight with enough open seats comes available, or they can get a refund.

  • i don't think this is wrong at all.  it makes complete sense, and obviously has become a big enough problem that they've had to implement such a rule.

    i may get flamed for this, but don't planes have a weight limit?   

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • Wan - I'll be getting the flames with you
  • I have flown many times with family members who have difficulty fitting in the seats. I can say it is pretty uncomfortable for me having such a small amount of space (we sit with the arm rest up). However, I know it's a hundred times more uncomfortable for my family members. ?Someone mentioned a girl who looked like she wanted to cry, my family members have been there. I can see both sides but it's hard for people to understand just how embarassing it already is for people of this size. My family usually books tickets with me so they don't have to sit next to strangers. If that's not possible they try to check in early and see if there are any free seats. I know they wouldn't be able to afford to purchase two seats.?
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • I'm in the flameworthy group on this one.  I had to sit in the middle with someone who was very large next to me.  They fit in their sit but still were over on my side and I was uncomfortable the entire flight.  If I am paying for a seat, I expect to be able to use all of it, not just the part that the person next to me is not using.  There is such a small amount of space without having a very large person next to you. 

    This person would not fit in the current category.  They would have needed to be much larger which I think is unacceptable for the neighboring passenger to have to deal with for any period of time. 

     

  • It's not wrong.
    It's logical, and it's not discriminatory.
    Overweight people are not a protected class.
    Anyone stupid enough to file a lawsuit will lose.

  • I cringe at the inevitable embarrassment that people will feel. However, I do understand the reasons why this is being done.
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards