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New Photo Brings Flying Overweight Debate Back
The Gothamist ^ | 12/3/09 | Jen Carlson

Posted on 12/03/2009 1:46:28 PM PST by thefactor

There's been much debate about how to handle overweight passengers on flights. While some airlines may charge for an extra seat, not all do — and now a flight attendant allegedly snapped a photo on an American Airlines flight (destination and take-off point unknown), which of course has been leaked to the press.

A Flight Global blog got a hold of the photo, which they say the attendant took to "show her manager what was happening on the aircraft and why she was unhappy about it. Seems the guy paid for only one seat and the gate staff let him board."

(Excerpt) Read more at gothamist.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Miscellaneous; Travel
KEYWORDS: americanairlines; flying; overweight; photoshop
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To: thefactor

How are you supposed to get by him to go to the can?


21 posted on 12/03/2009 2:03:54 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: thefactor

No worries. Nothing wrong in posting the same article twice. Have been guilty of this ‘crime’ one too many. :-0)


22 posted on 12/03/2009 2:04:46 PM PST by Justaham
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To: paulycy
Shouldn’t the airline have the right to take the large customer’s money as well as yours? If you don’t like it shouldn’t *you* be the one to take your money elsewhere?

If the airline does not provide a seat which can accommodate the paid passenger’s size is that the fault of the large person or the airline?

Either you left of the sarcasm tag or you're not the sharpest pencil in the box.

23 posted on 12/03/2009 2:05:51 PM PST by tx_eggman (Obama has "Czars" because men with more integrity than he has still use the titles "Don" and "Capo")
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To: crusty old prospector

How are you supposed to get the cocktail cart by him?! Gonna be a lot of thirsty people in coach.


24 posted on 12/03/2009 2:07:46 PM PST by thefactor (yes, as a matter of fact, i DID only read the excerpt)
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To: paulycy

The question isn’t really should the airlines be allowed to take their money. The question is how much of the neighboring seats should somebody occupy before the airline MUST declare the person a two ticket passenger and give them more than one seat.

And when a person is that big, it’s the fault of the person. Of course our current victim mentality prevents us from declaring this guy is just plane fat and needs to pay for the additional space he’ll take.


25 posted on 12/03/2009 2:10:53 PM PST by discostu (The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression)
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To: thefactor

That’s what happens when Gulliver trys flying on Liliputian airlines. He looks at least 7 ft tall.


26 posted on 12/03/2009 2:13:36 PM PST by Hacklehead (Liberalism is the art of taking what works, breaking it, and then blaming conservatives.)
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To: thefactor

He planned to drive but he totalled his car after he couldn’t see out the windshield and wound up hitting a fire hydrant and a tree.


27 posted on 12/03/2009 2:15:33 PM PST by jilliane
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To: frithguild

“The poor armrest!”

His poor wife!


28 posted on 12/03/2009 2:16:07 PM PST by Hacklehead (Liberalism is the art of taking what works, breaking it, and then blaming conservatives.)
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To: jessduntno

It looks real to me. What do you base your comment on.


29 posted on 12/03/2009 2:19:38 PM PST by GulfBreeze (Palin 2012 - For The Change You Wanted!!!)
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To: frithguild; thefactor

I don’t know for sure what is going on in this picture. He does indeed seem to be sitting on the armrest. Notice the two empty seats behind him? HMM? The airline attendants could seat him there, if he’s not already sitting there and just talking to the guy next to him.
The premise is still good. Just like overweight lugggage is charged, maybe overweight passengers should be charged. At my size, I’m lucky :-)


30 posted on 12/03/2009 2:21:06 PM PST by ArmyTeach ( Speak the truth, right the wrong, and follow the King.)
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To: discostu
And when a person is that big, it’s the fault of the person.

This is the only point on which I disagree. It is nobody's business how that person came to be so large in the first place. That is that person's personal business.

Genetics is a tremendous factor in the second place and it has nothing to do with a victim mentality. It is based in large part on what you inherit from *all* of your ancestors, in part on how much you eat, of course, and other factors these days such as certain medicines that cause weight gain and difficulty in losing it. Again, that's not a victim mentality it is just real life which is far from perfect especially where human beings are concerned.

If airlines need to charge based on weight and bulk then they should do so. But to "hate" the large person into not flying or otherwise participating in the public square is just wrong in my book.

31 posted on 12/03/2009 2:22:43 PM PST by paulycy (Demand Constitutionality.)
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To: Cacique
You've hit it exactly. There's a need, so let the market supply the solution. A rising tide lifts all boats. Well, most boats.
32 posted on 12/03/2009 2:23:28 PM PST by wetickel
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To: tx_eggman
Either you left of the sarcasm tag or you're not the sharpest pencil in the box.

OK, defend your position then, smarty. I don't take your word for it... ;0)

33 posted on 12/03/2009 2:24:24 PM PST by paulycy (Demand Constitutionality.)
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To: ArmyTeach

as you can see at the front of the pic, there are people still entering the plane. those seats are most likely about to be filled.


34 posted on 12/03/2009 2:24:31 PM PST by thefactor (yes, as a matter of fact, i DID only read the excerpt)
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To: thefactor

Right ...


35 posted on 12/03/2009 2:27:09 PM PST by ArmyTeach ( Speak the truth, right the wrong, and follow the King.)
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To: paulycy

It’s their personal business all the way up until their girth is impacting other people on shared transportation systems.

If this guy was 20 pounds over weight and wouldn’t fit into the airline seats, that would be the airline’s fault and they should make bigger seats. But when they’re a whole person overweight it’s legitimate to charge the guy extra. But we have this victim mentality in this country right now and whenever an airline starts talking about charging large passengers extra people start throwing around the “discrimination” word.

There’s no “hate”, it’s just a simple reality. There’s no possible way this guy can fit in a single seat designed for anybody of normal dimensions. He’s fat, maybe it’s genetics, maybe it’s too much time at the buffet line, doesn’t matter, he occupies two seats worth of space, and the airline should charge him accordingly without anybody yelling at the airline.


36 posted on 12/03/2009 2:32:34 PM PST by discostu (The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression)
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To: GulfBreeze

No one to the right of the guy next to him...the crowd still boarding is in the front of the plane, meaning they have boarded from the rear forward...doubt there will be more coming back...no one is staring...the leg is in un unnatural position...doesn’t look real...


37 posted on 12/03/2009 2:33:54 PM PST by jessduntno (Make the Democrats STFU - Stop The Federal Usurpation...dump them out in 2010.)
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To: thefactor

I think I sat by that guy one time, he looks familiar.


38 posted on 12/03/2009 2:34:03 PM PST by Ditter
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To: thefactor

I wonder what he did when the seatbelt light was on.


39 posted on 12/03/2009 2:36:33 PM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
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To: discostu
he occupies two seats worth of space, and the airline should charge him accordingly without anybody yelling at the airline.

I agree. Wasn't that simple? :0)

But the predominant emotion is less flattering and I maintain that *because* you are right that large people cost more to transport and take up more space it is the AIRLINE's responsibility to either charge more or change accomodations so that all their paying customers are satisfied.

Blaming the *airlines* is appropriate, blaming the large passenger is not. But we do things backwards sometimes.

40 posted on 12/03/2009 2:38:44 PM PST by paulycy (Demand Constitutionality.)
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