Originally posted by VelmaLu
Wow, you're really proud of that 7%, as if it is something akin to a virtue. Does that make you a better person than someone who has a higher percentage?

What if the airlines decide to make all seats fit a 5' tall woman, everyone else must buy two seats? Would you agree to that?

Oh my god. No it does not make me a better person than someone with a higher percentage. I never said that. You have gotten very good at putting words in my mouth.

My percentage does, however, make me less of a health risk than that of someone with say, 35% body fat.

And im sorry, but this isnt 'fat people bashing' Im friends with as many fat people as I am skinny people. I just refuse to pay for someone elses bad habits on a plane. A plane ride is a luxury. If you cant afford to compensate for your fatness on a plane, dont fly.


And Velma, I'll respond to your ridiculous what if. If airlines decided to make all the seats only fit 5' tall women, then I'd be forced to buy another seat. I'd make sure I had enough for two seats before I plan a trip. But thankfully we dont live in a world of what ifs.

the obese have the right to work their fat asses out...its not hard, low cal diets mixed with exercise and cardio do the body wonders!

The bigger picture here is rising obesity rates in the developed world

Correct me if i`m wrong , but is it not obesity levels that are sky-rocketing as opposed numbers of people disabled(*war veterans the exception )
Disabled people are accommodated , it is the increase of morbidly obese passengers that is straining the system.
This is a symptom of our consumerist age.

Many 1st world countries are facing an epidemic of diabetes etc if more is not done to avert it.

So if I have a big piece of carry on luggage, can I demand a second free seat to set it on?

After all, who's to say I don't have something in there that's really important? Maybe it's full of medical equipment or something? By the logic of some people here, it would be "discriminatory" for the airlines to make me prove that I need that second seat for my luggage, and it would also be discrimination for them to charge me for that extra seat I'm putting it on.

It's simple. Two Seats, Two Fares.

Some of the people on the other side of the argument argue that it should be One Person, One Fare. But you are not occupying a "person" when you get on a plane.

You are occupying a "seat." And if you're occupying multiple seats, you need to pay for all of them.

Should tall people have to pay for two seats? Well, if they're draping their legs over the head rest and sitting them in the seat in front of them, then yes. If not, then you're comparing apples and oranges for the sake of trying to support the ridiculous argument that people should get to take up seats that they didn't pay for.

If a person willingly disables themself from eating, why should more sensible and responsible people and the airlines pick up the cost of their extra seat ticket?



People have to pay for overweight baggage...what's the difference?

So all of you who use the argument that people are fat because they are lazy, irresponsible (and my favorite) environmentally unfriendly, do you also support having people who are very muscular or very tall paying for two seats?

Are you willing to say that ANYONE for ANY REASON who infringes on another's space, whether it be due to height, weight, pregnancy, or disability should have to pay for the extra space?

I keep hearing you bash fat people, but you haven't addressed the other people who take up too much space.

Originally posted by bknapple32

Originally posted by VelmaLu
Wow, you're really proud of that 7%, as if it is something akin to a virtue. Does that make you a better person than someone who has a higher percentage?

What if the airlines decide to make all seats fit a 5' tall woman, everyone else must buy two seats? Would you agree to that?

My percentage does, however, make me less of a health risk than that of someone with say, 35% body fat.

And im sorry, but this isnt 'fat people bashing' Im friends with as many fat people as I am skinny people. I just refuse to pay for someone elses bad habits on a plane. A plane ride is a luxury. If you cant afford to compensate for your fatness on a plane, dont fly.

You're wrong. Body fat percentage has nothing to do with health risk. It has been proven that people who are 40 pounds overweight, but physically active have fewer health risks than someone underweight and inactive.

Fat, in and of itself, is not a predictor of health. Thinness does not mean healthy.

Get your facts straight. Just hate fat people because they are different and stop labeling them as unhealthy.

A star for wratchchild.

It's hard to have a constructive debate with somebody, when the only thing they will respond to is the words they put in your mouth. If anyone else can come up with a good, honest reason not to pay for seats you take up, I'd like to hear it.

Boohooing about how "It's not their fault" isn't one of those reasons. Regardless of whose fault it is, they're still taking up two seats.

Of course, on the other hand.... shouldn't it be the airline's right to make up the policies anyways? And if somebody doesn't like them, wouldn't they just fly another airline? What happened to the idea of a free market?

Some restaurants make you pay for each meal you order. Others are an all-you-can-eat buffet. You don't see governments stepping in and saying all restaurants should switch to buffets because large people require more food.

I know the free market argument can support either side of the debate. I'm just wondering how others perceive that concept here.