Should obese passengers pay for two seats? Kevin Smith drama sparks debate. What do you think?

Director Kevin Smith's dispute with Southwest Airlines after his removal from a plane over the weekend in Oakland touches on what for years has been a hot-button issue in the airline world: Should obese passengers be required to purchase two seats?

Southwest is one of numerous airlines that requires passengers who can't fit comfortably into a single seat to purchase a second seat. Some passengers have hailed this policy, saying it's unfair to them to sit next to someone who takes up part of their seat.

But there have been legal challenges and protests over such policies. Last month, Air France came under criticism for asking obese passengers to pay 75% of the costs of a second seat, forcing the airline to clarify its policy. Critics argued the plan discriminated against people because of their weight.

United Airlines started charging obese passengers for a second seat last year. According to airline officials, United has received more than 700 complaints from passengers saying obese passengers  encroached on their seats.

In Canada, the government and courts have ruled that airlines must provide "clinically obese" passengers with an extra seat for no charge. Supporters of the policy said it will allow more disabled people to travel.

In the case of Smith, the director was outraged that he was told by airline employees to leave the plane even though he insisted that he fit in his seat.

"I know I'm fat, but was [the airline] really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?" he wrote. "I broke no regulation, offered no safety risk."

Smith said the incident took place Saturday and that he was eventually able to make it to L.A. on another Southwest flight.

Southwest issued an apology to Smith on its Twitter feed. "We are sincerely sorry for your travel experience on Southwest Airlines," the airline said in a statement.

What do you think? Should obese passengers pay for two seats? Or is that discrimination? Share your view.

--Shelby Grad

Comments

[Vague...]

Either that or the airlines need to offer larger seats (and they will charge more for them, you know it).

I'd be more sympathetic towards "individuals of size" if I have not been on more than a few flights where I have to share my seat with a portion of the person next to me. I'd like to be fair and non offensive to larger people, but as unfair as the arilines may be towards them, how fair is it for me to have to be pressed up against someone with no choice?

And don't give me that whole "ask to be moved" line either... Flights are so packed these days there is no place to be moved to.

[A. Gomez]

Another question is how much have the airlines reduced the size of the seats in order to increase an airplane's seating capacity? It all goes hand in hand with putting a 'normal' weighted person in a seat. What is a 'normal' weight for each seat?

[Jack Henry]

Smith just wants to increase his social media traffic. He doesn't have a hot wife nearly twice his age like Ashton, so he's using his girth as the attention getter. Snore.

[nate]

kevin smith can't afford business class?????? and yes...they should pay.

[George Soros]

The dictionary defines the word 'discrimination' as follows:

"Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit."

Should fat people pay for an extras seat? Hell yeah!

And is it discrimination? You bet!

Time to stop being so damn politically correct and have people start taking responsibility for themselves and how they affect other people in society.

So Kevin Smith is now boycotting SW? Guess what, I am from now on boycotting his fat ass's movies. So it's a win-win situation for me; I don't run the risk of sitting next to his lard ass on my next SW flight anytime soon, and I won't get bored to tears watching his dreadful movies.

[Tornadoes28]

Heck yes they should pay extra. If a persons extra girth causes them to spill over into a second seat, then they should pay for it.

[frank lopez]

If you are obese and you go to a restaurant, you cannot demand twice the food at the same price for a regular meal. You have to pay for two meals. In the same way if you do not fit in one seat you need to pay for two. It sounds cruel but it is fair.

[frank lopez]

If you are obese and go to a restaurant, you cannot demand two meals for the price of one. You must pay for an extra meal. In the same way if you need more than one seat on an airplane you should pay for two. It sounds cruel but it is fair.

[Bren]

I agree that obese people should pay for a second seat.

Obese people often argue that airlines should build larger seats. Well, what happens, then? There will be less seats on planes, which means less people can travel on a particular flight. Less people, means more $$$ to travel on that flight. Why should the rest of us pay others' unhealthy choices of being overweight?

It's the same issue when airlines must provide a complimentary second seat for overweight people. And that empty, complimentary seat, pushes another person out from traveling. How do they make the money back? By increasing the fare on the next flight.

Obesity is the problem. Not the size of airline seats.

[Ryan]

I think it should be pretty simple - if you need to use two seats, you need to purchase two seats. The idea that obese people get an extra free seat is like saying that fat people get an extra free cookie at your restaurant. I don't have anything against larger people, but I also don't think obesity gives anyone the right to free stuff.

