Jetstar: 160kg passenger's flight fury

[Nigelinoz]

True but I went slighly off Topic at the mention that a limit, of say 70kgs, is imposed and then an overweight passenger charge can be applied over this limit.


Whilst I agree with your point to some degree, and I am overweight by the way, the airlines are selling seats to humans not transporting cattle. The only time I would find it acceptable to charge someone for a second seat, if they cannot fit into one seat, would be on a full flight. Is it Southwest Airlines that does this at the moment?

And as simongr points out a seat is only part of delivering a service to the passenger. I would hate to see the LCC model in use on mainline carriers. But then would they still remain mainline carriers or morph into LCCs themselves?

I certainly agree with your points JohnK and I hope you didn't think I was advocating that passengers be treated as cattle,I was just opening the topic for discussion,I for one would hate to see this practice introduced in Australia.

 

[iqis60]

The flip side to this is the question- does a person who has booked a seat have the right to expect to be able to use the whole seat themselves?
I would agree that anyone who has paid for a class of travel should be carried for the cost of one fare in that class. But equally, passengers should be accommodated to ensure they receive at least one full seat in that class to themselves.

 

[cove]

Having sat in a business class seat and had a superchunk sit next to me and ooze over my seat I feel they should cough up for whatever it takes to not offend the rest of us.
Why should a person get furious when we are told they are fat and happy.

 

[JohnK]

I certainly agree with your points JohnK and I hope you didn't think I was advocating that passengers be treated as cattle,I was just opening the topic for discussion,I for one would hate to see this practice introduced in Australia.

Overweight passengers are always a good discussion topic.The solution though is not so simple....

 

[trooper]

The problem with saying that "airlines are selling transportation, not seats" can be illustrated (in an over the top way) by what airlines charge to carry a stretcher patient...

I believe QF removes at least 6/8 Y seats for such exercises (and charges $$$$$$$$$$$$$) ... anyone wanna argue that's wrong because it is "transportation, not seats" being paid for? Clearly a stretcher patient "can't fit" in a single seat any more than a VVLP (Very, very Large Person)....

No? Then what - in principle - is the difference?

IMO airlines ARE indeed "selling seats".. and they are selling seats of a particular (and known) size. If you can't sit in ONE of them then it seems perfectly reasonable that you buy two.

I think Southwest is very generous to refund the second seat charge when flights are not full.... very sensible too of course.... What I do NOT understand is why that policy is not universal...

 

[Batesy]

C'mon, someone has to say it and not be so politically correct. Miss 160kg should eat a little less and do that 1/2 hour of exercise everday. 160kg is close on twice what I weigh. I'm not quite six foot and have a belly. I was quite a bit heavier than this but changed what I put into my stomach and exercised.

If she changed her lifestyle then this type of situation would not occur and she would not get "unflattering" photos splashed on the news/internet.

I have at next to passengers of much larger girth on SYD-PER for 5+ hours and watched them inhale every bit of food available and at the same time spill themselves into my seat. C'mon miss 160kg, take some personal responsibility. Not everything in life is someone else's fault.

Commence the mud flinging......

 

[trooper]

No mud slinging from me...

Yes, some folks COULD do something about their weight.. and some couldn't.... well known fact.

Having said that ....I don't care WHY someone is so large they can't fit in one standard seat.. It is none of my my business.. nor is it in the least my problem.

I just don't think it unreasonable to expect folks to pay for the space they use.....

 

[oz_mark]

I just don't think it unreasonable to expect folks to pay for the space they use.....

While I agree, and in this case it seems that Jetstar's handling of the issue leaved a bit to be desired.

 

[Thom]

I have at next to passengers of much larger girth on SYD-PER for 5+ hours and watched them inhale every bit of food available and at the same time spill themselves into my seat.

Commence the mud flinging......

I also did SYD-PER next to a very obese lady that encroached on my seat space, it made for a very long and uncomfortable flight. I don't have the answer to the problem but I didn't get all of the seat area that I paid for.

