<p>jonri, I believe Cape Cod airways already does that - at least they made us stand on the scales with our bags.</p>
<p>I do agree that airline seats ought to be a little bigger and there should be more space between rows.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, that was quite a catch - 4 $400 vouchers? Good deal. I was mad at H who was offered a free RT trip ticket to Hawaii and a night at a hotel and a first-class ticket on a morning flight in exchange for his seat, but he refused since he had a meeting the next morning. Grrrr.</p>
<p>If someone “oozes” into my seat and behaves like a jerk, I simply slide a magazine in between the oozer and my side. :)</p>
<p>The only perk I’ve ever enjoyed as a small, thin person is an invitation to sit in the middle seat in an exit row on Southwest by two men (one at window, one at aisle seats) who sneakily put a magazine in the middle seat to “reserve” it.</p>
<p>After I sat down, one said to me with glee “See, our arms don’t touch.”</p>
<p>BB, that is one meeting I would have called in “sick” for…</p>
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<p>I fly Cape Air to Nantucket in the summer–it’s a 10 minute flight from Hyannis to the island. When you check in, the person at the desk asks your weight. People have told me that the airline folks automatically add 10 pounds to the figure you give them. I’ve also flown from Boston to Nantucket on Cape Air and they followed the same procedure. You do put your luggage on a scale, but I’ve never had to get on a scale.</p>
<p>All small airlines do that, while the “biggies” just use averages.
If you only have 14 people on the flight, their weight and their suitcses’ weight becomes a “weights and balances” problem .
Fly from one island to another in Hawaii via local air carriers and you get instruction in how planes work. Step on the scales. Put your bags on the scales. Pilot tells you who sits where and where to stow your bag.</p>
<p>THeflight is like a disneyland ride to the island. Totally different from the middle seat of a 5 hour flight to Houston. </p>
<p>For those of us over 5’7"… there is evidently somewhere sold a clip that inhibits the seat in front of you from coming back into your personal space. If you fly, and if you recline your seat, remember that the person behind you is giving up personal space for every inch you recline. We can smell your hair products. You aren’t important just because you can not recline your seat 6 inches! Eeeeeewwwwwww, get your personal space out of our personal space!!!</p>
<p>Sorry, you are now back to your normal internet conections…</p>
<p>If you find out how to get that clip dragonmom, post it here. That would be great. Generally, I just go the passive/aggressive route and keep kneeing their seat back, while uttering “sorry, just no room back here”. Eventually, they decide to sit up. I never, ever put my seat back if someone bigger than a child is back there. For that matter, if a child is behind me, probably won’t be dozing anyway!</p>
<p>Btw, this thread may help me lose weight! Went out to dinner tonight and as I eyed the wonderful chocolate dessert, I kept thinking about those little airplane seats.</p>
<p>[Gadget</a> Duck homepage - great travel gadgets accessory - airplane legroom - travel gadget accessories - Scanner Bag, Knee Defender](<a href=“http://www.kneedefender.com/]Gadget”>http://www.kneedefender.com/)</p>
<p>That’s one. I haven’t bought it or used it. For now I rely on the loud “Ouch, can you move your seat so I can move my legs” Usually works.</p>
<p>Thanks!!! I bookmarked that and will order one to try out.</p>
<p>It was Cape Cod airways, but we were flying in the Virgin Islands. Maybe they do things differently down there! Or it may just have been that we didn’t know how much the kids weighed. It was a while ago.</p>
<p>Its interesting how we seem at times to have become a population of selfish, entitled people. We want low prices, convenience, courtesy, safety (essential and a priority), comfort and to maximize our personal space. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but sometimes we cant have it all. We seem to have become focused on “me, me, me”. I have an overweight sister-in-law, She is very aware that she is big and spills over into another seat. She is kind to people next to her, offers to put the armrest down and encourages the other person to use it. She is considerate. I think she would be considerate if she was thin too. Whether a person is thin or heavy, big or small, a little common courtesy goes a long way. I am sure we’ve all had those flights where there is a kid behind us who is either crying or kicks our seat constantly, or a person who talks too loud. I recall returning on an international flight next to a person who clearly hadn’t showered in a <em>very</em> long time. Ugh. It was a <em>long</em> flight. But I didnt say anything rude to him. What could I do, spray perfume or demand he move? There was nowhere else to go- I couldnt move my seat.</p>
