I flew last weekend and had to sit next to a guy that easily topped 300lbs, needless to say his left arm was on my side of the armrest the entire flight.
United Air to charge obese double on full flights
Apr 15, 05:29 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp, will require obese passengers bumped from full flights to purchase two seats on a subsequent flight, matching the policy of some other carriers.
The change brings the Chicago-based in line with eight other airlines including Continental, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said on Wednesday.
"Last year we had 700 complaints from passengers who had to share their seats," she said.
Under the new policy, obese passengers -- defined as unable to lower the arm rest and buckle a seat belt with one extension belt -- will still be reaccommodated, at no extra charge, to two empty seats if there is space available.
If, however, the airplane is full, they will be bumped from the flight and may have to purchase a second ticket, at the same price as the original fare, Urbanski said.
If the bumped passenger chooses to cancel the trip, the ticket will be refunded with no additional charge.
The policy is effective immediately.
