Obese man booted from exit row, complains of "fat-shaming"

[Mattg]

This story has been doing the rounds today - Man claims he was 'fat-shamed' by Qantas over seat

As far as I can see, the cabin crew requested that this man sit somewhere other than the exit row (which he had apparently paid for) because he needed an extension seatbelt. It is Qantas policy that passengers using an extension (or infant) seatbelt cannot sit in the emergency exit row, which seems fair enough. Good on the crew for enforcing the safety regulations.

In the recent Air NZ thread, a couple of AFF members mentioned that they've seen overweight passengers moved by the cabin crew to an exit row seat because they needed more space. The consensus in that thread seemed to be that this was not OK.

 

[drron]

I for one don't want an exit row blocked.

 

[p--and--t]

Direct excerpt from Qantas site...................somebody didn't read and then complained

Exit row seat requirements and conditions

In order to sit in an exit row seat, you must:

• be at least fifteen years old
• not be travelling with someone who needs your assistance in an emergency e.g. an infant or child unless there is another guardian seated elsewhere with the child
• not require the use of an infant/extension seat belt
• be willing and able to move quickly and assist crew in an emergency situation
• be willing and able to listen to a briefing, check outside conditions and follow instructions given in English by crew
• be physically able to reach, open, lift and throw out an emergency exit up to twenty (20) kgs
• not be travelling with a service dog
• not have an amputated or prosthetic limb
• not have a visual impairment that is not corrected by use of spectacles/glasses/contact lenses, which must be worn during taxi, take-off and landing
• not have a hearing impairment that is not corrected by use of a hearing aid/device, which must be worn during taxi, take-off and landing.
  
  Note: Hearing aids/devices that use Bluetooth are permitted to be used at all times onboard A330, A380, B737 and QantasLink aircraft. On B747 aircraft, hearing aids/devices that use Bluetooth must be switched off during taxi, takeoff and landing, therefore passengers with Bluetooth hearing aids/devices are not permitted to be seated in exit rows on B747 aircraft.
• not utilise any part of the aircraft door (or its surrounding area) to rest your feet, or any other personal item(s).

Qantas has the sole discretion, at check-in or boarding, to determine whether a passenger meets the requirements to sit in an exit row seat. If the passenger does not meet the requirements, they will be assigned a different seat.

 

[samh004]

Didn't pay attention to the story on the TV, but as someone who is thin and previously regularly bought a comfort seat when flying, I think the solution is obvious. It really does make sense, on many different levels.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Story seems to be a complete beat up.

 

[JohnM]

Yawn...

 

[RooFlyer]

Except that it would be Qantas IT and their excrable seat selection page, Id say surely it couldn't be to difficult to put on the 'purchase exit row' page say 3 simple screening questions? Also that flight crew have final say, but prospective exit row pax could answer yes/no to the basic questions along the lines of:

* Are you or pax traveling with you willing to help in an emergency?
* Are you etc mobile enough to open the exit for if required and to assist other passengers, if needed?
* Are you etc a passenger who may require an extension seatbelt?

The 'wong' answer would not allow an exit row seat to be purchased.

 

[amaroo]

Feel for the bloke .... but some some things are obvious.

 

[juddles]

It is a novelty in recent years that airlines have found they can squeeze some extra dollars from the physical extra space that exit rows bring. So without having read the story (can you blame me?), this is an issue that has dual responsibility. The pax should have seen they were unsound for that seat, but the airline should also highlight who does not qualify.

 

[mannej]

Except that it would be Qantas IT and their excrable seat selection page, Id say surely it couldn't be to difficult to put on the 'purchase exit row' page say 3 simple screening questions? Also that flight crew have final say, but prospective exit row pax could answer yes/no to the basic questions along the lines of:

* Are you or pax traveling with you willing to help in an emergency?
* Are you etc mobile enough to open the exit for if required and to assist other passengers, if needed?
* Are you etc a passenger who may require an extension seatbelt?

The 'wong' answer would not allow an exit row seat to be purchased.

I’m not sure what Penny has to do with the QF seat selection page, but the screening questions would be as useful as teats on a bull

 

[Denali]

As a fat person Ive known for about 20yrs that if you need an extension belt, you cant sit in the exit row.

My first thought when looking at the guy in the photo, before reading the article, was "bet you he needed an extension belt".

 

[RooFlyer]

I’m not sure what Penny has to do with the QF seat selection page, but the screening questions would be as useful as teats on a bull

I'm not sure what Penny had to do with it either but I'm sure she is a nice person.

 

[JohnM]

He was jesting about your typo of 'wong' instead of 'wrong'.

 

[Flying Fox]

You didn't meet the requirements. Eat some concrete princess and HTFU. Move on.

 

[RooFlyer]

He was jesting about your typo of 'wong' instead of 'wrong'.

Oh. How terribly witty.

I still don't know how Penny has anything to do with the topic.

 

[Hvr]

I wouldn't have the guts to complain like this bloke did.

Noting that he checked in with an agent why didn't they ask if he needed an extender and deal with the matter there? It would've made life easier for all involved.

 

[Hvr]

I still don't know how Penny has anything to do with the topic.

Maybe he was offering to pay for your thoughts? Or putting his stamp on the thread.

 

[woodborer]

I wouldn't have the guts to complain like this bloke did.

Noting that he checked in with an agent why didn't they ask if he needed an extender and deal with the matter there? It would've made life easier for all involved.

If check-in agents start asking people if they need extender belts, I guess they'd complain about that too

 

[Denali]

I wouldn't have the guts to complain like this bloke did.

Noting that he checked in with an agent why didn't they ask if he needed an extender and deal with the matter there? It would've made life easier for all involved.

I think its a matter of when youre on the plane, if you need an extension thats when the rule book kicks in.

From experience, most belts fit but every now and then you get one that you need an extender for and I wonder if the seat belt was damaged and they hot knifed it to make it shorter to repair (if it was fraying ect).

I think fat people like me just need to accept and accommodate others for our girth. We know we're fat so dont act surprise when a seat belt doesnt fit or a seat feels squishy. The guy said he paid for exit for leg room, what about paying for a comfort seat for the person next to him? He knows hes a big unit.

 

[jb747]

The guy said he paid for exit for leg room, what about paying for a comfort seat for the person next to him? He knows hes a big unit.

I suspect that he doesn't care....