Give Obese People A Break!

February 10, 2010

in Portly Stories

Every non-obese flier has a story about the obese person who ruined their flight. I’m a normal sized woman who flies on lots of transatlantic flights.

Recently on a flight from Paris to Atlanta, I was seated in the center seat of the three seat center section of a 767. On either side of me, in the aisle seats, were a husband and wife of very large stature. The center arm rests were up and I would say that there was probably about 3/4’s of a seat left in the center. I sat down and started to have a pleasant conversation with them. Sure, it was crowded but they were the nicest people you would ever want to meet. They apologized for their size and I said it wasn’t a problem. They offered to let me lie my head on their shoulders if I wanted to sleep. They had just finished their second honeymoon in Paris after 35 years of marriage.

I had a nice nap on the plane, did not get cold and could not have asked for nicer seat companions. Sometimes, you have to make the most of a difficult situation. I’ve certainly had a lot worse experiences with my fellow passengers.

{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

pepe February 11, 2010 at 7:24 am

OK, but still it makes no sense imo, to let a stranger sit between a couple.

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Jim February 11, 2010 at 8:49 am

1) I find it creepy, that they offered to let a complete stranger put their head on their shoulder…and, even more creepy if you took them up on their offer.

2) If they were truly concerned about you and your comfort, they would have offered you one of their aisle seats….and, would not have had the audacity to book two aisle seats….knowing, that the middle person would be squeezed between them. However nice their verbal pleasantries may have seemed…their action, of squeezing a stranger between them on 3/4 of a seat…is not polite.

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Increasedosologist February 12, 2010 at 8:31 am

Jim you are apperently geometrically challenged. If they sat together, she would have the same 3/4 of a seat but instead of being supported by two soft squishes on both sides she would be jammed against a hard thin armrest.

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ps February 12, 2010 at 3:51 pm

If they switched, she could have put that armrest up, stretch her legs etc. Jim is right, that is creepy… I think you're geometrically challenged.. she was wedged between 2 biggins. An Aisle seat would give her more living space…

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Increasedosologist February 14, 2010 at 7:19 am

Sorry ps, anyone who has ever been on an airliner knows that the armrests that face the isle do not raise.

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tdf February 14, 2010 at 7:39 am

Anyone who has ever been next to a fat person on an airplane knows that feeling squashed is not simply a function of sq. inches of seat. If you're next to an aisle you have free space to lean into.

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ps February 14, 2010 at 2:46 pm

oh gee, my mistake, but for most people on an 'airliner' you can at least stretch your legs… and yes, on some older "airliners", you can (or could) raise the armrest… sorry, you've only likely done the Boeing/McDonnell route. There are still numerous Fokkers and Ilyushins aloft where you can (or could)….You may want to stick to Southwest as you are an experiensed "Airliner" unlike myself. Wowo, what a pro. And the story is still wierd.

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Increasedosologist February 17, 2010 at 7:37 am

That's right "AIRLINERS". I fly small GA planes and helicopters more often than airliners, so I call them airliners. And oh btw. IL-18 with 4 propellers and a round nose is one my favorite planes I've ever flown on. Frankly I'm a little confused by this hostile outburst.

Lon February 11, 2010 at 11:38 am

While I'm glad your experience was a good one, I think you're way more forgiving than most people. Our gripes about obese people are, they should BUY TWO SEATS to accommodate their girth instead of invading other peoples' space. But they choose not to. And the FAs choose to look the other way at the expense of the person sitting next to them. Nice or not, they should not be encroaching on the next person's space.

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tdf February 12, 2010 at 6:51 am

Actually, these two could have bought that middle seat and shared it.

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D-Money February 11, 2010 at 3:28 pm

Give them a break, give them a break, break them off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. 🙂

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Owen February 16, 2010 at 1:03 pm

LOL, are you sure you're not an undercover fattie? ….uh huh, I like it when I sit next to fat people too. Last time I laid on top of one when I got tired – even better than a waterbed! LOL….

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