The armrest test is a good idea. If you can't put down both armrests, you don't fit in the seat. Kevin Smith of course WAS able to put down both armrests, did fit in his seat and therefore was the subject of discrimination.

[Art]

Obesity in a major problem in the United States, having grown enormously as a problem in the past 20 years. Generally, it is a matter of choice in which people eat too much and exercise too little. One of the costs is that many people take up too much room on airplanes. They should have to pay the cost for that, not other travelers.

[SWAflyer]

Airlines should charge by the pound for all passengers. Might be a good way to get obesity under control. Maybe even clothing - size 2 jeans cost the same as size 16 - should be sold by weight. XXL t-shirts cost the same as S-M-L but require much more fabric. No discrimination - the weight is what it is.

[another opinion]

Here's a thought how about making the seats a standard size for all people, I an average and on SW air the seats are smaller than on AA Delta and JB. The seats on SW are small for me and te leg room is horrible on all airlines. I am 6'5" and I can't sit in a seat comfortably because of leg room. Instead of trying to be the cheapest and charging for everything luggage, drinks, extra room here's a thought how about fitting less people in your planes making seats bigger leg room longer and not charging extra for everything. just charge a bit more for the fare I for one would gladly pay for the leg room, normal sized seats, and here's a thought customer service . WE AREN'T CATTLE !!!!! I drive when I can because of the waits at airports and no room on planes .

[Frank]

I would gladly pay 10-20% more for a seat with 10-20% more space. I am lean, but tall and with wide shoulders (but not freakishly so). Flying is simply a miserable experience.

Likewise, anyone too large should be forced to pay for an additional seat.

[jose moreno]

I don't want someones arms over in my space. Not to mention their knees on my side. Yes, if they can't fit you should buy an additional seat. Its not fair to the other passengers.

[Joe Bob]

If you are extra skinny, and only using part of your seat, can you get 1/2 price ticket?

[Ebby]

The solution seems clear:

Airlines need to create different size seats, however they want to arrange them. Seats for regular folks, and seats "of size." Obviously you can't separate them into sections, like regs in front and "of size" in back, as that would be segregation... Maybe the side that has 3 seats should now only have two bigger seats? But definitely they should eat the cost of the seats that the airline loses, not the people who aren't demanding extra space.

Although, HEY, isn't first class like segregation anyway?

[Mark]

Every passenger paying the same amount to travel regardless of how many seats they take up is almost the same concept as health insurance. The healthy (smaller) people end up paying for the unhealthy (larger) peoples' costs by a slightly higher premium (higher ticket fee through lower capacity flights).

[2big2fit]

So what size does the airlines seat have to be made to fit the obese. Is it discrimination if a 700lb man wants to sit in one seat without paying extra. How come most clothes for larger sized people cost more than the smaller size? Is that discrimination? I guess the airlines should charge more to everyone so everyone gets equal treatment...kind of like distributing the wealth but in reverse.

[Mr. RP]

Planes fly by following strict weight guidelines and balancing their loads.... Should overweight people pay for two tickets?? My answer is NO....but everyone should pay per pound, it costs X amount to fly each and every pound on a plane so it only make sense that you pay for what you use. PER POUND BABY IT THE ONLY WAY TO FLY!!

[Tim Bits]

Perhaps airlines should start charging by "displacement". A sliding scale for air fare gauged upon how may cubic units you occupy be it cubic inches or liters. Between my wife and I we would pay for two average persons (yes I am overweight and she petite).
Thus we reduce the humans to what airlines truly regard them as, Cargo!

Yes the airlines are practicing discrimination by expecting a one size fits all mantra that is a fine philosophy for the airline accountants and execs but has no application when dealing with human beings. After all, are we humans, or just a unit to be shipped?

[Greg Finnegan]

The whole country is getting larger.

The uber rich airlines must buy bigger seats.

And we must learn to drive to our destinations until 50% of the airlines fail.

They have earned it. And so have we.

[Pants]

Kevin was in his seat, his armrests were down, and his belt was buckled with no extender. He was in his "finite" space. Southwest Airlines was out of bounds in the way they treated him, and he has every right to be angry about it.

[Claudia Ines]

They should pay for a double seat. I feel sorry for him, but I have shared my seat with someone bigger and it was not comfortable at all!

[Jason]

If you take up more than one seat, then pay for two. It's just fair -plain and simple. Also, by enforcing things like this, maybe obese people will have more motivation to lose weight. Obesity is a huge health issue in America which increases the cost of healthcare for everyone - and for most people, it can be avoided by exercise and watching what you eat.