Photo of Obese Flier Sparked Outrage

A photo of an obese airplane passenger has inspired a passionate debate as to whether or not overweight fliers should pay more. Last week we said that they should and we asked you what you thought. We heard from over 2,000 of you and, overwhelmingly, you agree with us. Here, some of the comments from both sides:

The photo in question is believed to have been taken from American Airlines. We spoke with American Airlines media spokesperson Tim Smith to get his take on the situation. Here's what he had to say:

"We are currently in the process of looking into this situation. We do have a policy that tries to be flexible for passengers of size. Certainly no passenger would ever be allowed to fly on American Airlines in any way that obstructs the aisles of the aircraft, and all passengers must be properly seat-belted—part of the FAA rules. It is very obvious in the photo that the aircraft is not inflight at the time the photo was taken—other passengers are still boarding and several overhead bins are still open. We can assure you that all passengers on this flight were safely and comfortably accommodated, and that no FAA rules were broken."

Tim says that they don't "routinely charge for an extra seat unless there are simply no other options. Our people are trained to work with customers to try and accommodate ALL passengers onboard. Often, pending how full the flight is, we can get everyone taken care of." Tim adds that "each situation is handled individually on a case-by-case basis with utmost professionalism and discretion." He also cites FAA rules on the matter, which state that "all passengers must use FAA required restraint devices" and that "no aisle may be blocked by any passenger or bags in case of emergency."

http://travel.aol.com/travel-ideas/articles/should-obese-passengers-pay-more-...|main|dl4|link1|http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.aol.com%2Ftravel-ideas%2Farticles%2Fshould-obese-passengers-pay-more-debate-continues%3Fncid%3DAOLCOMMtravdynlprim0709

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Photo
• of
• Obese
• airline
• passenger
• Flier
• Sparked
• Outrage

[hurbt1980]

take up 2 seats, pay for 2 seats.  I pay more if my package weighs more with UPS...

[charliedoja]

How bout you just dont be a fat fuck?

[fvgdfbdokd]

we should just kill fat people

[ECIairport1]

ewwwwwwww

[Sealy57]

@MynameisElliott Ok. 

[MynameisElliott]

@Sealy57 Dude, relax. I may be small to you, but I'm just a touch under 6 ft 1... Which is still considered pretty tall by most people.

P.S. I think you missed the humor and sarcasm in my comment. Read it again.

[Sealy57]

@libraladyish This guy is large in stature, but also morbidly obese. His is not a genetic problem, since research has de-bunked that theory, it is a gluttony problem. There are solutions to his problem, to wit, dieting or flying first class.

[Sealy57]

@MynameisElliott Right, so I'm 6 ft. 3 in. tall and have less body fat than most people I know, yet still don't come close to your mandatory weight restriction. I weigh 195 lb. Since there are just as many tall people in the world as there are short, small people(like you), I would have to characterize your plan as unworkable, unreasonable and just plain idiotic.

[MynameisElliott]

People should pay more or less for their fare depending on what their weight is immediately before the flight. If you're over 77 kgs you pay more per kilo, if you're under 77 kgs, you pay less.

This also encourages people to diet and keep themselves in shape!

[libraladyish]

The problem with this i think may be trying to get past this man say with a trolly , another thing , that CANNOT be comfortable for him , i think they SHOULD make larger seats for larger people WITHOUT them having to pay , i mean theres many extremely tall people who sit crammed with their legs under their chin and if the bulkhead seats are away then their stuck

[Hobartez]

fat fucks should not fly. Its why we have trucks, trains, and barges... Cargo up fat fucks

[beckyuk2001]

I am surprised the airline let him fly without a double seat for health and safety reasons. I am a big kid myself and I would book a double seat if I flew anywhere even though I am not big enough for two I am to big for one, not just for my own comfort but for everybody else's and safety.