Canada prohibits airlines from charging overweight passengers for an extra seat
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Flying in Canada? There’s a new rule that prohibits airlines from charging particularly large passengers an extra fee for taking up more than one seat.
The Canadian Transportation Agency ruling Thursday gives Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet one year to bring in a “one-person, one-fare” policy.
The ruling applies to disabled people, including the severely obese, who require two seats to accommodate them. It also applies to disabled persons who need an attendant seated with them on flights.
[…]
The agency estimates the new policy will cost Air Canada about $6.93 million a year, and WestJet about $1.48 million a year. That amounts to about 77 Canadian cents a ticket for Air Canada and 44 Canadian cents for WestJet.
In the U.S., Southwest has been charging an extra fee for some time (but only when flights are booked solid). They’ve been sued at least once, but the practice persists. It’s not just a North American thing, either: Air France was also sued for charging a passenger for an extra seat.
Lawsuits have typically charged discrimination, and that’s how the Canadian rule is framed.
My own view: It’s fine to give an oversized person a seat for the price of one ticket, as long as the other passengers aren’t required to give up their space. 17 inches width is little enough, that should be a minimum we fight to uphold.
But what do YOU think? Is Canada’s new policy fair or not? Should other countries follow suit? Are airlines doing enough?
Vote in the poll, and hit the comments with your thoughts.
(Reading via the feed? Trouble reading the poll? Try here.)
Related:
- Travel by the pound
- Southwest’s “customer of size” Q&A
(Thanks again to reader J!)
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January 13th, 2008 at 11:48 pm |
There are a couple of problems. Airlines are notorious for passing costs on to customers. By giving 100% the seat for 0% more dollars, they’re incurring a cost, and that cost WILL be passed on to the fitter customers, especially if the practice becomes enshrined and airlines start to plan ahead for it. I for one have a big problem paying for others’ deficiencies (or in this case, abundancies).
Moreover, there’s a potential other danger here. If an airline does simply charge standard fare for a person taking up more than one seat, they could feel justified in not making any effort to spare neighboring passengers this inconvenience by treating them, for seating purposes, as any other passenger. That is to say, they might just go “Oh, he’s spilling into your seat? Too bad. He paid for one seat so he gets one seat.” And that would make for some mighty unhappy passengers.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:49 am |
At JFK back in 2001, I saw an extremely obese couple bitch and moan at the United gate staff because they were in Economy and there was “no way that they were going to fit into those tiny seats, so they had better be upgraded to Business Class.”
These 2 were so big that they could hardly walk. Every 10 steps required a rest and puff on an asthma inhaler.
They got the upgrade. As we filed onto an extremely full plane to LAX, there they were - sitting back, each sipping on 2 glasses of OJ and 2 glasses of champagne - because 1 each wasn’t big enough.
If I had been the gate staff, I would have upgraded the people who were due to sit next to them and given the obese couple 2 Economy seats each.
January 14th, 2008 at 8:30 am |
It all comes down to whether or not you think obesity is a disability or not. Look at the quote, “disabled people, including the severely obese”.
I know some obese folks who tell me that it’s not their choice to be fat. I’m not sure if it matters, really, if it’s a choice or not. In the US, and seemingly in Canada, once you’re considered to have a disability, then you are granted some leeway, which makes sense to me. Does it matter how you got disabled? Do people ask how someone got into a wheelchair? No, they see you’re in a wheelchair and they accomodate. Why are obese people treated any differently?
So I voted “fair.” Raise ticket prices 71 cents or whatever to cover the cost.
But I’ve got one caveat: The second seat the large traveler gets had better be empty. and not mine.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am |
I voted fair, but I certainly don’t think it’s a black and white issue. I like nzm’s suggestion of upgrading others to first class though.
I don’t want to sit beside someone who takes too much room, but I also don’t want to sit beside someone who may smell or cough incessantly from smoking. But would the airline charge that person for 2 tickets because they hadn’t showered or taken cough syrup before boarding the plane?
I think the Canadian ruling puts the onus back onto the airline’s shoulders to do something - which they won’t, of course. But it does make them clearly accountable to their customers.
Julia Rosien
Editor, http://www.gogirlfriend.com
January 14th, 2008 at 12:44 pm |
Julia sez I also don’t want to sit beside someone who may smell.
For the record, United (and perhaps other carriers I haven’t checked on) expressly reserves the right, in its contract of carriage (see Rule 35) to deny boarding to “PERSONS WHO HAVE A MALODOROUS CONDITION OTHER THAN INDIVIDUALS QUALIFYING AS DISABLED).”
