The Disaster Known as Economy Class

[moe.ron]

From the BBC news site...

Crushed flier wins obesity payout

Virgin Atlantic has paid a woman passenger £13,000 (US$20,289) compensation, after she was squashed by an obese person who sat next to her on a transatlantic flight.

Barbara Hewson, from Swansea, south Wales, suffered injuries including a blood clot in her chest, torn leg muscles and acute sciatica and remains in pain two years on.

The obese passenger had only been able to fit into her seat by raising the arm rest, which meant her body parts weighed down on Mrs Hewson.

The injured woman had to be admitted to hospital in Los Angeles when the flight touched down and was bedridden for a month, according to a report in The Sunday Times newspaper.

Two years later, and after pressure on the airline to take her complaint seriously, Virgin agreed to pay her compensation.

Before taking off, the freelance writer had complained in the first instance to the cabin crew about sitting next to the overweight woman, who had booked two seats on her outward bound flight to London, but not on the return leg.

Attendants told Mrs Hewson the flight was full, with no other seats available.

She told the Sunday newspaper that her experience of the 11-hour flight in economy class had been "horrific".

Mrs Hewson added that she was now forced to walk with a stick and is still in pain.

It is reported Virgin officials initially offered "a small basket of goods" worth £15 as compensation, but Mrs Hewson took forward her complaint.

And after 18 months of pursuing her claim and undergoing medical examinations by Virgin's own doctors to prove the extent of her injuries, the airline agreed to a proper settlement.

A statement by Virgin said Mrs Hewson's injuries arose from "an unprecedented set of extremely unfortunate circumstances".

"We have apologised to Mrs Hewson and have offered her compensation, which she has accepted, and we are pleased that this has now reached a conclusion."

In the United States, budget US carrier Southwest Airlines now charge larger passengers for two seats.

But the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has taken on airlines over discrimination against overweight people.

The level of obesity in the US is now of major concern, but also in the UK, National Audit Office figures show one in five people are clinically obese.

Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith has fought a campaign against cramped economy class conditions, following a series of deaths from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which have been linked to long haul flights.

[Optimist Prime]

that sucks.

[Kevin]

There was also a recent contraversy when airlines forced obese people to actually pay for the 2 or 3 seats that they would take up on a flight.

Maybe the FAA should impose weight limits? Morbidly obese people with today's medical technology are simply people that are to lazy/depressed to change. It is a condition that can be beaten with the proper treatment and/or medication.

[aephi alum]

The fact is that economy class seats are just too small. I'm 5'2" and not overweight (ok, I could stand to lose 5 lbs, but so can a lot of people), and *I'm* cramped in coach-class seats.

That said, no one should be forced to share his/her seat with half of a morbidly obese passenger, especially on an 11-hour flight! Someone that overweight should either sit in first class or pay for the 2 seats s/he is actually using. (In the Southwest case, the charge for the second seat wasn't as much as a full ticket, and you got a refund if the flight turned out not to be full. There is no first class section.)

I'd also like to see a small "economy-plus" section where the seats are first-class sized but you still get economy-class service - obviously, for an additional fee. These seats would be reserved for seriously overweight passengers. If there are none on a given flight, they can be offered to preferred-class frequent fliers (the ones that rack up 25,000+ miles per year) as a perk.

Not all obesity can be treated just through diet and exercise - although it does help. In any case, if you weigh 500 lbs and should weigh 150, it will take several years to safely lose that weight. So, some morbidly obese people are in fact people who have made the decision to fix their problem and who have just started the process.

[KillarneyRose]

I can well remember the experience I had 12 years ago sitting next to a "large person" on a New York - Los Angeles flight. How trapped and suffocated I felt as I watched her thighs ooze like waffle batter onto my seat. Seriously, I am mildly claustrophobic and I was feeling pretty shaky when we FINALLY landed!

Every time I have flown since then, I have flown first class. When I flew for business, I paid for the upgrade out of my own pocket and since I've had kids I pay for first class tickets for them as well. (well, I can't very well throw them back in economy now, can I?) It's well worth it because I don't like flying to begin with - the last thing I need is to be smooshed!

National Association to Advace Fat Acceptance??? Is this real?