<p>If I am next to an “armrest hog” I might ask them politely if I can share part of it. Has anyone have that experience where the radio settings are built into the armrest, and the other person accidentally leans on them on the armrest and changes what you are listening to?? LOL. Its funny when it happens. I’ve found that striking up a conversation with the person next to me goes a long way to each being polite and courteous to each other. If they don’t want to chat, thats fine, but at least we have a “cordial” interaction should one have to get up to use the restroom or do something that might inconvenience the other person.</p>
<p>I think people are at times unaware of the impact of their behavior on others. It is just as easy to be polite or humorous as it is to be rude and in their face. I have a friend who works part time as a gate agent at one of the airlines. She has told me horror stories of rude, inconsiderate, aggressive, abrasive, demanding, ill-mannered, hostile people. Unbelievable how outrageously people act sometimes. Yes, airlines are providing a consumer service and should take care of their customers, flights are packed and seats are small and uncomfortable and food is limited if not nonexistent, but fares are usually cheap and airlines have to stay in business. I am a small person, but if I want leg room I may choose an emergency row seat, and sacrifice the opportunity to recline my seat. Its all about trade-offs.</p>
<p>Who is to decide of an overweight can or cant squish themselves into one seat? It the seatbelt extender the way to gauge this? It seems similar to the person who is unwilling to buy the second seat for a small child, claiming they are under 2 and are a “lap child”. Is that still allowed or must they buy a seat with a carrier? I honestly dont know. Anyone know? At any rate, perhaps a person of large girth can be assessed an additional fee (akin to the oversize or overweight bag fee)-- and maybe, just maybe, the extra money the airlines earn can go into reconfiguring the plane seating so that we can get a few extra inches in the seat or leg room? Well, one can hope…</p>
<p>And to the rude person who showed up late for the flight and then decided to move my bag from the overhead compartment where I’d put it because you decided you wanted to put yours closer to your seat-- that was rude. If you’d asked, I probably would have said “fine”-- but to do it without asking is just inconsiderate and selfish.</p>
<p>Curious about the knee defender…doesn’t the person in front of you have the right to recline? What if they speak up and ask the flight attendant why their seat won’t recline? Would the attendant make you remove the device? Anyone used it and had an issue?
Agree wholeheartedly with jym, a little courtesy goes a long way.</p>
<p>The reclining seat issue is one I struggle with. The reclining seat doesn’t affect leg room, only the space in front of my face. I get motion sickness in airplanes, unfortunately, and the seat just a few inches from my face for some reason makes it worse. And if I need the airsick bag, there is no room for me to lean forward to use it. If I am on a long flight, I can recline my own, and “back away”. But on short flights, I want to be considerate to the person behind me who might be reading, or using their tray.</p>
<p>It is especially hard for me when someone doesn’t pull their seat up on landing. That is when I’m the queasiest. Airline attendants are usually good at getting there eventually, but I need it right away. Usually when I ask, the person is happy enough and didn’t even realize they were still reclined. If they refuse, I just explain that they should prepare to get soiled…</p>
<p>If I am traveling with my H, and I have someone heavy in front of me, H will trade seats with me, just because heavier folks cause the seat to lean back even if it isn’t reclined.</p>
<p>I also always try to book an aisle seat, because then I can at least turn my head away. The only times I’ve been seated next to especially large people, I’ve been on the aisle seat, and that has helped the room issue. Usually I am aware that they are a lot more uncomfortable than I am! </p>
<p>I think airlines ought to have a couple rows of seats interspersed throughout the cabin, for plus sized people. Maybe two seats, where three would normally be. These seats could go for a little higher price (but not the cost of two seats). A lot of people would probably be happy to pay a bit more to be comfortable without having to pay business cabin rates.</p>
