`WALK OF SHAME' - Obese flyer booted from flight in US

a reply to: HarryJoy

Your absoloutly right, I do have friends that can eat what they like and never exercise but will never put on weight.
Myself, ive always been an active person but if I eat the wrong type of foods, I put weight on. I have to avoid those foods on a daily basis and even avoid certain social situations because they are food related and the wrong type of foods for me.
I have to make a food plan evey day so I know what I'm eating and only eat 3 meals a day at certain times with nothing in between.
This is not a joke, it can make daily life very difficult. I'm lucky in the sense that I recognised and tackled my issues. The hardest part was breaking the psychological side to my problem and dealing with painful memories from my childhood.
And I do feel for those with a food disorder and don't know it.

a reply to: Misterlondon

I guess you're right, I've never been addicted to anything and I've done a lot of things that have the potential to cause addiction from drugs to gambling to alcohol to smoking, I've always had the sense to stop when I wanted to.

So from my perspective I see it more as people having a lack of willpower to overcome their desires, maybe I'm lucky in that I don't have an addictive personality, but the way I see it, is calling things an addiction is a psychological enabling mechanism in order for people to carry on with their desires by saying "it's too hard to overcome" when in reality it's all down to willpower. In other words it's just an excuse and your desire to keep carrying on is greater than the desire to stop, but like I say maybe that's just me and I'm lucky in that I can push myself to stop when I know I need to. I won't begin to say I can know what it's like for others because I don't it's impossible to know the mindset of somebody else but from my perspective it's all in the mind.

And let's be honest, the majority of people who are fat got fat because they enjoy pigging out on food and are too lazy to exercise, yes there's rare cases where it is addiction/psychological (from their perspective at least) but for the majority it's nothing more than poor lifestyle choices.

As someone who flies United almost every week I have no issue with this. When I purchase an airline ticket I do not want to share any part of it with someone else. Additionally, I have almost always found United's cabin crews to be very customer friendly and accommodating.

For those of you saying airline travel 'used to be different', yeah, it was, only rich people could fly, hence the term 'jet set'. With deregulation everyone can fly and does. Airline profits are now more about volume than higher price, smaller amount of fliers.

I also just checked flights from Newark to Las Vegas and he could have bought an economy plus seat, which is larger, for $240 and First Class for $410:

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

As a former travel agent, I am putting money on the fact the passenger in question just booked the cheapest seat they could find and then acted all surprised and offended when he was told he should have booked two. Those cheap seats are cheap for a reason - it's called sardines in a can and they cram in average sized people.

You are quite correct in what you say about different seating classes - the higher the class, the more room you get. One airline here in Australia has a 'premium' neighbour free guarantee seat - the middle seat is not available for booking in this class in economy for instance. The seats are naturally dearer, but it would have avoided this issue

Business and first class seats also offer way more space than cattle class, so once again the problem would have been avoided.

originally posted by: markosity1973
As a former travel agent, I am putting money on the fact the passenger in question just booked the cheapest seat they could find and then acted all surprised and offended when he was told he should have booked two.

I would wager money on you being correct. Newark is my home airport and it is United's northeast hub so they have a huge volume of flights daily to everywhere the company covers. There were 12 flights to Las Vegas alone that I saw in my search and those fares are quite reasonable when you consider you are flying 4/5's of the way across the country.

He could have flown in one of the premium seats and saved himself the 'walk of shame' he most likely knew about prior to getting onboard.

a reply to: Misterlondon

Yet plenty of people still manage to find a way to exercise and eat healthy while maintaining a career and raising children. It's a choice, a lifestyle issue.

There's advertising for alcohol everywhere too but many manage not to become alcoholics and the few who do, why should anyone else pay for their sickness?

Whatever the psychological implications of obesity and over-eating, it's not on the rest of us to pay for part of your plane ticket.

