What happens when an oversized passenger takes up more than their allotted seat? Well, in my case, flying to
London this month, that individual encroached on my seat for the entire seven-hour journey. I had been assigned to a middle group of seats – four abreast – with mine being second from the right facing the front of the aircraft. The individual seated to my right was not a problem as she had a “normal” body size. The passenger to my left was the problem. She wasn’t necessarily obese but was tall, large-boned and heavy set, certainly big enough that she required extra space beyond the 17 in. wide economy class seat on this
Boeing 777-300ER (photo). Resultingly, this made for an uncomfortable journey as I could only maneuver in two-thirds of my seat and was almost comical when it came to eating dinner, with really only my right arm free to use my utensils and my left arm and hand acting more as stabilizing elements to hold the tray or even my right hand! There must be a way for airlines to handle this problem. Obviously being of normal size (5’ 6” and 170 lbs.) I’m not at fault yet I paid for full use of an economy class seat, not partial use. My larger fellow passenger took up more space than she paid for. So, should she have paid for two seats? Should airlines demand body sizes and weights like they do luggage and charge for one or two seats accordingly? Is this fat-shaming? Should I ask for a partial refund? I couldn’t find any
Air Canada policy regarding this matter only one on “
oversized luggage.” But I did see a website which suggested the five best airlines for overweight passengers, Air Canada being number three. “It’s a mixed bag for overweight passengers flying with Air Canada with seats ranging from 17-18 inches in width.” it said. “However, when it comes to
Premium Economy, all this changes, with the airline delivering one of the best offerings for overweight passengers. You can enjoy a seat width of 24 inches, with 20 inches being the most common.”
And speaking of luggage, oversized or not. Passengers love their carry-ons and don’t want to part with them. That’s why they bring them on board in the first place - even for a charge - and on international flights such as mine it's free. But often at flight check-ins – just before boarding the aircraft – an airline clerk will make an announcement that the flight is full and there isn't enough space to accommodate all carry-ons. And so,
for free, the airline will check the carry-on and the passenger reclaim at the luggage carousel upon arrival. Such was the case with my flight from
Toronto to London. The announcement was made but at first no one volunteered. The clerk, having a sense of humor, said “Seems no one wants to take me up on my request. I
know why you want to hold on to your carry-on; you are afraid it will be lost, but I assure you it will be checked on the very same airplane you’re flying on.” I was reluctant too and then, after another passenger, decided to walk up to the gate and have the bag checked. What the hell, even if I must wait to reclaim my bag, I had time to kill before my hotel check-in. But after doing so I felt a sense of freedom from not having a bag to tote and compete with other passengers for storage space; I simply walked on without care. Now, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Returning home, the first thing I did when getting to the gate was ask the clerk if I could check it. She seemed more than pleased a passenger
would offer to do this.
- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller
