[Travelandtourism] Very obese fliers on United may have to buy 2nd seat

[ShilohsTravel]

United Airlines is requiring extremely obese passengers who can't fit in
their seats to pay for a second seat when there is no other way to
accommodate their girth.
United said Wednesday that it will charge obese, coach-class passengers for
a second coach seat or for upgrading to a larger seat in business or first
class, if necessary. The policy applies to United and United Express
flights. United published its new policy on its website under "Passengers
requiring extra space."

"We had 700 complaints about this last year," said Robin Urbanski, a United
(UAUA) spokeswoman. "Now our employees have a formal policy they can refer
to."

Federal safety regulations require all airline passengers use a seat belt.
Passengers using a seat belt extension cannot sit in an emergency exit row.

United's new policy comes into play when a heavy passenger cannot lower the
armrests, close the seat belt even with a seat belt extender and seats next
to that passenger are full.

In that case, Urbanski said, flight attendants will first see whether there
are two empty seats together in the same cabin on that flight. If not, the
gate agent will talk privately with the passenger. United will offer a
second seat on a less-crowded, later flight at the same price paid for the
original seat and waive the fee for changing flights.

Passengers who refuse to comply will not be allowed to fly.

Urbanski said United is one of the last large carriers to develop a formal
policy for heavy passengers. Continental Airlines said it has the same
policy. But some airlines handle the situation differently. American
Airlines uses a case-by-case approach. If a flight is full, Delta Air Lines
offers a heavy passenger the option of buying a second seat on the next
available flight at the lowest fare available, which may not be as cheap as
the passenger paid for the first seat.

Southwest Airlines came under fire in 2002 by enforcing a policy of charging
obese passengers for two tickets if they take up more space than the seat
they paid for, but the policy stands.


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