Simon Calder explains rules around seating on planes for plus-size passengers Source: The Independent
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00In the UK, the number of obese people in the population has almost doubled in the quarter-century to 2022.
00:10So people are getting larger.
00:12At the same time, the amount of personal space on board a plane is getting smaller.
00:17Airlines are densifying some of their aircraft,
00:21for example British Airways on some of its 777s,
00:25reducing the space across by putting 10 seats abreast in economy instead of nine.
00:33And especially the budget airlines are filling their planes much more effectively,
00:39with EasyJet and Ryanair often filling more than 90% of seats on board,
00:46which means that there is less room to move.
00:49So what can you do if you are a plus-size person?
00:53Well, the first thing that the airlines would like you to do is,
00:57they basically say, weigh more, pay more.
01:00Yes, you might well have to actually book an extra seat next to you.
01:07Ryanair, for instance, says the way to do this is to
01:11pretend you're putting in a companion called Extra Comfort Seat.
01:17Other airlines say, yep, we'd like you to book another seat,
01:20but we won't charge you for the fees and taxes.
01:24And Air France, I think, has the kindest policy of all.
01:28They say, yeah, book an extra seat and if there is a seat available in the cabin,
01:35we will give you a full refund on the extra one you have booked.