Airbus to offer planes with wider seats for obese on the A320 passenger jet

[whatmeworry]

Airbus offers planes with wider seats for obese

 

[samh004]

Very worrying. Most seats have raisable armrests, so there’s nothing wrong with buying a comfort seat, as airlines offer, and having two seats to yourself instead of one. Especially good value if you earn points too, and two seats is still wider than one fat seat!

A third of the US population is obese...

LOL

 

[simongr]

I think this is a good thing. Giving people an option that isn't just to buy another whole seat when they might not need it.

 

[docjames]

The airlines will like this from a $$ pont of view.

Taking out the "c.o.s." factor - it might be nice from an all pax point of view to put the extra into the middle seat (B+E) for the comfort of three abreast (and for the poor bugger in the middle) and/or spread the extra across all seats.

 

[Justchecking]

Although I doubt an extra 2" is really going to make all the difference to someone who is obese. Obese being someone far and away above the normal weight range for their height. Someone with a few extra kilo's? Maybe. But obese, no. Now if they were talking about 75cm wide seats then we'd be in the ballpark.

 

[MarkD]

What's next. ???? Bubble wrapped world we live in, don't upset anyone's feelings, everyone is a special minority. PC cough


Excuse the typos, this was sent from my iPhone using Fat fingers

 

[ric_melb]

Bloomberg has a little more detail on the seat layout. Present layout is 6 x18 inch seats per row. Proposal is to shrink the window and middle seats to 17 inches, and have have the two aisle seats at 20 inches. So still six seats per row, and same aisle width. Interesting.

 

[seanpodge]

Although I doubt an extra 2" is really going to make all the difference to someone who is obese. Obese being someone far and away above the normal weight range for their height. Someone with a few extra kilo's? Maybe. But obese, no. Now if they were talking about 75cm wide seats then we'd be in the ballpark.

Depends on your definition of obese. According to the BMI measurement (which I think is a pretty dubious of calculating "weight issues", but that is a matter -for another time) I am obese but can still easily fit into a domestic economy seat without touching the sides, as I did on two separate US A321s last night. Given that most economy seats are about 17-18" wide, 2" is an increase in width of over 10%. It's not going to solve everyone's problems, but it could be very helpful for people who need to travel but can't afford business class (important given that obesity is often linked to lower incomes and socio-economic status).

On this note, I did notice two larger ladies travelling together sitting in a row of three seats behind me on UA840. I assume that this was done due to their size (they certainly would have struggled to fit into a standard economy seat with the armrests down). Not sure if they paid or the airline helped them out, though the cabin was pretty full.

 

[simongr]

Although I doubt an extra 2" is really going to make all the difference to someone who is obese. Obese being someone far and away above the normal weight range for their height. Someone with a few extra kilo's? Maybe. But obese, no. Now if they were talking about 75cm wide seats then we'd be in the ballpark.

Actually obese isn't that big. I am 185cm tall and 85KG so technically close to obese. Morbidly obese is different.

What's next. ???? Bubble wrapped world we live in, don't upset anyone's feelings, everyone is a special minority. PC cough

Actually it is almost the reverse - how belittling would it be to know you have to buy the fat seat?

Excuse the typos, this was sent from my iPhone using Fat fingers

Oh the irony...

 

[TonyHancock]

...and to think I have lost 20KG in the last five months. Time for KFC....

 

[whatmeworry]

I remember reading somewhere that George Clooney was obese and Brad Pitt was overweight according to the BMI scale. I am also 185cm but because of my extra muscle mass from sport, I am tipped into overweight/obese part of BMI. I can easily fit into a Y seat width wise, but on long haul flights I have to stretch quite regularly and walk so I am not in discomfort. As a result I always try to get the aisle seat for easy access.

 

[Robert K]

Another reason not to live a healthy lifestyle?

 

[el_rooto]

I just hate it when my shadow is replaced by a muffin top.

 

[StuM]

Hi all

My first AFF post YAY.

Being 6'4, I'm really not a fan of anything but an isle seat. I wonder whether this would mean I'd be paying for the 'fat' seat just so I don't have my knees around my ears??

 

[seanpodge]

Hi all

My first AFF post YAY.

Being 6'4, I'm really not a fan of anything but an isle seat. I wonder whether this would mean I'd be paying for the 'fat' seat just so I don't have my knees around my ears??

Good point. I'm led to believe that the middle seats are the least popular, so maybe they could put the wider seat in the middle as to help airlines sell the product.

 

[scaredeycat]

Bloomberg has a little more detail on the seat layout. Present layout is 6 x18 inch seats per row. Proposal is to shrink the window and middle seats to 17 inches, and have have the two aisle seats at 20 inches. So still six seats per row, and same aisle width. Interesting.

So will the shrunken seats be sold at a discount - or perhaps (more likely) be available as "awards"?

 

[whatmeworry]

I also read Airbus was also marketing the seats to the airlines for use by sports people and mothers with babies.

"Mothers with children may be ready to pay a little more in order to be able to keep their babies in their lap, and large football players may be interested," she said.

 

[samh004]

Bloomberg has a little more detail on the seat layout. Present layout is 6 x18 inch seats per row. Proposal is to shrink the window and middle seats to 17 inches, and have have the two aisle seats at 20 inches. So still six seats per row, and same aisle width. Interesting.

That makes it sound worse, they're reducing (and no offence intended here) seat widths for fit, normal sized pax who aren't the problem, so that obese people can fit in better. That's what a comfort seat or business class is for!

If I'm paying the same price, I'm not going to be happy with less seat for my money.

Or think about it another way, you get to pay the same price for your seat so the sports star who's making millions off endorsements can pay slightly more for a comfier seat. Fair?


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[oz_mark]

If I'm paying the same price, I'm not going to be happy with less seat for my money.

Although you'd still end up with a seat the size you get on a 737!

Given the A320 is wider than a 737, what they are saying is that instead of spreading the extra width across all three seats, they are adding it on to one of the seats.

 

[simongr]

Or think about it another way, you get to pay the same price for your seat so the sports star who's making millions off endorsements can pay slightly more for a comfier seat. Fair?
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Do you really think the sports star earning millions off endorsements is flying whY?