In a recent announcement, United Airlines stated that they will begin charging “heavier” customers extra if they require more than one seat.
They were careful to be politically correct, as always, though the tone didn’t do a very good job of hiding their message.
Practicality and morality aside, I see no need to dance around the English language in the hopes that it’s somehow going to offend people less.
When you’re referring to someone as “large,” or “big-boned,” or “husky,” it’s not as though they’re going to stare at you in ignorant confusion, unable to discern your implied meaning.
That aside, I take no issue with the new rule, legitimate medical exceptions aside.
When the airline industry is hemorrhaging billions of dollars, this requires them to take planes out of commission, leading to fewer, fuller planes in the sky. If someone’s body mass is such that they require two seats to be transported from one location to the next, they should be expected to pay for both.
This might lack sympathy, but when the NIDDK says that roughly two-thirds of Americans over the age of 20 are either overweight or obese, I wouldn’t guess that it’s because they all have legitimate medical conditions that keep them that way.
If a passenger is unable to buckle their seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender, or are unable to put the armrest down when seated, they will be required to purchase an additional ticket or be denied permission to board the flight.
This is not a cover-all policy, and is only reserved for situations where there is no empty seating to compensate for their needs.
It is for this reason that the policy is fair, and it’s not a new practice to begin with.
Southwest Airlines has used the policy before, it’s more a matter that it’s spreading to other airlines as well.
For the mere purpose of logistics, there’s no other way to do it unless people don’t mind sitting on each other’s laps.
When you’re flying an 18-hour trip from California to Australia in coach, it’s unlikely that you’re going to question the policy just because someone’s feelings might get hurt.
