Too Fat To Fly
A small sector of the internet is abuzz this weekend surrounding @ThatKevinSmith and his being asked to get off a Southwest Airlines flight due to being TFTF (Too Fat To Fly). To hear Kevin’s side of the story, you can check out his Smodcast.
I am not a thin person. I have been thinner at various points in my life, and that is my struggle to deal with. I have not yet been asked to get off a flight for being TFTF, as I fit in the seat, don’t need a seatbelt extender, and can pull down the armrest. Which, incidentally, Kevin can also do.
In response to his blog post/podcast/Tweets, the web has aggregated a delicious array of self righteousness by people posing as thin (Slashdot, PopEater, Consumerist), and I thought I might share my humble opinion on what the airlines might consider.
Instead of publicly outing passengers in front of a seated audience telling them they are too fat, if there are concerns about a passenger’s size, why not have that checked during the check-in/security process? Then it could be a bit more humane.
The argument that people get what they pay for with coach seats falls a bit flat, as I would gladly pay more for a more comfortable flying experience. Looking at flights from JFK-LAX for example, rates fluctuate from $218-$404, with many of the $404 flights being on the same airlines as the $218 flights.
Are there no more comfortable coach seats because people are choosing cheaper flights over comfort? Or are people choosing cheaper flights because there is no more comfort with the more expensive ones? I believe it to be the latter. Even using the popular flight finding services i.e. Travelocity and the like, there isn’t even a place to specify comfort options. I did notice that Virgin America offers not only roomier main cabin seats but a “Main Cabin Select” seat class, which is great, but it isn’t something that is offered across the board with all airlines.
As for the argument that bigger people should just automatically buy 2 seats or upgrade to first class, that adds anywhere from a 100% to 1000% markup to the cost of flying (the Virgin Main Cabin Select looks to be in the 500% markup range). I would think that there should be another option that is a bit more in line with adding a bit extra comfort. A 1000% markup? That’s like telling the guy who’s renting a car from Hertz that since he can’t fit into the Corolla that he has to rent a Lamborghini.
Besides, the rich folk in first class (anyone who would pay that kind of markup for a service *has* to be considered an extravagant spender) don’t want to spend their hard inherited fortunes to be seated next to a commoner, do they? And they are part of the reason that a poor schlub can fly from NYC to LAX for $129.
These are not truly logical arguments being made here. For me this is not a matter of weight, or girth, or coach vs. first class. Its a matter of how bigger people are treated. If people want to stop being childish and have a real discussion about this, my suggestions would be:
1. Have a more private area available in the check-in/security checkpoint process where you can pull people aside and see how they fit in the seat. Give people the options on how to proceed if they don’t. Part of the reason why these situations suck is that they are being treated subjectively–let’s make it objective. If you don’t fit, you don’t fit, and here are your options. (Along those lines, let’s skip the safety brochure reading at the beginning of flights and not allow anyone on the plane who needs assistance figuring out how the seatbelts work.)
2. Offer a more roomier seat selection at 50%-100% markup. No extra services other than a better seat. Allow coach seats to upgrade into it a la business class, minus the macadamia nut cookie.
3. Treat someone like a human for once and not like cattle. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been reminded by flight attendants that they are going out of their way to bring me a glass of water.
I can’t wait to see if the US can finally pull off high-speed train travel. I’d stop flying to areas the train system covers in a heartbeat.
P.S. Looks like Kevin is not the only one to have this sort of situation.
P.P.S. Southwest has issued a reasonable response. That’s nice to see.
P.P.P.S. The Chicago Sun-Times editorializes against Kevin’s position, and the readers let them have it.














