VA Passenger of Size treatment

[juddles]

......Every time I read POS, I think Piece Of S***....

I struggled with that too.

I tried to search online to clarify what the POS acronym stands for, I came up with a list of over a 100 meanings - and none fit this thread! So I am still not sure.

BTW, some of the usages of POS are:
- Point of Sale
- Piece of Sh__
- Peninsular Orchid Society
- HIV positive
- Pacific Oceanographic Synopsis
- Plane of Storms
- Plasma Opening Switch
- Post Oil Solutions
- Priory of Sion

EDIT: and now there is COS??? What is that?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I struggled with that too.

I tried to search online to clarify what the POS acronym stands for, I came up with a list of over a 100 meanings - and none fit this thread! So I am still not sure.

...

EDIT: and now there is COS??? What is that?

POS = passenger of size
COS = customer of size

 

[Denali]

Isn't COS a type of lettuce?

 

[clipped_wings]

I think we apply the abbreviation to establish the context when we type, more than it being an official reference.

But it can backfire: ask the poor mother who received a text from her daughter that a mutual friend had tragically died. The mother texted LOL back, thinking she was saying Lots Of Love.

 

[kyle]

Digging up an old thread as this has finally happened to me yesterday SYD-MEL. (Also mentioned in the 3rd row VA thread, but this is the director's cut).

+1 in 5A
I was in 5B
POS in 5C

When we got to our seats during priority seats, we saw a small handbag on the floor under the seat in front of 5C. We initially thought it was an unattended bag as there was no one in 5C. A few minutes later, a POS shuffled her way to 5C. I could already smell a foul odour which smelled like vomit. Could be coming from her jumper (don't even know why she's got a jumper on when it's 30C in SYD), mouth, or body. I fortunately had put the armrest down between 5B and 5C because if she had sat down already, I wouldn't know how to get that down. Anyway, she managed to squeeze into the seat, but her upper body was spilling over the armrest and into my space. Then she had to get a seat belt extension from the hostess. I was willing to forgo the armrest, but intruding into my seat? *sigh*

Not long after takeoff, I could hear this loud snoring coming from her. To top it off, her whole left arm was in my seat, so I only had 2/3 of the seat left. Luckily, it was my +1 in 5A, so I lifted the armrest between us. I'm only 60 kg, but she could be x3 or x4

When it was snack time, her table wouldn't open fully due to her size. She ordered an OJ. I was praying she wouldn't spill it.

After the plane reached the terminal, she was still in her seat not moving. It's only when others started moving when she woke up. We looked at each other and she just said, "I have to wait until the end when everyone is gone". In my mind, I was thinking WTF? No apologies, nothing. After about half of the plane has left, she somehow managed to pull herself out of her seat using the seat in front and moved to 5D to let myself and +1 out.

I think this flight qualifies as my worst flight ever and the lowlight of my weekend trip to SYD.

 

[andyhui01]

I don't think VA is at fault for this. My definition for a POS is if they cannot sit in the seat with the armrest down.

The FA is in a difficult scenario if you didn't speak to them discreetly, it would be quite awkward for them to speak to you in your seat while the POS pax is in 5C. Plus if they moved you out of YX, you might have complained about being downgraded.

Your best bet next time is to collect your stuff and speak to FA directly but be prepared to take any seat on the plane (inc middle seats).

 

[woodborer]

I think we apply the abbreviation to establish the context when we type, more than it being an official reference.

But it can backfire: ask the poor mother who received a text from her daughter that a mutual friend had tragically died. The mother texted LOL back, thinking she was saying Lots Of Love.

I oft wondered if Lol Crème (10CC) needs to be careful of how he signs of emails.

 

[kyle]

I don't think VA is at fault for this. My definition for a POS is if they cannot sit in the seat with the armrest down.

The FA is in a difficult scenario if you didn't speak to them discreetly, it would be quite awkward for them to speak to you in your seat while the POS pax is in 5C. Plus if they moved you out of YX, you might have complained about being downgraded.

Your best bet next time is to collect your stuff and speak to FA directly but be prepared to take any seat on the plane (inc middle seats).

I'm not blaming VA for this (though I wouldn't mind some VA points as compensation as I didn't get the whole seat I paid for). I'm more towards questioning why the passenger didn't buy two seats, or even apologise for inconvenience caused at the beginning of the flight as spillage was clearly an issue.

As I was leaving the plane, I reckon the two hostesses standing at the front were having a snicker as I was walking past.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Isn't COS a type of lettuce?

Ever seen a skinny lettuce?

