United to charge more for wide bodies
Obese passengers who can't fit into their assigned seats on United Airlines flights will now be required to buy a second ticket -- even if there's an open seat. Jeremy Hobson reports.
The tail of a United aircraft (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)
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Bob Moon: The skies just got more unfriendly for anybody who can't fit into their assigned seat on United Airlines. United is now cracking down on what it considers over-sized human cargo, which means it's insisting on -- yes -- yet another fee. Plus-size passengers will have to pay for a second ticket, or an upgrade. And even if there happens to be an empty seat, there's still no wiggle room: Don't expect United to waive the extra charge. Marketplace's Jeremy Hobson explains.
JEREMY HOBSON: Chalk this up to the current state of the airline industry. With demand in a tailspin, hundreds of aircraft have been taken out of circulation, which means the planes in the air are full.
ROBERT MANN: What that means is on many, many flights there simply are no empty seats into which one might allow a large customer to overflow.
That delicate statement comes from airline industry consultant Robert Mann. He says United is following Southwest by charging larger passengers, but it's taking an even harder line. And Mann says others may soon follow.
MANN: Certainly you aren't going to make friends with an individual that is confronted with that sort of policy. The question will be is if that individual is confronted with that sort of policy industrywide. Do they just choose to not fly or do they choose to pay up>
In Canada, airlines treat obesity as a medical issue and provide an extra seat free of charge. There's no such legal requirement here. Still, most U.S. airlines try to work with passengers without swiping the credit card. But, says Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly...
SETH KAPLAN: United has obviously determined that this is going to please more people than it's going to anger.
In New York's Grand Central Station, travelers had mixed opinions. Adrian Miller thinks on a full flight, United's policy makes sense.
ADRIAN MILLER: It makes it uncomfortable for me to be sitting in a seat where I'm having to shrink down my own body size and my own comfort level just to let this space be taken.
Sally Lee disagrees.
SALLY LEE: We can't all be the same size zero like the poshies of this world, you know, and I think it's very unfair to expect people to pay for two seats.
In a nod to its larger passengers, United says they do have the option to refund their ticket with no penalty.
In New York, I'm Jeremy Hobson for Marketplace.
Comments
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From los angeles, CA, 04/21/2009
I would probably have to pay for two seats...how about charging extra for them screaming kids? And how about that drunk that stinks next to me? I have no children and I have to pay for schools...how about giving singles a break? It's a mixmatched world...and how someone wants to go about unifying everything is nonsensical. I won't be flying nowhere...will travel by bus Whoopi style.
04/17/2009
The way this issue is presented neatly deflects our attention from the fact that steerage passengers on airflights have been subject to ever smaller space allowances. You would think that airlines would start from a calculation based on the variations in their customer base, and plan their seating arrangements accordingly. One would think that in an age where (despite the propaganda to the contrary) our heights, weights AND life expectancies are all rising together in lockstep, that airlines would begin to see the profit-sense in providing bigger seats to make a larger customer base happy and comfortable. But the opposite has happened. People have gotten bigger (and this is NOT an emergency, but a fact to be celebrated) and airline seats have gotten smaller. The airlines procrustean response is to blame the customer. This may be a useful policy in the short-term, but is bound to backfire badly when the science catches up to, and overturns, the prejudice.
From Woodstock, NY, 04/16/2009
I have many friends who will be adversely affected by the policy due to their size, and they are not fat because they sit around eating twinkies all day. People come in all shapes and sizes. You don't have to be all that large to spill over into the next sardine seating. Please make seats larger to fit real people--the airlines advertise the cost of an adult fare to a destination, not the cost of transporting pounds and inches. At least, they should provide a few wider seats at the same price. The present situation is blatant discrimination, and it is hard on everyone.
From MN, 04/16/2009
Oh puhlease. I'm fat because corporate America is feeding me bad food!? Are you serious? Give me a break. More - blame someone else for my problems. Are you stupid because of the teachers? Look, unless you fall into the 5% minority of obese people with hormone problems: you are fat because you eat too much. And if you're fat, I don't want your blubber cascading over into my space. Pretty simple really. If you're too big for the space, you need to pay for more space.
From New York, NY, 04/15/2009
I would be considered obese by most of the commenters. The obvious distaste of many for fat people is a daily fact of my life. However, there is a simple answer---I fly only by private plane or in First Class. and pay for it with my own hard earned bucks. Sometimes I even permit myself to enjoy watching the "normals" trying to squeeze into Coach. After all (with a paraphrase of one of the comments above), their inability to afford the better seats is a "condition" that "boils down to...laziness".
From beaverton, OR, 04/15/2009
I have twice made air trips next to very obese passengers. One gentleman was very apologetic about intruding into my seat space and the other was quite the opposite. Her view was that the airlines failed to provide enough space to seat passengers comfortably!
04/15/2009
I cannot believe this story. This is such blatant discrimination- the seats are not designed to fit an average sized American. Obesity is such a huge and distinctly American problem because of corporate control of our food, and poverty which makes it near impossible to eat healthy- anyone remember fast food nation? And now they are going to charge us for it? Knowing that their seats do not fit a great many percent of Americans. Why am I always jealous of the Canadians? They have a law that recognizes it as a medical issue and forces the company to pay for the extra seat.
From Blue Bell, PA, 04/15/2009
And what happens to the company who stops an employee from performing their job or fires them because travel costs the company more than a thinner employee? A discrimination suit? EEOC enforcement action?
From Davis, CA, 04/15/2009
Given the full flights today, it is reasonable for United to institute such a policy (as should all of the other airlines), which is also very considerate of the normal-sized passagers, and is an incentive for overweight passengers to take personal responbility for their physical (and medical) condition and loose weight.
From Ft Collins, CO, 04/15/2009
If you've ever had you space invaded by a morbidly obese person on a plane, United decision is welcome news. For the vast majority of overweight Americans their condition boils down to poor diet and laziness not medical problems. Flying has already become like riding the Greyhound, this will help alleviate that in a small way.
Semper Fi
De Vallion J Piper
From Omaha, NE, 04/15/2009
To be really fair, everyone should be charged according to their height and weight. Tiny people use less space and fuel, so they should get a refund.
How obese is obese? I've read that more that 25% of all Americans are classified as obese. How are they going to decide who must pay more?
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