 

[drron]

Hey it is not always obese people who are inconsiderate.Recent SYD-MCY on DJ when mr 15A and me in 15C both 6ft and a little plump had mr 5ft3 and skinny sitting in 15B.He decided both armrests were his-in fact his elbows encroached into my seat space.He simiarly encroached on 15A.Unfortunately for him he purchased a drink-took it with both hands only to find 15A and C acted as one reclaiming the armrests!
To the problem in this thread-I have little sympathy(pun intended) for the woman's plight.She obviously has no problem inconvieniencing her fellow passengers.
Today caloric amnesia is far too prevalent.

 

[Motorsportnut]

I think some of you have missed the point about this story. Its not about the persons size, not about the person purchsing the 2 tickets its the fact that the person had been allocated 2 seats on opposite sides of the plane.

I heard in the media that Jetstar have done it again on the return trip, but was quickly fixed when it was discovered yesterday.

Jetstar for a long time did have a cattle type policy with no seat allocation, I beleive it almost caused riots and thats why they eventually changed their policy.

 

[serfty]

Until September 2006, JQ did not have seat allocation. It was those needing assistance first, then travellers with children, followed by the first 50 to check-in and then the "rest". Maybe the person would have boarded along with 'those needing assistance' back then.

Actually it appeared the person was advised by airline staff there were enough unsold seats and not to worry; they would be able to arrange a spare seat beside the person. Unfortunately, the flight became rather booked and the person was forced to spend ~double the original amount on a second seat. Then to top matters off, the seats were allocated away from each other. Nothing in the article indicates which of the two seats purchased did the person actually occupy or whether it was fixed before boarding (Note the OLCI reference).

 

[gilby08]

I think some of you have missed the point about this story. Its not about the persons size, not about the person purchsing the 2 tickets its the fact that the person had been allocated 2 seats on opposite sides of the plane.

I think what you have to understand is that if you make two seperate bookings on different reservation numbers it is impossible for the system to recognise if that person has two seats for her self. BTW this was cleary fixed up when she was at checkin, if she purchases the two seats she'll get the two seats next to each other.

And if you want to go saying 'well the system should recognise it', think about the flights Jetstar does internationally and also domestically in vietnam, nearly every passenger's surname is nguyen with the same first name too.

I heard in the media that Jetstar have done it again on the return trip, but was quickly fixed when it was discovered yesterday.

No once again it would be due to the fact the system cannot recognise the same passenger on another booking, and then if it is not a full aircraft the seats will be moved around for the weight and balance of the aircraft, but once again she'd get the two seats next to each other regardless.


Also of course she should've been made to buy another seat and the call centre staff wouldn't have told her that one seat would be fine, that's just silly.
As someone else stated in the comments part of news.com.au
If you have a monstrous appetite, why should you only pay for one bucket of KFC when you actually require two?'
You can't have your cake and eat it too, well i guess in this case she somehow did!

 

[gilby08]

I think Southwest is very generous to refund the second seat charge when flights are not full.... very sensible too of course.... What I do NOT understand is why that policy is not universal...

Well to make you understand it is due to her weight as well and the extra amount of fuel burn there will be when a PoS (person of size).

Why should the other passengers that weigh half of the persons amount be paying towards 'her' fuel usage as such. She is the size of two bloody people she should pay for two people.

 

[NYCguy]

This situation requires passengers who are wedged into a small Y seat next to a morbidly obese person to seek compensation for the uncomfortable flight they were subjected to by the obese person's selfishness.

 

[gilby08]

check out this link guys:

Australian Gay and Lesbian Law Blog: Focus on transgender rights 1: Transgendered wins recognition as woman it's about the Jetstar passenger

 

[serfty]

check out this link guys:

Australian Gay and Lesbian Law Blog: Focus on transgender rights 1: Transgendered wins recognition as woman it's about the Jetstar passenger

Yeah, I saw a reference on FT: Jetstar & The Larger Passenger - FlyerTalk Forums

In reference to COS, it changes little really.