Basically, the airlines should provide what they define as acceptable girth and height for certain seats and seat pricing so there is no embarrassing walk of shame. There, quit playing games with us and tell us exactly what the airline is offering for a certain price for all people, like cattle.

originally posted by: MysticPearl
a reply to: Misterlondon

Yet plenty of people still manage to find a way to exercise and eat healthy while maintaining a career and raising children. It's a choice, a lifestyle issue.

There's advertising for alcohol everywhere too but many manage not to become alcoholics and the few who do, why should anyone else pay for their sickness?

Whatever the psychological implications of obesity and over-eating, it's not on the rest of us to pay for part of your plane ticket.

There is no debate here in regards to the plane ticket, it is fairly obvious that if you don't fit into a single seat, you will need 2. The airline is also entitled to charge for that second seat.. that has already been established here.
My point is more about the abuse that was directed to the passenger and overweight people in general. It is not always the case that people are lazy and stuffing their face all day.
Why when someone has a problem of this nature are people quick to put them down and make assumptions regarding that person?
And why is it socially acceptable to hurl at abuse someone who is overweight?
When clearly nobody should have to suffer this abuse and bullying as this only makes things worse and can develop further problems for that person.

And your point about alcoholics is moot because not everyone is overweight either. Alcohol can be avoided and we don't start drinking until early adulthood..
Food cannot be avoided and we start consuming a food source as soon as we are born and will continue to do so until we die.
Food cannot be avoided and unfortunately in today's society, unhealthy food is more readily available, more convinient and actually cheaper to aquire than healthy foods are.
I make all meals now from fresh ingredients, I even bake my own bread, and honestly ,it works out much more expensive and much more time consuming. I can fully understand why people grab convinience foods, unfortunately most of those are loaded with sugar and fat.

originally posted by: Justso
Basically, the airlines should provide what they define as acceptable girth and height for certain seats and seat pricing so there is no embarrassing walk of shame. There, quit playing games with us and tell us exactly what the airline is offering for a certain price for all people, like cattle.

This is a good point.. that would certainly solve alot of issues..

originally posted by: DonVoigt
This has been normal practice at airlines for many years, if you're too fat for your seat you must purchase 2 seats. I don't want someone's blubber flowing over the edge of the seat on to me, lose some weight or buy 2 seats. There is no reason for fat people to be imposing themselves on other people at $1500.00 a ticket.

I totally agree...Those seats get smaller and smaller and smaller.

At 175kg (about 385 pounds) he is one big boy. He has to know how large he is. I'm an average size gal and have no issue sitting in the seats but I am 5'8" and because of that, I spring the extra $30 for an extended leg room seat. Totally luxury, I know.

I wonder how the trip out to Vegas went? Did he get lucky and have an empty spot next to him or have some soft hearted staff arrange a special, safe place, just for him?

If he was my seat mate, I'd probably have a cow...But then I make my hubby sit next to the stranger beside us if there is one. I get anxious sitting THAT close to peeps I do not know.

If someone's fat then someone's fat. That's their choice/decision/result due to whatever circumstance.

But don't impose that problem on the rest of us -- why should an airline have to make "extra" provisions for someone who is overweight? Why should the rest of the passengers be inconvenienced by this person(s )? By that I mean, for example, if airlines *did* gave a free second seat to a fat person, who would pick up that tab? Us, the other passengers through elevated flying costs.

And, as already mentioned, I *hate* sitting next to fat people on airplanes, buses, trains, etc. It's awful and terribly uncomfortable and I dont want to spend £££ only to endure this.

If you're obese and reading this and feel offended, well, that's too bad. But when I spend many £££ on a flight from the UK to HK, I hate having a fat person spilling over into my personal space. Using both arm rests because they have no where else to put themselves.

Do i hate fat people - of course not. But I hate the attitude that somehow the rest of society must "adapt" to their size. Not the other way round.

If i was overweight and couldnt fit in a standard seat, I would not expect you, the public to pay for my issue.

a reply to: OrionHunterX

Personally, and i realise this isn't going to be a popular opinion, especially amongst obese readers, but perhaps he ought to be thinking about reducing his weight to a healthy, more practical level before he complains about the impracticality of being 175Kgs...just a thought.

