Big Guy Beset By Bachelor Party & Broken Seat

March 20, 2010

in Portly Stories

After a long boy’s weekend skiing in Colorado, I was flying home to San Diego on America West. The flight had a non change stop in Vegas on the way. It was a Sunday evening, and the crowd that boarded in Vegas was typical. Many people wearing sunglasses at night, looking like they had slept a couple of hours of the previous 48. A big group of guys, still drunk and loud, a bachelor party perhaps, took up the two rows behind me. I had a window seat, a petite woman the middle next to me. The flight was full.

The last guy in line boarding the plane was huge. Not just big, but 400+ pounds big. The only seat I saw open was the aisle seat in our row. The girl next to me looked over and sighed when he put his bag down looking at the row numbers above us. No way this guy would ever fit in this coach seat; he would have problems with first class seats. I’ll give him credit as he didn’t ask to put up the armrest between my neighbor and himself. He simply put his ample rear end between the armrests and wriggled back and forth forcing his girth in.

The bachelor party group was now mumbling things and giggling behind us at what was going on. Something had to give and with a loud crack it was the entire aisle side of the seat, all of it landed in the aisle. The bachelor party group was now howling in laughter. I felt really bad for the big guy. He proceeded to pick up the seat end and held it under his arm as if it was attached and there was no problem. This caused the bachelor party group to erupt in even more laughter. The FA’s reacting to the uproar came over and took the seat end from the big guy and gave him a couple of extenders to get belted in. Now the girl next to me was in my lap. Even with the seat arm gone this guy still took up over half of her seat as well. Luckily the flight was only 45 minutes and we were able to deal with the discomfort. I feel that we all must take responsibility for ourselves in life and this guy must exercise some common sense and buy two seats.

As a former airline employee I was really surprised that they flew with that broken seat end. I’m sure there is an FAA reg or two that was violated. But by this time I just wanted to get home, and thankfully we did.

{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

tmaster March 21, 2010 at 12:16 am

"Now the girl next to me was in my lap."

I'm writing the following comment assuming you are a guy/lesbian girl in which case wasnt it a flight in heaven for you, who does not dream of flying with a girl sitting on your lap??

Even moreso since you say "a petite woman"

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meme March 22, 2010 at 5:26 am

Tmaster is a tool.No one wants a perfect stranger in their lap unless they are in a strip club, has nothing to do with being straight or gay. George Clooney could be sitting next to me,but I don't want him on my lap for an entire flight.

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Evan2 April 7, 2010 at 1:06 pm

Don't be an idiot. He didn't mean the woman was literally in his lap. Also, your reading comprehension must be at a first grade level. He starts his story off by saying he was returning from a boy's weekend skiing in Colorado. Get a brain moron.

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AppleKornKid March 22, 2010 at 7:19 am

I'm surprised they didn't make the guy buy two seats. At least you were fairly grasious in the matter and it was a short flight.

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rerere March 22, 2010 at 7:30 am

I'm asuming this guy didn't fly Southwest.

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Mindy March 22, 2010 at 3:47 pm

I feel sorry for the big guy. He tried pretty hard not to impose on others sitting next to him and you got those assholes from the party making comments. This story should be about the assholes not the guy who was just trying to keep to himself. The jackasses in the back need a good smack in the head.

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timmo321 March 23, 2010 at 4:23 am

Buying two seats is not the answer, as who should be forced to sit back against a folded-up arm rest. The airlines are to blame for the cookie-cutter approach, that one-size-fits-all. There should be several larger seats made available, at an increased fare proportional to the number of seats which were lost due to the change (which wouldn't come close to twice as much).

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david March 23, 2010 at 5:07 am

timmo……that wouldnt work, skinny people would reserve those seats and still leave the larger people to squeeze into the smaller seats

the skinnier people would then complain and say that the seats discriminate if they dont get them, and have a higher ego and feel that they are more important and they have the right to those seats

what would happen is the larger seats would be reserved by smaller people, and then when larger people get on the plane the skinny person would state that they brought the seat and they wont move blah blah blah

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timmo321 April 9, 2010 at 4:15 am

You've missed the point, because those wider seats would cost significantly more money. Would a skinny person who doesn't need a wider seat pay more (say $150) for that which they don't need ? Only a fool would.

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david April 9, 2010 at 7:34 am

and why would an overwieght person pay the extra? genious and yes skinny people would pay for that seat since they may not want to pay the higher price of business class but still want more room

besides there would be alot of discrimination law suits if overwieght passengers had to sit in those seats

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Jodi March 23, 2010 at 10:30 am

Awww how embarrassing for the big fellow. I hate to see others hurt in any way. I think the immature jerks in the back should have been asked to leave the plane. That would have given him plenty of room to sit alone and more comfortably too.

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