<p>*** note to self*** give binx lots of room if we are ever on a flight together…</p>
<p>Another thought, binx. Can you secure seats in the row or rows behind those fixed seats in the emergency exit rows, so the seats in front of you cant recline? That, or get the bulkhead row, with no one in front of you. Just a thought. And if you politely ask (remind) someone to put their seat up when its time to land and they refuse, they deserve what they get. No reason for them to be rude, selfish, inconsiderate and to not follow the rules on the plane when it is time to “place your seatbacks in their upright position”.</p>
<p>ebeeee,
Thanks,
I have had lots and lots of very positive experiences on planes with just a little common courtesy and/or kindness. One time I happened to have a bunch of free drink vouchers from Airtran, and they were expiring, so I brought them with me on a flight. I happened to strike up a conversation with some guys that were carrying guitar cases onto the plane. Turns out they were a local band flying up to NY to audition for a recording contract. I offered them some of my free drink coupons and they were my new best friends!! Several months later, my s happened to see thhat band at a local 3 day music event. He told them who he was and they gave him a tshirt for me!</p>
<p>“Curious about the knee defender…doesn’t the person in front of you have the right to recline? What if they speak up and ask the flight attendant why their seat won’t recline? Would the attendant make you remove the device?”</p>
<p>Yes. You’d be made to remove it. The seats are built to recline, and the “knee defender” is against the rules on many airlines.</p>
<p>Those seats (esp in US Air) are really tiny! Noticed that on our recent flights to visit colleges. Husband (over 6 feet tall) used to complain about discomfort during biz travel – I always never ‘got’ it until recent flights w/the family to visit colleges – he looked really squeezed in (as did many passangers). I’m lucky enough not to be super tall, so could even sit crosslegged on the seat or put up my knees & sleep – doesn’t seem fair that taller/bigger folks had it much less comfortably.</p>
<p>I’ll always look behind me to ensure the person behind me isn’t in the midst of sipping coffee or something, but if I’ve paid for the seat, I do have the option of reclining it as I see fit.</p>
<p>As a frequent flyer, here are two flying pet peeves:</p>
<p>1) People who don’t willingly change airline seats when asked to do so, when it’s no skin off their back, they’re getting an equal seat and by moving they could help a family sit together or people who are traveling together on business sit together. If you’re by yourself, what the heck difference does it make if you’re 19C or 20C, if moving from 19C to 20C helps a little girl sit with her mother?</p>
<p>2) When a flight is delayed / late and people are rushing to make connections, I think it’s so rude for those people who are already at their final destination to rush to get off the plane. Stay in your seat and let the people who are making connections off first.</p>
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Yes and no. In this situations I generally will try to honor the request, but I certainly reserve the right not to. For example, if I picked out a seat (exit row window with more legroom) I’m not going to give that up because someone can’t deal with not sitting next to their friend for 3 hours. Similarly, I’m not going to give up a window or isle for a middle seat because someone wants to switch. </p>
<p>If the seats are basically the same then I have no problem switching in most cases, but when they’re not (and sometimes it’s clear the person is just annoyed that their seat sucks and they want mine) I have no problem saying no.</p>
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Agreed. The whole airport experiences is just one case after another of hurry up and wait. Sometimes I just wish everyone would take a chill pill.</p>
<p>As for the United policy I think it’s a good idea. The news reports focused on some overweight people saying it was ‘unfair’ to charge them more, but lets not forget the flip side here. </p>
<p>If you’ve ever been stuck between two people that take up 1.5 seats such that you have, to put it bluntly, rolls of fat resting on you I’d say it’s quite unfair to those made to sit in seats being partially taken up by someone else. If you’re taking up someone else’s seat too then you should have to buy that seat in addition to yours.</p>
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<p>I was on a flight recently that ran a little late and so would make the connections a little dicey. The stewardesses asked that everyone who was making a connection raise their hands and be allowed to deplane first en mass. It worked pretty well.</p>