Is There A Case For Legitimate Discrimination With Fatties?

[Deskdiary]

I don't think fat people (are we still allowed to describe fat people as fat?) should be discrimination against as a rule, but I endured a very uncomfortable flight a few years ago when I was sat next to an enormously fat woman who was taking up at least a third of my space, and in situations like this I feel fat people do deserve to be discriminated against.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12076041/NYC-ban-weight-discrimination-critics-warn-allow-people-sue-everything.html

[douglas9401]

Yes indeedy. If my baggage is overweight there's merry hell to pay, as well as cash.
Why should one person weighing the same as two get a pass?

[Deskdiary]

I’ve used the Maldivian air taxis a few times, and they weighed the passengers separately to the luggage.

Seems reasonable to me.

If somebody weighs five stone more than me but their luggage is underweight, why should I pay an excess baggage charge if my baggage is a couple of kilos overweight?

[retrocop]

Yes there is a case for complaint imo. If a overly large person takes a third of your already small seating area on a aircraft flight they should be called out. A large obese person, if they had any common decency and consideration, should book two seats to accommodate their excess and not discomfort the fellow passenger.

[david small]

Flying has turned from a fairly pleasant way to go a long distance, to an unpleasant ordeal. That is without any go lightly’s encroachment.
I have restricted my air travel to the Nimble’s Bread air balloon.

[New Judge]

//I’ve used the Maldivian air taxis a few times, and they weighed the passengers separately to the luggage.//

Me too, dd. De Havilland Twin Otters last time I used them. Mrs NJ and I always went for a single seat each on the port side. On the first few occasions I used them they carried no co-pilot (just the pilot and the boy at the back who untied the aircraft from its berth and stowed the rope inside the float). On one of these occasions the flight was overweight and some of the guests' luggage had to follow separately by boat.

I agree it is ludicrous to charge passengers for an extra kilo or two of baggage when you can be sitting next to somebody who weighs twice as much as you do. Solution: weigh the passenger together with his luggage and charge extra if the total exceeds a set limit. In addition, any passenger over a certain weight should pay for two seats. Though the sketch I saw with David Walliams and Matt Lucas from the series "Come Fly With Me" may not work. It went something like this:

Walliams and Lucas were manning two check in desks at the airport. Lucas had just had a heated discussion when checking in a large gentleman.

Walliams: "What was all that about?"
Lucas: "I told him he was fat and would have to pay for two seats."
Walliams: "What did he argue about"
Lucas: "He said it never happened with other airlines"
Walliams: "You told him it was company policy?"
Lucas: "Yes. He eventually gave in and I allocated him two seats."
Walliams: "That's good."
Lucas: "Yes, I gave him 9A and 33D. It was all we had left!"

[bobbinwales]

That made me laugh out loud newjudge. Thanks

[barry1010]

When I was obese I was very self conscious about it and always paid extra on flights to ensure I would not be inconveniencing or embarrassing anyone else.

I can't understand anyone behaving any differently. Being obese is mortifying in many situations and I wanted to be as mentally comfortable in myself as possible.

I was very aware of people eyeing me up, hoping they wouldn't be the one sat next to me

[Untitled]

“ why should I pay an excess baggage charge if my baggage is a couple of kilos overweight?”

because you can control how much baggage you take on a flight… a fat person is either on the flight or they are not.

i don’t think there is a case for discriminating against fat people no…

[barry1010]

A fat person's luggage, like for like, weighs more, too

[Untitled]

it is very easy to leap on any excuse to demean or mistreat another person and one of the most socially acceptable groups to target this way is fat people…

i do not think it makes sense to say that fat people have an obligation to make their fellow passengers comfortable

[barry1010]

As an ex fattie I say that nobody should suffer because they are sat next to an obese person. I felt the same when I was at my biggest.
It is respect and consideration for other peoples personal space. My own comfort, too. It is embarrassing and distressing to think I might be making a stranger uncomfortable for hours with no escape

[Untitled]

that is very noble of you barry but i don’t think it is reasonable to expect every other fat person to take that attitude

[Deskdiary]

Try sitting next to a fat person on a flight, untitled, and your rightonessradar may change (not unless you’re one of the fatties).

[Untitled]

i have done that deskdiary… and i was in the window seat too… i got very grumpy because i was uncomfortable but kept it to myself and put up with it…i also did not feel entitled to whine to the staff about it

[fender62]

weighing the person and there luggage together is a good idea, it literally levels the playing field, in a way they are getting a free seat or free extra luggage, tell how is that fair, imagine a flight that half full of sumo wrestlers and half average weight persons, i think you get where im going with this..

[barry1010]

Untitled, didn't you wonder why your obese neighbour didn't book and pay for a seat that would not inconvenience other passengers?

[Untitled]

later on i went home after landing and made a bunch of mean spirited jokes about the person who had sat next to me…this is not how i would have vented my frustration nowadays you understand but it was harmless and i did not confuse that impulse for a serious opinion about how airlines should be run

[Untitled]

in the midst of feeling frustrated and uncomfortable i probably did barry yes… but this was years ago and having long since calmed down i can see that isn’t exactly a reasonable expectation

[wolf63]

I am very overweight and I would willingly pay extra to ensure both my comfort and the comfort of others.

A little girl once described me to her mother as "that fat lady" the mother chastised the girl. I told the mother, I am fat and your little girl said nothing wrong.

Being fat may not be a crime but us fatties must be realistic as to how our size can affect others.

[fender62]

flying over the years iv had some uncomfortable flights, especially the long haul ones, few times screaming kids either in front or behind me, parents think lovey is fine exercising its lungs or feet, few times with obese person in fron or behind or aisle seat, talk about whiffy erm rank sour smelling like death warmed up, if you had a choice, mr mrs obese nr or wailing kids nr, best flights i remember on jumbo jets in the 70's with the bar lounge.