Man has to stand for 7 hour flight due to fatty next to him.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by ggforever

Sorry, but the arm rest does divide the "space" you are renting on that particular flight with the airline. If you need two seats then you should pay for the extra space. A seat belt extension should mean you pay at least 1/2 price to purchase the seat next to you. Also, if you read my post, my husband would never feel victimized.

Yes, you made it clear that your husband does not allow himself to feel victimized. If you read my post, you'll see that what I was saying is that talking about this kind of problem in terms of "rights" and "victimization" is overdoing it and doesn't help anything. If anything, it invites people to to feel victimized.

What I was responding to were these bits:

Originally Posted by ggforever

Because the other passenger allowed himself to be victimized. Had the passenger not allowed the arm rest up, there would have been no place for the obese man to sit and he would have had to go on another flight. If everyone would keep arm rests down and not allow them to be raised so someone can "fit" into the next seat then this would stop. We are all so PC that we do not want to hurt the feelings of an obese person. Believe me, the obese passenger knows they are large.

and this:

Originally Posted by ggforever

Other passengers need to start standing up for their rights. My husband has a VERY firm "arm rest down" policy. If someone says they are not comfortable with it down, he just tells them he is not comfortable with it up.

As far as I'm concerned it isn't about being PC at all -- it's about being a gentleman. I was raised to believe that I have an obligation to be considerate of others regardless of whether they are being considerate of me. And I've learned over the years that a primary benefit of this approach to life is that it makes me a generally happier person.

I agree that the arm rest is a divider and that we would all rather not have others in our "personal space." And as I said, I prefer the arm rest down. That said, I would never make an issue of it. If the person next to me said they are not comfortable with it down, I wouldn't just tell them that I prefer it down and insist on my way because it's my right. I'd try to work something out in as friendly a manner as possible (including, if necessary, asking a flight attendant if another seat was available, and telling the person next to me that I was going to move so he could be more comfortable).

My very firm policy is that I would rather be uncomfortable on a plane than behave like an a$$ on a plane.