 

[mrsterryn]

I am fat....when husband (not fat ) and I started to travel internationally we used to make sure we had the two seat rows. That way he was the only one inconvenienced
On the rare occasions I travel domestically i buy economy and promptly request an upgrade
Internationally I have purchased the second seat which does give all status credits and suchand no taxes.
How ever if Qantas and AA don't talk to each other and Qantas cancel my flight home from LAX because AA had checked me in Syd on the comfort seat not my seat it makes all the planning moot
It took over 5 hours to get me a seat when I tried to check in to return home to Syd .
All I could think of was I have 14 and half hours squishing someone
Somehow Qantas and AA eventually got me onto the flight with two seats on a row of three.
The plane was full and the bloke in the third seat in our row was very pleased.
Unfortunately for me the arm rest didn't go up .
So sometimes for us fat ones we do try and it can still fail

 

[pauly7]

Your best bet next time is to collect your stuff and speak to FA directly but be prepared to take any seat on the plane (inc middle seats).

How....? Given the POS could barely even move when it was time to get off the plane!

I don’t have a solution for this awful experience either btw

 

[The man with no name]

Scenario for you, I don't have very much money and I never fly. I've just spent the last year saving my pennies and I finally have enough money to purchase a holiday for me and my family. I get on board and find that the seat is just a little bit more squishy than I was expecting. It wasn't malicious, it wasn't trying to game the system in hope for a free upgrade, I just honestly didn't know the size of the seats and I don't have a lot of money, certainly not enough to effectively pay twice for the one seat. Now what?

The easy solution for this scenario is to sit with your family. That way no other passengers are affected.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I am fat....when husband (not fat ) and I started to travel internationally we used to make sure we had the two seat rows. That way he was the only one inconvenienced
On the rare occasions I travel domestically i buy economy and promptly request an upgrade
Internationally I have purchased the second seat which does give all status credits and suchand no taxes.
How ever if Qantas and AA don't talk to each other and Qantas cancel my flight home from LAX because AA had checked me in Syd on the comfort seat not my seat it makes all the planning moot
It took over 5 hours to get me a seat when I tried to check in to return home to Syd .
All I could think of was I have 14 and half hours squishing someone
Somehow Qantas and AA eventually got me onto the flight with two seats on a row of three.
The plane was full and the bloke in the third seat in our row was very pleased.
Unfortunately for me the arm rest didn't go up .
So sometimes for us fat ones we do try and it can still fail

When purchasing an additional seat for comfort it is a good idea to reconfirm the seat prior to the return trip. It's not uncommon for check-in agents to not fully understand how to check-in two seats for one passenger and this can lead to a 'no-show' for one seat (meaning it is cancelled for the return). Calling a few days prior to the return trip gives them time to sort any problems out and reinstate the additional seat if need be.

 

[mrsterryn]

Thanks @MEL_Traveller apparently AA checks in one seat and Qantas checks in two. Which caused the issue . So annoying
Definitely a heads up if I do again

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks @MEL_Traveller apparently AA checks in one seat and Qantas checks in two. Which caused the issue . So annoying
Definitely a heads up if I do again

Qantas has also been known to check in just one (hence me being able to issue the heads-up )

 

[harvyk]

The easy solution for this scenario is to sit with your family. That way no other passengers are affected.

Senario, family of 4 in a 3-3 arrangement?

 

[The man with no name]

Senario, family of 4 in a 3-3 arrangement?

So one of the non POS family members sits separate

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So one of the non POS family members sits separate

Agree. You'd put the imposition on your own family before a stranger.

 

[harvyk]

So one of the non POS family members sits separate

and if the whole family are POS?
or the one who is not POS is also only 5?

I'd thought this thread had already died a natural death (actually I haven't give this thread much thought in some time).
I could spend all day coming up with scenario's, but the reality is that the many possibles ways a scenario could be handled, there will be winners and losers.

This thread then went from a fat person vs thin person argument to one of rich vs poor, and again I could spend all day giving reasons why flying isn't just for the rich.

The reality is that a plane is just another mode of public transport, and ultimately it's up to the airline to work out how best to place people inside it. Every situation is likely to be different, so how that situation is handled by an individual FA / CSM is likely to be different every time.

Finally, how about all the times people have received Op-Up's for no reason beyond "computer says yes".

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The reality is that a plane is just another mode of public transport, and ultimately it's up to the airline to work out how best to place people inside it. Every situation is likely to be different, so how that situation is handled by an individual FA / CSM is likely to be different every time.

I disagree on this. What you are proposing is that passengers should take no responsibility for their size or the inconvenience they may cause because it is up to the airline to make appropriate arrangements? That seems unfair, unless the passenger has contacted the airline in advance and sought advice.

The other issue is that it's not always possible for the airline to handle it. For example in the USA a person sitting at the exit row only needs to answer 'yes' to whether or not they are capable of carrying out duties at an emergency exit and the crew cannot override that (this is what happened on my AA flight - even though the two of us could not phsycially sit in the seats at the same time).