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hstrybuf
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| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 21059 |
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Posted: Sun Apr 22nd, 2007 07:00 pm | 1st Post |
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By Harriet Baskas
Travel writer
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 9:37 a.m. CT April 19, 2007
A few weeks ago, the Well-Mannered Traveler column outlined some strategies for dealing politely with “seatmates of size” situations on airplanes.
The response was overwhelming. Thousands of readers voted in our survey. And hundreds of folks weighed in with comments, stories and, given that this is a column about travel manners, a disappointing amount of fat-phobic responses and flat-out bigotry against people who are obese or overweight.
Some people found my suggestions “way off,” “idiotic” or unprintably worse. Others thought I should have strongly urged overweight people to “just stop eating” or to “stay home” if they are unable to fit comfortably into the average airplane coach seats, which are rarely more than 17 inches wide.
For example, Stacy C. of Radford Va. wrote: “…[W]hy don’t you advise the overweight and obese to walk to their destination ... I am all for being well-mannered and treating others with respect but I am tired of all the crying and catering to overweight and obese people ...”
And Phoebe from Los Angeles said, “You have got to be kidding me! If you cannot fit your biscuit into a seat without disturbing others then you should have two choices (1) Do not get on the plane, or (2) buy two tickets! I paid for my seat and, for that matter ... the legroom in front of it as well ... ”
But there were also many readers, large and small, who wrote to say that they were surprised that this sensitive topic was tackled at all. The note from Mary M. of Dallas, Texas said, “Thank you for your thoughtful approach to this story. It could have been a basher and I appreciate that you took the high road and that you encouraged others to do the same!”
And a good many self-described “fat flyers” and potential “seatmates of size” sent along notes describing their unpleasant on-board experiences and offering some of their own seating strategies: Galen D. from Yucaipa, Calif., wrote, “I am a large person, not only due to extra pounds, but large framed, too. When possible, I try to get an aisle seat as I can lean toward the aisle and give the passenger in the middle some breathing space. ... t allows me to get up and away from the seat easily, thereby giving the other passenger some relief.”
And Joanne from Beloit, Wis. shared a sweet story about the romantic upside of having to squeeze in alongside a large seatmate. “My husband and I are both large ... I book seats on smaller planes that have a row of two seats together ... We leave the arm rest up and snuggle until we get wherever we're going. We've been married 40 years, and it works for us!”
Galen, Joanne, Joanne’s husband and many others seem to have found a way to make an uncomfortable flying experience a bit more tolerable. But for those who don’t want to snuggle up with a seatmate, I’ve gathered some additional information to add to the travel toolkit.
Read more here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18179169/
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Deb
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
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gurlwithbaggage
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Posted: Thu May 3rd, 2007 03:45 pm | 2nd Post |
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Wow....some of those people were just rude about it!
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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans~~John Lennon
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Catnip
Charter Member
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Posted: Thu May 3rd, 2007 05:02 pm | 3rd Post |
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I just saw that article, Deb. There is a new smaller airline in Raleigh starting in Ralegih next month and I saw that on their website.....that "people of size" will be required to purchase 2 tickets. While I think that is a good idea, I don't how know well it will be enforced. I'm sure sombody will sue and the ACLU will get into it somehow.
It just makes good sense, for both the larger passenger, as well as the people seated adjacent to them.
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