Passenger of size issues on OOL-MEL flight today

[strtrek]

I believe some US airlines have a policy that if a PAX they cannot fly if they are unable to fit in a seat (without lifting the armrests).

It's an emotive topic and multitudes of posts have been made on this on traveller fora around the globe.

yep, that's why I was wondering about specific VA policies, as the USA is very different re these types of things...a total hot button topic like service / support animals, chewing tobacco, overhead luggage wars etc etc...

oh and dont forget seat poachers...now thats entertainment

 

[wmetz]

The solution is easy, they have a test seat at the checkin like they check size of cabin bags. If you cant fit then you do not get boarded. Else off to the cargo hold, with those screaming kids.

 

[JohnK]

I am with the OP on this one.

The full blame is with the way this was handled by airline staff. Seats are small. Don't put a huge person in a middle seat. It can't be that difficult. And if 2 seats were available in exit row why put the person of size in 3B? To get off quicker? Makes no sense at all.

I can fit in an exit row or bulkhead seat. Sometimes I need a seat belt extender especially on VA as the seatbelts are smaller, even in business class. I am fine in an aisle seat. Put me in a middle seat and the passengers either side are going to be uncomfortable. I shouldn't have to buy a second seat.

 

[samh004]

so can i buy this in future for 3B if we buy 3A and 3C..or wont they let us because the arm rests are fixed and thus defeating the point?? God If I only knew this when I booked.....thats why i love AFF

I'm only a QF flyer, but have travelled with comfort seats a fair bit and found that you can't select seats, and never get allocated those at the front/exit rows (even as P1). But you do get a guaranteed free seat next to you.

 

[strtrek]

I am with the OP on this one.

The full blame is with the way this was handled by airline staff. Seats are small. Don't put a huge person in a middle seat. It can't be that difficult. And if 2 seats were available in exit row why put the person of size in 3B? To get off quicker? Makes no sense at all.

I can fit in an exit row or bulkhead seat. Sometimes I need a seat belt extender especially on VA as the seatbelts are smaller, even in business class. I am fine in an aisle seat. Put me in a middle seat and the passengers either side are going to be uncomfortable. I shouldn't have to buy a second seat.

this confuses me, as they said no-one who needs a seat belt extender is allowed to sit in the exit row, otherwise she would have had the 2 spare seats to herself in row 14...easy. I guess they sometimes make things up as they go along just to get the aircraft out on time....

 

[JohnK]

this confuses me, as they said no-one who needs a seat belt extender is allowed to sit in the exit row, otherwise she would have had the 2 spare seats to herself in row 14...easy. I guess they sometimes make things up as they go along just to get the aircraft out on time....

You might be right but there is still a very simple solution that does not require putting a person of size into a bulkhead middle seat. It requires the ability to think though which could in itself be a little difficult.

Ask the people in row 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 etc if they would like to move to row 14 exit row and place the person of size into their seat(s). It is really not that difficult and keeps everyone happy.

I have no doubt had the FAs thought proactively here there wouldn't be any need for a messy situation.

 

[strtrek]

You might be right but there is still a very simple solution that does not require putting a person of size into a bulkhead middle seat. It requires the ability to think though which could in itself be a little difficult.

Ask the people in row 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 etc if they would like to move to row 14 exit row and place the person of size into their seat(s). It is really not that difficult and keeps everyone happy.

I have no doubt had the FAs thought proactively here there wouldn't be any need for a messy situation.

she did say she was too big to sit in a normal seat row....

 

[Virgin Bart]

OP, you did all the right things.

You were completely within your right to select any seats you wish, and get to use them in comfort.

You were also completely within your rights to reject an exit row.

In my opinion VA is at fault here, and maybe the lady, who likely should have known that she's too fat to fit in a seat.

 

[Virgin Bart]

A side note: can anyone think of a reason why airlines don't make it easier to book a comfort seat?

 

[samh004]

A side note: can anyone think of a reason why airlines don't make it easier to book a comfort seat?

A comfort seat costs less than a regular seat... usually (as it doesn't include passenger taxes). If it could be sold to another passenger, they can make more from it... assuming they're making money out of the taxes, that is.

 

[medhead]

what do you think?? enough info for VA to get the idea???


flight ### OOL_MEL 25 april 2016

I was in 3c and husband in 3a, POS who needed extender belt was placed in 3B .
we all couldn't fit comfortably and safely, 'the POS unfortunately took up some of our seats as well due to her shoulder width.
Even after flight attendants helping her with belt, I still had to point out that we couldn't fly like this, they initially said they didn't have any other seats to move us to
I informed them we had no baggage and could be put on next flight to MEL as we were doing Status run, but needed to get our 6.30 pm flight MEL-SYD.
Ground staff notified, she informed us we could move flights but at our own expense.Ground staff informed me that because i had asked re loading of row 3 in the lounge then I must be looking to obtain free upgrade.
I asked if POS could be upgraded to Business as it was half full. Flight attendants/ ground staff said it wasn't in their power to do that.
I continued to ask re moving seats, finally told 2 seats available in exit row 14.
I didn't want to take on exit row responsibility's so suggested moving my husband from 3A to 14C, moving POS to 3A and me staying in 3C.
The whole encounter was stressful, embarrassing not only to me but to POS.

my details etc etc......

