Super-Sized Passengers - Should They Pay For Two Seats?
(October 22, 2002)
A British woman won a $20,000 out-of-court settlement with Virgin Atlantic after she sustained severe injuries from an obese passenger seated next to her on a trans-Atlantic flight in January 2001.
Barbara Hewson, 63, of Swansea, South Wales suffered a blood clot, torn muscles and sciatica as the obese American woman seated next to her spilled over into her seat. Prior to the 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles, Hewson complained to flight attendants to be re-seated. Unfortunately, the flight was full and the crew was unable to move either of the women. Upon landing in Los Angeles, the 4ft 11in Hewson was in such severe pain that she was taken to a local hospital.
In an interview with The Sun of London, Hewson stated: " It was horrific. This woman was so enormous she was literally sitting on top of me. Her left leg pressed down on my right leg and her arm was across my chest, pinning me down." Hewson noted that the obese woman asked if she was okay, saying to her: "I'm sitting on your lap." Hewson did walk around during the flight and ended up sitting in the flight attendant jumpseat on several occasions.
With hospitalization in Los Angeles, Hewson's vacation was in tatters. Upon returning to Wales, she was bedridden for a month and still needs a walking stick. She accuses Virgin Atlantic of negligence, saying it knew the woman's size prior to the flight. The obese woman had commented to Hewson that on her flight to London she was able to get two seats for the price of one.
Virgin Atlantic called the matter "unfortunate" and said there would be no policy changes resulting from the "unprecedented case", but it would continue to advise large passengers to upgrade to bigger seats or purchase two seats.
Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines came under fire for its policy of charging overweight passengers for two tickets if they spill over into their neighbor's seat. "We sell seats, and if you consume more than one seat, you have to buy more than one seat," said Beth Harbin, a Southwest spokeswoman.
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According to recent medical studies, thirty percent of Americans are obese. Clearly, this is a growing problem (literally) that we have not heard the last of.
What do you think? Should obese passengers be charged for two seats? Take this week's poll.
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