Love That Southwest Airlines!

....already the doctor's favorite airline for being a no-nonsense, well-run business, recently proclaimed that fat people will have to pay for 2 tickets if they can't fit into one seat.


To this, I say "Hallelujah" and "About Time" Also, ain't it about time that a business had the balls to do something politically incorrect, yet perfectly logical? Takes a ton of balls to make this kind of announcement IMO. Maybe, just maybe, Soutwest's president and chief operating officer being a woman has more teststerone than the CEO's and COO's throughout coprorate America??? Props to Southwest Airlines!!!


What do you say?

It's just another pathetic move from a pathetic industry. I seriously doubt that this "policy" will withstand the inevitable court battle, and I hope it costs them big time. I've heard a lot of talk on the local talkshows about how this is a great thing. I can't believe that the vast majority of the population is that f***ing stupid. Can't anybody see why this is problematic? Set aside the glutton who can't kick their two box a day Ding-Dong habit for now. How about the poor sap who just kept growing? Now he(or she) is 6'9" and 350lbs. They have to buy two tickets because they were unfortunate(?) enough to have inherited the wrong set of genes? Walk a mile in their shoes, Doc. I say make the goddam seats bigger. I'll happily fork over an extra 20% for 20% more space. Buying an airline ticket is like playing the lottery--sometimes you get lucky and most times you don't. You want to do business in America? You get to serve all Americans, then. Oh, they don't fit into one of your ridiculously tiny seats? T.S.! The airline gets to eat it. Cost of doing business, pal. I'm 5"10" and 155-165lbs, by the way. Anybody who agrees with this policy can't see the forest through the trees. Once again, the arrogance and stupidity of the American public has manged to offend me. I'm one of the most un-PC people I know, and my wife argued with me over this. I couldn't believe that we were on opposite sides of the fence.


Anybody care to make a friendly wager on whether or not this policy stands up to the inevitable test? I bet that SouthWest either backs down to the initial challenge or they get schooled in the courtroom.

.....do people with bigger feet pay more for their shoes? Of course they do when they have to be specially made. A person who is 6'9" and 350 pounds already is charged premiums for all kinds of things? For one thing - they require more food than someone 5'0" 145 lbs. Should we pass a law that makes their meals the same price as a smaller person even if they eat 2 whoppers to my 1?


So your solution is to make bigger seats. OK let's humor this dumb thought: how big is big enough? How much wider? 3 inches, 6 inches, a foot? And then what happens when you make the seat a foot wider and some quadrupled-chin lard ass still can't fit? Can we charge them double then? And what if they tell you they got the "wrong set of genes?" Do we have to constantly re-up our standards because of the world's chubbies? This is such a stupid argument - if they take up 2 seats, pay for 2 seats.


Also overlooked in your sermon is that to make the seats bigger, then we'd need to make the planes wider. So because of fatsos not wanting to pay for 2 seats, we should buy a brand new fleet of wider planes. Wider planes which will use more fuel - but, the good news is that you are willing to pay an extra 20% on your plane ticket! Uh, what a polyanna.


Think of this as a "Fat Tax" for the horizontally challenged! I know I do. And I say it's about time!

I totally agree with the policy. You may be happy to pay more for bigger seats to accomodate larger asses but I wont. Why should I pay more because some fat slob doesnt want to take care of himself? This country has the highest rate of obesity of any nation because everyone wants to eat the biggie size of fries and sit on their ass and watch TV all day. I work out 5 days a week to stay in shape and I shouldnt have to pay for some slob being too lazy to ever work out. Also, I fly about 6 times a year and have sat next to really large people that should have had to buy two seats. I end up having this stinking mass of blubber pressed against me, basically to the point where I am pressed into the far side of the seat barely able to move. Anyone who ever has experienced this on a flight knows how brutal it can be. I say kudos to Southwest.

where theyre decreasing the size of the seats by 10% (2.4").


brad

What irks me is that the airline industry has been providing consistently crappy service for years. Now SouthWest comes out with this announcement. It's sheer stupidity on their part. Treat all of your customers properly and you'll beat up on the opposition. It's a bad policy. Well, I might as well admit it now--ripdog is actually Richard Simmons. Anybody interested in some deal-a-meals?

perhaps it is a testament to the emasculation of CEO's through years of PC barrages and the looming bottom line.

you're on crack, man...


im 6'2 and weigh 260lbs. i am a big boy, and i don't always fit into seats at places that have specific seat sizes. (i.e. roller coasters, movie theaters, airplanes) however, i agree with this policy. airlines have the right to serve whom they will serve, and reserve the right to charge someone for 2 seats if their (my) fat ass can't fit in one comfortably. i've also had the unfortunate pleasure of being sat next to some big people on planes, and i can say that it is definitely unpleasant. i can also say that if i paid for 2 seats, i damn well better get 2 seats. i aint sharing the middle with the guy in the third seat. im taking both f***ing seats, dammit!! do they have seatbelts for this new seating arrangement?


on the supply/demand side of things, i wonder if fat people will be less likely to frequent SWA, thus making it more likely that you will NOT be smashed up against them on your flight? perhaps this will:


A) make more in-shape people more likely to travel SWA because they don't want to sit by fat people.

B) give fat people ANOTHER incentive to get out there and do something about their condition.

C) result in other sompanies following suit, eventually causing people to lose weight, or fly the only airlines that will serve them, AirLardass.

D) inspire an entrepreneur to start a new airline called Fine Air Travel And Spacious Skies, entirely designed for people OVER 200 lbs. this airline has only the widest seats, and the greatest leg room, plus fatty foods served all flight long, for one (reasonably higher) low price.


or what will probably happen:

E) Some lardass will take them to court, and either win a bunch of money, or get SWA slapped with some new constraint that says they HAVE to sell tickets to anybody who wants one.

How are they going to determine if the person can fit into the seat or not? Girth tests?


And isn't it easy to fit into the aisle seat where you have no one sitting on one side of you than either the middle or the wall seat (euphemistically known as the "window" seat)?


As long as the arilnes are deciding to be politically incorrect, I'd be in favor of doing away with the terms "business class" and "coach," and use the more accurate second class and third class (or sardine class).

ripdog,


I rode from AZ to Chicago on SW. The guy in the isle seat, took up 1/4 of my middle seat. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do. His roles of hot sweaty fat touched me for four solid hours. I was totally grossed out. I'm all for this SW idea that is long over due. You may be right that it won't stand up in court, but I still think you're barking up the wrong tree. Tell the Mrs. I'm with her.


SPM,...still a heterosexual...