>>>>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6671018/Obese-air-passenger-in-economy-seat-has-picture-taken.html
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>>>If the flight is booked to full capacity, then he should have to purchase a 2nd seat. Looking at the photo, there are two empty seats side-by-side directly behind him so why didn't he move to those two seats? I know that everyone has to be in their assigned seat when the aircraft first boards, but surely the flight attendants could have allowed him to move to a location with two empty seats if they were available?
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>>No matter the details of this one case - what would the general rule be?
>
>Supposedly if you're too big to fit in one seat the airline makes you purchase a 2nd seat - although I've found this "rule" not quite correct. I was on a fight just a couple of months ago and got stuck sitting next to some 400+ pound guy and he didn't fit in his seat and he only had one seat (and 1/2 of mine and 1/2 of the person's on the other side of him).
>Once the plane landed I complained to the airline that I had paid for a seat and didn't get a seat, only 1/2 seat so I wanted 1/2 the cost of my ticket refunded.
>Another thing I've noticed at airports is that hey have a seat identical to the ones on the plane in the airport and sometimes ask people to try and sit in it to see if they fit or not.
>Now all we need to do is wait for some huge person get bent out of shape about it all and sue the airline for discrimination or something.

I did not know the ultra-portly were a protected class.

Year ago I was on a flight, window seat, with an enormous woman next to me in the middle seat. She couldn't get into the seat on her own and two stewardesses had to help force her down into it. The seat belt wasn't long enough so they attached an extension belt between the two sides. At the end of the flight the stewardesses had to help her out again. When she came clear of the armrests there was an audible popping sound. She was a nice enough person. Which is a good thing, because I sure wasn't going anywhere during the flight.