I’d hate to be the gate agent responsible for making that judgment call, though.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:04 pm |
personally i think only people who have a doctor’s note to prove that their obesity in a medical condition can be subject to “one person one fare” rule, since their obesity is mostly out of their control.
for those couch potatoes who just don’t take care of themselves and expect everyone else to suffer from their own lifestyles, they should be subject to “one seat one fare” instead.
January 14th, 2008 at 3:41 pm |
More importantly, is height an affliction or disablity too? I can certainly not control this and at 6′3″ i never can get enough legroom.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:06 pm |
I spy some good ideas. Especially the part about the cause of the disability. If obesity was incurred by result of irresponsible eating, and/or laziness, and other disabilities were caused by foolish behavior such as anything Darwin Award-worthy, then no extra concessions should be made.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:28 am |
Lots of good comments, nzm and jk in particular. I’m fine with forking over 77 cents extra (Canadian, no less. Oh wait, they’re almost the same now) so that every sized person only has to pay for one seat. But I don’t want to fork over any of my 17 inches!
January 18th, 2008 at 4:16 pm |
By making the airlines universally responsible for providing “passengers of size” with the room they require, we all benefit. No longer will there be the temptation for the airlines to force POS into single seats next to non-POS. I yearn for the day when the US implements this policy. As long as the extra seat is reserved ahead of time so other passengers are not bumped from their reserved seat, I encourage this.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:42 am |
In the free world people should have the right to travel without being judged, or charged, for how they look, how they move, what they eat, or their lifestyle. It seems easy to point fingers and presume weakness. Fat people suffer from discrimination in the workplace, on the street, in the medical world, and on all types of transportation systems. Just because procrustean airlines have chosen some very restrictive dimensions for seats in order to maximize profit by comfortably accommodating only average-sized and smaller people does not mean the odd fat or disabled person who needs more room is a substantial contributor to so-called lost revenue. Shame on anyone who presumes to judge and demand doctor’s notes. If it’s so easy to change your body, why don’t you just lose a few inches so you can better accommodate those around you? Then go lobby the airlines for a discount due to your svelte figure and see how far you get. And while you’re at it, ask for a surcharge for taller people whose knees bump the back of your seat. I have flown for many years and suspect there are on average perhaps one or two obese passengers on any given Canadian flight (if that). Two larger economy seats installed in place of one three seat section would probably allow nearly everyone to be accommodated just fine. It is hideously uncomfortable and embarrassing to try and wedge oneself into a too-small seat. Nobody wants to sit on someone else’s seat, so just give everyone a place they fit and viva la difference!
April 10th, 2008 at 3:30 am |
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June 9th, 2008 at 6:08 pm |
reply to Courtnay: Why should an obese person get to sit in a larger more comfortable seat for the same price that I paid? If it is uncomfortable and embarrassing to fit into a small seat, then buy two seats. I no longer fly coach anywhere, and believe me, I have to sacrifice to afford the higher fare. If I can’t afford the first class fare, I don’t fly, period. I am sick and tired of being wedged in like a tiny sardine between overweight people that don’t care that they are spilling into my seat, sweating on me, and infringing on my personal space. I even had an obese woman argue with me once, because I refused to let her put her carry on bag under my feet on my side, because she had two bags and no space on her side. If you have flown in the last decade then you are aware of the size of the airplane seats, an obese person knows they won’t fit in their seat when they book their flight. Stop being in denial and deal with your weight. Isn’t it is more embarrassing to sit wedged next to a stranger that is glaring at you the whole trip than it would be to pay for and have two seats to yourself in comfort.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:41 pm |
It should be determined ahead of time if the person is going to need more seats and they should have to pay an extra fee. Maybe not the cost of an entire seat, but at least enough to offset the incured cost everybody else has to put up for thier obese lifestlye. This isn’t about discrimination it is about resources, a 400lb man is going to need more fuel and more space than a 150lb man… why shouldn’t they have to pay more?
August 12th, 2008 at 4:22 pm |
I think that a overweight person should have to pay for an extra seat if they dont want to be stuffed in their seat. How is it fair to everyone else that has to sit next to them when they are taking up all this room. If i want to be more comforable i have to pay extra for first class .. so whyy would it be different for them they want to be comforable they should pay for it to. Most people are just lazy and eat mcdonalds and junk and dont exercise i dont feel sorry for them at all that is their chose to live and be unhealthy so i feeL that they should pay for 2 seats.
they may say its like a disability … but thats honestly the funniest thing ill ever heard just because you choose to eat and your fat are we suppose to feel sorry for you.
Airlines will be losing money if they have say even 3 obese people on the plane thats 6 seats thats 3 extra seats they could have someone pay for… everyone has their own option but i dont think its fair that they get special treatment because they are obese. People in wheel chairs or other issues cant change the way they are but obese people can and most choose not to.