 

[Motorsportnut]

How n the hell did she get her cake and eat it too after purchasing 2 tickets? She was assured by staff at the time that all was ok and the seats had been confirmed together. Thats what I would be really angry about if it happened to me. Seem to know a lot about the way they work? Employee maybe.....


Do you think the media report the news accurate I dont. For anyone to take this sort of stand there has to be alot more than what is being revealed.

All the negativity in the world about the person isnt going to change the fact that Jetstar screwed her around.

Fat or not and as for the gender issue may explain some of the reasons she is extremely big for a woman but as you have seen in the court document holds no relevance as the moderator has pointed out and she has never hidden the fact she is transgendered. All it shows is she fights for what she beleives in.

Gilby bit slow and in bad taste........

 

[Lord Mud]

Motorsportnut wrote

I think some of you have missed the point about this story. Its not about the persons size, not about the person purchsing the 2 tickets its the fact that the person had been allocated 2 seats on opposite sides of the plane.

Actually it is about the persons size as had she/he not been that large such measures would not need to have been taken..

I am not the smallest guy in the world and my dad is larger than me. He is also 6'6" and travels regularly on J* he has taken to paying the extra money for exit rows or *class so he can get required legroom. When this has been a problem he grins and bears it. He never seems to "spill over" into another seat nor get any complaints that I have heard.

160kg's is almost twice the size of an average person so paying for a second seat when it is obvious it is needed for the pax's own comfort let alone that of other passengers, I see no problem with it at all.

Sure the Pax was making an issue about the OLCI thing, but that is rectifyable, as we all know, at the gate. But its really a non issue unless there were problems putting the two seats together which there wasn't according to the articles

 

[Dougo]

Perhaps they need to weigh everyone as they check in. Will they charge a larger child an adult's fare if they don't meet Jetstar's child weight limit? Or perhaps if the average weight is 80kg (where did that come from? don't answer, I don't really care) everyone who is fractionally over that weight will be charged extra?

Or perhaps they'll charge extra to the 6'6" man as surely his loftiness results in an increase to his weight so he'll probably weigh more than 80 kg. Oh yes, there's a thought - charge the really tall people extra as the law of averages will mean that they'll weigh more than the average person and while he's there, slug him extra for getting those gangly legs in the way. And let's not stop there - if he's on an inernational Jetstar flight with a TV screen and his head blocks his neighbouring passenger's view, charge him extra and also, if he wants to recline his seat to feel more comfortable and get into someone else's air space (no pun intended) then charge him for that too !!!

It seems fair to me if they pick a weight and charge everyone accordingly. But then, Jetstar may come up with it's only "healthy" weight range, just like those Asian airlines where hosties were sacked for being to fat at about 50 kg or thereabouts? Wonder how all the skinny people will feel about when they realise they are "obese" at 80 kg !!! I am not making light of the weight issue, I am merely pointing out that it is not the only issue that impacts on passengers.

Yes, people come in all shapes and sizes from very tall to very small, from stick figures to larger sizes such as the woman mentioned in this thread. It's been a while since I read Jestar's T & Cs but I'd be interested to know if they now have a weight limit per person. If they don't have it in the T & C, how can they charge more? They clearly have limits on weights and sizes of luggage, but we're not talking luggage here -we're talking about real people.

I realise that it may be uncomfortable for some people to sit next to someone who is larger than them, but with half of society being overweight these days, I'd say we'd all have a pretty good chance of that happening.

What irritates me about this Jestar issue is that the airline's "policy" cannot be that clear to everyone as the woman claims she rang them to check. If it was clear, she would have known from the outset. However I am also annoyed about people's insensitivity to others, AND Jestar's double standard. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't "our" Magda shoot the commercials for that airline?