It's not as if the airlines, or anyone else is shovelling food down his throat like it was going out of fashion.

Stop dodging the salads, and give the burgers and pizzas a miss once in a while and perhaps he won't have to suffer this kind of self inflicted embarrassment...it's not quantum physics.

originally posted by: DonVoigt
a reply to: Ericthedoubter

But 2 seats fatso

Unfortunately you're right. You just don't know how miserable it can be to have a morbidly obese person seated next to you. Until it happens to you.

I had a fat woman literally crush me against a window. She quickly lifted up the seat arm rest and oozed into my seat before I could do anything. She even had her little kid sitting on her lap. She had not showered. Good thing it was a short commuter flight.

Instead of searching for weapons they need to weigh them. Ask how much they weigh when they buy their ticket and plan ahead. Weigh them if they look too fat. Sorry fatso I'm not looking for a BDSM sexual experience unless I'm the sadist.

I was kicked off a United Airlines flight coming home from my birthday trip to Puerto Rico.....because I had a seizure....not a grand mal...just a small petit mal seizure....I was PULLED from my seat and was DRUG up the aisle and out of the plane...while I was yelling for my husband, (we were not allowed to sit together and had we been able to, my husband knows what to do when I have a seizure and the flight attendants would never have known). When I complained to cooperate at United, a rude "customer service specialist" told me I should buy a FIRST CLASS seat next time. I didn't even get an apology.

I have never flown United again.

reply to: OrionHunterX

a reply to: Cornczech

So you wanted the airline to take the risk of you dying on their flight and have your husband sue them because they didn't let you have an opportunity to seek medical care?

I hate selfish people.....

No, I didn't like the fact that I was PULLED off a plane by my arm and my husband wasn't informed that I was being taken off the flight...he heard my voice screaming his name.....

and you don't know me, Jagoff.......

My "removal" could have been done a little more gently and with more "compassion"...ya have any?


t reply to: IslandOfMisfitToys

originally posted by: thesaneone

originally posted by: Ericthedoubter
a reply to: OrionHunterX

So what happens if Hafthor gets on the plane?He weighs more than 180kg(400 lb).

It's not just about weight, if the person cannot lower both armrests then the policy of a few airlines is you must purchase two seats.

I agree with Kandinsky that airlines should have wider seats, it's silly that they haven't but that's greed for you.

Considering how the government subsidizes the airline industry so much, you'd think their would be no difference between first class spacing and coach spacing...it's not like they can't get more money from Congress so cost isn't an issue. Oh yeah, it's that greed thing you brought up...

originally posted by: IslandOfMisfitToys
a reply to: Cornczech

So you wanted the airline to take the risk of you dying on their flight and have your husband sue them because they didn't let you have an opportunity to seek medical care?

I hate selfish people.....

Not sure why you felt the need to add that last line to your post..

originally posted by: Misterlondon

originally posted by: IslandOfMisfitToys
a reply to: Cornczech

So you wanted the airline to take the risk of you dying on their flight and have your husband sue them because they didn't let you have an opportunity to seek medical care?

I hate selfish people.....

Not sure why you felt the need to add that last line to your post..

Because people who don't consider other people are selfish and I don't like them.

Is that clear enough?

That goes for people not considering the feelings of fat people too......

originally posted by: IslandOfMisfitToys

originally posted by: Misterlondon

originally posted by: IslandOfMisfitToys
a reply to: Cornczech

So you wanted the airline to take the risk of you dying on their flight and have your husband sue them because they didn't let you have an opportunity to seek medical care?

I hate selfish people.....

Not sure why you felt the need to add that last line to your post..

Because people who don't consider other people are selfish and I don't like them.

Is that clear enough?

That goes for people not considering the feelings of fat people too......

She claimed she was dragged off a plane after a seizure.. screaming out her husbands name.
Seems a little heavy handed to me, not sure how that can be deemed as being selfish.