Airlines grapple with fat flier issue

Macsata called the current guidelines arbitrary and said they are often unfair to women because they are typically larger in the hips, while men are often larger in the belly or in the chest.

He also urged people frustrated with fat passengers — the term preferred by his organization — to direct their anger at the airlines instead.

“It should not be about the size of the person’s butt sitting next to you, but rather the size of the seat that both of you are sitting in,” Macsata said.

“We’re crammed in like sardines, you don’t have to be a fat person to be uncomfortable sitting in those seats.”

A simple remedy would be for airlines to retrofit the first row of each plane with seats that are a bit roomier and reserve them for large fliers, who would pay more for booking them, Macsata said.

Addressing a ‘sensitive issue’

Airlines have adopted various policies to cope with the issue. Some are easier to find than others.

Southwest Airlines, for example, refunds the cost of an additional seat to “customers of size” after travel is completed if the flight doesn’t oversell. Southwest did not return phone calls asking for the number of people who have taken advantage of the refund policy.

Farecompare’s Seaney said there is little incentive for people to buy two seats. Many would rather pay for one ticket and take their chances that vacant seats will be available on their flight, rather than spend double and wait for a refund, he added.

United Airlines last year implemented a policy that requires obese passengers to buy a second seat, unless vacant seats are available on their flight — in which case they would be seated next to one for free.

American Airlines has a similar policy and encourages customers to address their seating needs when booking their flight.

JetBlue does not have a policy in place for customers who require an additional seat, but the airline addresses their needs on a case-by-case basis, spokeswoman Alison Croyle said in a statement.

“We understand this is a sensitive issue,” Croyle said. “If we can accommodate larger customers on the plane, we will do so at no additional charge.”

Delta did not return phone calls asking for details on its policy.

A few weeks ago, Air France announced that starting this month, it would refund the cost of a second coach seat purchased by heavier passengers if the economy cabin was not fully booked.

Still, industry observers said formal guidelines should be adopted to avoid incidents like the one involving Kevin Smith. Flight attendants, gate agents and pilots shouldn’t be made to act as “judges and juries” on weight issues, Seaney said.