Woman In The Double Wide Wheelchair

March 16, 2010

in Portly Stories

On one of my regular business trips between Detroit and Louisville, I suffered the unfortunate but occasional layover at Chicago’s Midway International (pre-renovation). It was typically a short stop with just enough time to pick up a magazine and stroll to the next gate. On that stroll, I saw something passing the other way that I had never seen before in person. It was a double wide wheelchair with an extraordinarily obese woman who was, I estimate, in the 600-700 lb range. I felt pity for her but also for the poor soul that sat next to her on her flight. They must have given her two seats, I thought.

Anyway, I boarded my flight home and took my seat in the last row. It was a very full flight. I took a window seat and a gentleman took the aisle, leaving the middle seat empty. This was really a stroke of luck. I prayed that it would stay empty. When I felt the gentle jostling of the ground crew preparing to push back, I got comfortable for the nice quick ride home. The jostling of the plane continued and I actually thought the ground crew must be having trouble with the tow bar or some unusual luggage down below. No big deal.

Thinking that we were in the process of pushing back, I was rather surprised when a flight attendant, standing next to my row, shouted to someone ahead that there was an empty seat right here, pointing to the seat next to me. Oh, well. It was only a 50 minute flight home.

About four or five minutes later, I realized that the shaking of the plane was not caused by the ground crew or preparations to push back. It was the lady from the double wide wheelchair that I had passed in the terminal.

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

dan March 16, 2010 at 7:18 pm

Well what happened…how was your flight? continue please

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crella March 17, 2010 at 12:07 am

Too funny. Perhaps the writer fainted at the memory and will be back later 😀

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the logger March 17, 2010 at 12:22 am

Did the plane roll onto its side?

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over it March 17, 2010 at 4:02 am

When you see a large person – someone who is clearly too large to sit in their seat, why can’t you say something to the FAs before they sit? Why can’t we demand that they be required to pay for two seats? Is it out of fear of embarrassing the large person? Sorry but they know they’re large and they know they should buy more than one seat, so why don’t they? Why must we “normal” sized people suffer? I for one am no longer going to just sit there and not complain. I’m NOT going to allow the arm rest to go up – I’m going to tell them if you can’t fit with the armrest down, then you should have bought yourself 2 seats. And I’m going to ask the FA not allow them to sit if they are going to take up my space. Let them wait for a flight that’s less full and perhaps next time they’ll pay for the extra seat. I’m over it.

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the logger March 17, 2010 at 4:14 am

Most fatties are fatties by choice.

If they make that choice, they live with the consequences.

When they buy a car, do they demand that the center console be moved to the right to accomodate their fat asses?

The fattie groups holler about their rights. Do they have the right to make everyone suffer around them?

Put down the pork rinds and shut up. BUY TWO SEATS or stay home!

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MJ March 18, 2010 at 8:00 am

You're an idiot and a douchebag. Congrats!

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Increasedosologist March 17, 2010 at 6:24 am

This is almost as bad as the story of the "Air Farce OSI agent" with a bullet hole in his shoulder, having accidental drink with airline chief of security at the airport bar while carrying a gun him, and then being tackled by 4 TSA, 2 german sepherds, 3 tigers and 1 bear.

http://www.flightsfromhell.com/2010/01/federal-ag

I don't doubt you saw the obese woman in the double wide wheel chair in the airport, but then your mind went: "What if this empty seat next to me suddenly turned out to be her? Why that would make a hell of a story for the FFH website. It won't be true but it will be a good story!". Sorry to say, but this is a bad story. A 600 pound woman in a double wide wheelchair would not be allowed to seat in one seat (a middle seat on top of all). She would be required to buy 2 tickets or she would not fly. Please stop making up stupid stuff just to be paid attention to. You are wasting your effort, nobody knows who you are and nobody cares. Just tell the story exactly as it happenned and don't dramatize it for entertainment purposes. It's just lame.

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AppleKornKid March 17, 2010 at 8:45 am

How would a double wide wheelchair even fit down the isle of the plane? How would she fit down the aisle of the plane? How would she fit in a middle economy seat? I'm calling BS on this one.

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Fat guy March 22, 2010 at 3:10 am

I have to agree, im 300 punds and i have a hard time getting down airplane aisles

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Fat guy March 22, 2010 at 3:10 am

this was ment as a reply to apple korn kid

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Demotage March 17, 2010 at 3:44 pm

Notice he never said that the woman was seated next to him. He also said woman "from" the wheelchair, not that she was in it on the plane.

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AppleKornKid March 18, 2010 at 4:07 am

That's why I said how would she fit down the aisle of the plane. If she was so big she needed a double wide wheelchair then she would have major troubles even fitting in the aisle of the plane. Not that it's impossible just highly implausible. Your right he never said she was seated next to him but since the empty seat next to him was where they were looking to put her it's seem's likely that this is where she was going to end up. An interesting story I just have some troubles believing most of it.

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Demotage March 18, 2010 at 6:14 pm

The only thing I can figure is that he was trying to imply that the woman was seated next to him, but he didn't come out and say it because she wasn't. Maybe because she wouldn't fit down the aisle. She certainly wouldn't fit in the center seat v

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Kad March 20, 2010 at 5:52 pm

I missed the climax of the story, where he gets to have fat-roll sex for 50 minutes! I kept looking for it.

What am i missing?

The 'shaking of the plane', or the 'gentle jostling' of the plane are normal and not related to the large woman, as subtely indicated by the tall tale. Nobody can tell if the ground crew is 'pushing back' because this is not space travel. If it was, one would hope there would be no pushing back of anything either….

When they are done, they close the bulkheads, and leave. What pushing back is there? Why is there pushing?

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Kelly September 23, 2010 at 3:35 pm

No, it's not space travel but aircraft doesn't have a "reverse" gear either. It's forward or nothing. Therefore, the push back. When the plane is pushed back from the gate with a tow bar and a tug. Sorry, that's what they are named, even if they are both used to "push"

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