That's terrible.

Don't mention status run. It's irrelevant. All that matters is you had flexibility to move.

You really can't say anything about the other passengers feelings. You don't know what they felt and it is just as likely that you were making them feel bad by going on about it for ten minutes.

You haven't even mentioned the many point about safety and comfort. The situation was unsafe and you were uncomfortable with the other passenger taking a significant part of your seat. The real problem then becomes the poor service with the crew not recognising the safety and passenger comfort issues; instead making a false assumption about wanting an upgrade or demanding that you pay to fix the problem created by the other passenger.

At the moment this is almost incoherent as feedback. It is just a little story that doesn't actually focus on the issues.

 

[strtrek]

maybe i should just call them.....

 

[medhead]

she did say she was too big to sit in a normal seat row....

Which is in conflict with then jamming them into a narrower seat with fixed armrests.

maybe i should just call them.....

That is a bad idea since you can't write out the issues clearly speaking with someone is a recipe for disaster when you start talking about the other passengers smell, or whatever.

 

[samh004]

maybe i should just call them.....

If you want your issue to be taken serious you need to write clear paragraphs detailing the issue, without emotion or assumptions. Write it like you were going to print it and sign it, and send it to an email address of someone fairly high up the chain. It'll then filter down to the right person.

If you're just going to phone up, you'll likely get the standard reply. Same if you use the feedback box on their website.

 

[samh004]

• I accidentally posted this on Flyertalk rather than AFF.....so I'll try again (im unco on my ipad and i was just so flustered)
  
  So I'm sitting in MEL lounge trying to figure out what went wrong...I told the lovely lounge ladies here what happened...they were shocked and horrified...
  
  So sorry about spelling and grammar....on ipad.
  
  So this Is what I'm sending to VA once I figure out who to send it to..any ideas.
  
  
  Re my flight OOL to MEL , 25 April 2015
  
  flight ### OOL_MEL 25 april 2015
  
  I was in 3C and husband in 3A, POS who needed extender belt was just before boarding placed in 3B .
• 
  we all couldn't fit comfortably and safely, 'the POS unfortunately took up some of our seats as well due to her shoulder width.
• 
  Even after flight attendants helping her with belt, I still had to point out that we couldn't fly like this, they initially said they didn't have any other seats to move us to
• 
  I informed them we had no baggage and could be put on next flight to MEL as we were doing Status run, but needed to get our 6.30 pm flight MEL-SYD.
• 
  Ground staff notified, she informed us we could move flights but at our own expense.Ground staff informed me that because i had asked re loading of row 3 in the lounge then I must be looking to obtain free upgrade.
• 
  I asked if POS could be upgraded to Business as it was half full. Flight attendants/ ground staff said it wasn't in their power to do that.
  I continued to ask re moving seats, finally told 2 seats available in exit row 14.
• 
  I didn't want to take on exit row responsibility's so suggested moving my husband from 3A to 14C, moving POS to 3A and me staying in 3C.
  The whole encounter was stressful, embarrassing not only to me but to POS.

ok, Im 70 kg and have no idea what weight she was, but she was really big......but back to topic.....interesting what VA says the policy is when asked...
Grandmother stands for entire flight as fellow passenger 'too fat for seat' - AOL Travel UK

A spokesperson for Virgin Australia told the Daily Mail "Virgin Australia is committed to doing our best to accommodate all guests comfortably.

"In a situation where a guest appears unable to travel comfortably in one seat, we do our best to seat them next to an empty seat. If the flight is full, we offer to move the relevant guest to another flight at no cost to them.

then why did they keep telling us we had to pay for the next flight???

also VA dosnt have comfort+ type seating

what do you think?? enough info for VA to get the idea???


flight ### OOL_MEL 25 april 2016

I was in 3c and husband in 3a, POS who needed extender belt was placed in 3B .
we all couldn't fit comfortably and safely, 'the POS unfortunately took up some of our seats as well due to her shoulder width.
Even after flight attendants helping her with belt, I still had to point out that we couldn't fly like this, they initially said they didn't have any other seats to move us to
I informed them we had no baggage and could be put on next flight to MEL as we were doing Status run, but needed to get our 6.30 pm flight MEL-SYD.
Ground staff notified, she informed us we could move flights but at our own expense.Ground staff informed me that because i had asked re loading of row 3 in the lounge then I must be looking to obtain free upgrade.
I asked if POS could be upgraded to Business as it was half full. Flight attendants/ ground staff said it wasn't in their power to do that.
I continued to ask re moving seats, finally told 2 seats available in exit row 14.
I didn't want to take on exit row responsibility's so suggested moving my husband from 3A to 14C, moving POS to 3A and me staying in 3C.
The whole encounter was stressful, embarrassing not only to me but to POS.

my details etc etc......

