Should Obese People Pay More to Fly? | This Morning

A woman was removed from a United Airlines flight after appearing to fat shame two passengers she was sat between. Plus-size body coach Michelle Bell is outraged, saying this is nothing but fat shaming, whereas fitness writer Danni Levy is applauding the woman in the video and thinks all passengers should be weighed at check-in and charged according to their weight.
Broadcast on: 30/01/19

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[sjp]

If your luggage is too big, they charge you more. Is that "luggage shaming"?

[gillsteele]

You can buy two seats if you are too big to fit into one. I'm overweight and I've lost 42kg with more to lose. If I don't fit into the standard sit then I would buy two?

[inscrutablemungus]

No, they shouldn't. And I say this as a 6'1, 145 lb guy who works out ~6 times/week. And my reasoning has nothing to do with 'fairness'. If you allow airlines to charge people by weight, they will find ways to squeeze money out of normal people the same way they do with bags. "Oh, you want to check a bag? Pay $35" We used to get two _free_ checked bags not that long ago. But as the profit margin got thinner, the airlines found a way to charge people for everything from more bags, seats sizes to even where in the line you board. It wasn't that long ago that I would fit comfortably in an economy class seat. The only reason I fly without bruising my knees these days is because my work pays for business class.

If we accept that airlines can charge people by weight, they will (slowly but surely) start charging everybody more. It'll start with an added fee for someone 250 lbs or higher, but sooner or later when the profits shrink, that weight threshold will dip down to 200 and then 175 and on. I don't want that. We're human beings and deserve to fly with some dignity rather than being crammed in like sardines.

[sgtcrab]

As a tall slim 75 year old I should get a reduced air fare as I do not need all that room.

[Thatlilmonkey-ngil]

Were they serious??? Who wanna sit next to them??? NOT ME. Imagine being squeezed by your left & right passenger for 7 hours.

[alerickson]

Obesity is a choice. Everyone can control their weight by proper diet and a little exercise. Avoid Pizza, chips, fast food, and high sodium foods, pop and weight will come off. It's a choice, so yes if you need more space, you should pay for.

[xragdoll]

My dad had to sit next to an obese person and he couldn’t even put down his tray because the guy was literally spilling into his seat. If we have to pay extra if our bag is overweight, this conversation makes sense.

[doointhedoo]

I have nothing against obese people but if you require two seats or demand it, you should pay especially if you are making the person sitting next to you uncomfortable. Just like very tall people who pay for the emergency exit row, business, or first class just to get extra leg room. Of course they should pay. If not it's an unfair double standard.

[xoxoxyx]

What i'm rather curious is rather would the plane ever got overweight if all the seats full and two or more plus size passangers?

[meganhopkins]

She won’t answer her direct question. So others should be uncomfortable and squished because you’re huge? She literally refused to answer

[DeborahMoffett]

I just wonder 🤔 if an obese person farts on the flight ✈️ do the crew spray air freshener??😁😁

[abigailwestwood]

Holly says she’s not bothered. No part of me thinks she’d be flying in any seat other than at a minimum, business.

[hearmeoutbro]

Skinny people are also massively shamed by society and that’s ok in some people’s minds. It’s not just plus sized people.

[idontextback]

The next time I am on a flight next to an obese person, I'm going to express his/her touching is offensive and unwanted and to stop touching my body at all while I sit without adjusting to their obesity.

The same will be addressed with the supervisor and pilot of the flight.

If not resolved immediately, I will get names and contact information from witnesses on the flight or from the subpoenaed flight manifest.

I will call the airline immediately, and file a verbal report.

Once off the plane, I will file a written report.

I will collect all names and titles in each reporting.

Let me be clear - I dont care about the CAUSATION of their obesity. I DON'T CARE about the obese persons costs to resolve it. Options are available to that person that will not cause harm and unwanted contact they forcefully inflict on me and/or others and their choice NOT to make another choice is NOT my problem, REGARDLESS of what they are required to do or pay so as to NOT INTENTIONALLY assault and/or batter me.

It is NOT my responsibility to leave tje plane, as I am NOT at fault by the sheer obvious fact that I am not causing the problem.

The airline is at fault and the obese person is at fault.

Period.

My lawyer WILL handle it, and the two that are accountable for my safety, the airline and the obese person will PAY ME when it surely would have cheaper to enforce resolution prior to actually being seated on the plane as BOTH would be aware of the assault ahead of boarding caused by doing nothing to protect me - whatever is required to prevent that person from illegal and intentionally assaulting me through unwanted, prolonged, and going physical contact with my body - usually from my shoulder to my ankle and even my feet.

I don't play when it comes to certain issues. I simply will never again tolerate ANY form of crossing ANY of my established and reasonable boundaries by ANYONE, ANYWHERE, FOR ANY REASON, AND BO JUSTIFICATION WILL EVER BE ACCEPTABLE.

Each of us has the reasonable expectation of protecting ourselves. In this day and age protections ARE AVAILABLE TO US. We just follow through to enforce same

[vickybrown]

Totally agree charge by the pound for bags and people. Would en outage me to watch my weight

[hearmeoutbro]

Pregnant women should pay more. They’re heavier and they chose to get pregnant.