How to score the most comfortable airline seat

How to score the most comfortable airline seat

FORGET seat recliners and bare feet — it turns out the biggest bugbear on planes is having to sit next to a plus-sized passenger.

According to a recent study of travellers in the UK, four in five respondents said they wanted overweight travellers to sit in special zones on aircraft, The Sun reports.

The plus-sized passengers would have to pay extra to sit in the area, which would offer wider seats, aisles and leg room.

And it could be a real issue in Australia, where a health institute report released today found Aussies in their early twenties were nearly twice as likely to be obese as their parents.

The strong views on larger travellers comes from new research by UK travel website Jetcost, which saw one in ten passengers saying they had endured an uncomfortable flight because the passenger sat next to them was overweight.

Jetcost appeared to agree with the views, claiming that the plus-sized zones wouldn’t be about segregating passengers, but instead would allow the larger travellers to enjoy their flight more.

And it comes just weeks after European airline Finnair said it would start weighing passengers before boarding, which it said would work out a more exact weight and balance of the aircraft and in turn cut operating costs.

Sun Online Travel spoke to two obesity experts with two very different opinions.

Steve Miller from UK television series Fat Families argued slim passengers shouldn’t pay for heavier travellers’ extra weight, but weight loss expert Dr Sally Norton said society should instead focus on how to help people lose weight.

‘PEOPLE SHOULD PAY FOR TWO SEATS IF THEY’RE TOO FAT’

Steve Miller is a motivational weight loss speaker who believes fat zones on planes would help to shame people into losing weight.

“We have to introduce the stick as well as the carrot — so getting people to pay for two seats on an aeroplane is appropriate if they are too fat because there is something they can do about it,” he told Sun Online Travel.

“If you’re morbidly obese then it’s only fair that you pay more money. If someone else has been responsible and looked after their health, why should they subsidise someone else who weighs more?

“And if someone has paid for a seat with their hard earned cash, they don’t want their space invaded by a larger passenger.

“I understand it would trigger emotion but it could trigger an emotion to lose weight, eat better and lose more before they book a seat.”

He said where passengers sat should be determined on their height-to-weight ratio.

“Airlines should create a software package where this was calculated when booking tickets, with spot checks later at the airport,” he said.

“Yes, it may put people off travelling but that’s a small price to pay.”

‘WE SHOULD BE SUPPORTING PEOPLE TO LOSE WEIGHT’

Dr Sally Norton is an UK National Health Service consultant and weight loss expert who believes fat zones are the wrong approach for dealing with the obesity problem.

“I can understand why people might consider these plus size zones from a safety point of view, and it would also be less embarrassing than getting stuck in seats that are too small,” she told The Sun.

“But we should support people to lose weight instead of creating segregation and making people feel ostracised.

“Then you’re faced with a situation where you are herding people into different zones — ‘you go and sit at the back because you’re fat’.

“People struggle with their weight for many different reasons, and it can be very upsetting and difficult trying to travel.”

Dr Norton said the government and food industry should be making real changes to help people lose weight.

“At the same time, we must also be careful not to normalise obesity by creating areas with larger seats, because obesity damages our health,” she added.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.