To whom it may concern,

On Saturday the 25th April I was a passenger on flight VA999 from Coolangatta to Melbourne. I was travelling with my husband and as a Velocity Platinum member I had chosen my seats in row 3 XX months ago. My husband chose 3A as he likes the window, while I chose 3C as I like the aisle.

In the lounge before the flight I enquired as to the load of the flight (why?), but this was not to receive a free upgrade. On boarding, a large lady was in seat 3B. I don’t want to seem rude, but she clearly would have benefitted from what I believe is a comfort seat in the situation, as she impinged on our personal space.

I enquired with the flight attendants about changing seats, but was initially told there were no more seats available. I suggested moving to a later flight, but was told I would need to pick up the cost of that flight. Eventually, I was informed there were 2 seats available in the exit row. I don’t feel comfortable in the exit row, otherwise I would have chosen to sit there in the first place, but my husband moved and the flight was able to continue.

As a Velocity Platinum member I am aghast at why I was treated in this way, especially when I note from this 2014 daily mail article (Grandmother 'stood in aisle for most of flight because of obese passenger next to her' | Daily Mail Online) your policy for dealing with larger customers is to seat them next to an empty seat, or re-accomodate them on another flight.

The whole situation could have been handled better and was not only stressful to me, but I’m sure to the lady in 3B.

I would appreciate a call back to discuss this issue further.

Your sincerely,

 

[strtrek]

OK hows this, will add flight details etc later.....

Myself in 3A & Husband in 3C OOL-MEL
A passenger of size is placed in 3B, needing seat extender and was large enough to encroach into our seats making it uncomfortable for the 3 of us.
We all couldn’t fit comfortably and my husband in 3A couldn’t get out of the row as she was blocking his exit thus creating a safety hazard if we did need to evacuate, or allowing him to use the bathroom during the flight.
Ground crew refused to allow us to move to a following flight without paying for the fare OOL-MEL.
POS needed seat extender, thus wasn’t able/ allowed to sit in normal seating or move to the 2 seats in exit row.
Lounge staff repeated refused to help as they thought we were trying to get unpaid upgrades.
We were originally told that there were no other available seats, after a lot of back and forth were finally told exit row was vacant (2 seats).
Finally moved husband out of 3A to 14 C, POS to 3A and I stayed in 3C.
Totally unacceptable in the way this was handled by both Ground crew and Lounge staff.
What is the policy in regards to POS and the rights of those who they affect?

 

[strtrek]

To whom it may concern,

On Saturday the 25th April I was a passenger on flight VA999 from Coolangatta to Melbourne. I was travelling with my husband and as a Velocity Platinum member I had chosen my seats in row 3 XX months ago. My husband chose 3A as he likes the window, while I chose 3C as I like the aisle.

In the lounge before the flight I enquired as to the load of the flight (why?), but this was not to receive a free upgrade. On boarding, a large lady was in seat 3B. I don’t want to seem rude, but she clearly would have benefitted from what I believe is a comfort seat in the situation, as she impinged on our personal space.

I enquired with the flight attendants about changing seats, but was initially told there were no more seats available. I suggested moving to a later flight, but was told I would need to pick up the cost of that flight. Eventually, I was informed there were 2 seats available in the exit row. I don’t feel comfortable in the exit row, otherwise I would have chosen to sit there in the first place, but my husband moved and the flight was able to continue.

As a Velocity Platinum member I am aghast at why I was treated in this way, especially when I note from this 2014 daily mail article (Grandmother 'stood in aisle for most of flight because of obese passenger next to her' | Daily Mail Online) your policy for dealing with larger customers is to seat them next to an empty seat, or re-accomodate them on another flight.

The whole situation could have been handled better and was not only stressful to me, but I’m sure to the lady in 3B.

I would appreciate a call back to discuss this issue further.

Your sincerely,

that my dear is friggin brilliant.......can I pinch this...sums it up perfectly without the rant

some people just have the gift

 

[samh004]

We all couldn’t fit comfortably and my husband in 3A couldn’t get out of the row as she was blocking his exit thus creating a safety hazard if we did need to evacuate, or allowing him to use the bathroom during the flight.

That's good, I forgot to include it in my draft, but if you can beef it up a little more and insert it into a paragraph then it'll help your case.

POS needed seat extender, thus wasn’t able/ allowed to sit in normal seating or move to the 2 seats in exit row.

Stop referring to them as POS. When you write the letter, use better language. Anyone reading POS will think of the derogatory acronym.

You're more than welcome to use what I typed up, but I can't be everyone's speechwriter

 

[strtrek]

You could be onto a good little side business.....writing our complaint letters to airlines, hotels, car hire, government agencies, inlaws......

what is another way of saying POS??

 

[strtrek]

Thanks everyone for your honest and informative feedback....I've just sent off the comments to customer service that samh004 wrote for me...much thanks..saved me sounding like a complete tosser...

ahhh, the joys of travel