Not all airline passengers match

A report in The Sun-Herald says that whether you choose to engage in a conversation with them or not, you enter into a form of relationship the moment you sit down next to a fellow passenger on a plane.

And just like any relationship, there are some people we are compatible with and others we are not suited to at all.

A factor that can play a key role in how this relationship pans out is the size of the airline seat. It’s a simple fact that a seat that accommodates one person may not be the right fit for another.

It’s a situation I discovered recently when flying economy from London to Tokyo.

My fellow traveller slipped into the seat next to me, and as great company as he was, nothing could disguise the fact that it was not going to be a comfortable flight for either of us.

A large person myself, he was double my size and overflowed into my seat and on top of me. With a 12-hour flight ahead, we both knew something had to give.

The flight attendants, however, appeared at a loss as to how to handle the situation. It was only when the purser became involved that the situation was resolved – I was moved and my neighbour had the additional seat.

This is a sensitive topic for airlines, and industry members who spoke to me about it only did so on condition of anonymity. Flight attendant Theresa (name has been changed), who has been flying with an Australian airline for 15 years, said cabin crew were experiencing such situations on a regular basis.

“We are now dealing with this at least once a week,” she says. “It’s a simple fact that some people are not suited to be sitting next to each other, but it is difficult situation as you won’t know that until you are on the flight. And if a flight is full, then it is full and people can’t be moved.”

The situation has become a public relations, as well as legal, minefield for overseas airlines in recent years.

Southwest Airlines in the US went to court over an incident in which airline officials informed a customer they deemed overweight that she had to pay for a second seat.

Virgin Atlantic paid a passenger £13,000 ($NZ33,500) compensation after she claimed she was squashed by an overweight person next to her on a flight.

When she complained about the situation, she was told the flight was full and she could not be moved.

A number of US airlines have also instigated a policy that requires any passenger of size who thinks they might need two seats to buy two tickets.

The problem for the airlines, explains airport check-in agent Dennis (name has been changed), is that in this age of internet bookings and online seat allocation, often the first time airline staff encounter some passengers is at the boarding gate.

While a seat next to a larger person can be blocked out by an agent at check-in time, that can’t be done if the passenger is not sighted until boarding.

“This makes seating very difficult, as everyone’s comfort needs to be considered,” he says. “When people say they must have the exit row as they are too big for other seats, it might not be appropriate for them to sit there in the case of an emergency.

“And if they really need to be assured of that kind of seat, then maybe they should have purchased a different product like a premium economy seat. If you are a person of size, then it is up to you to buy the product that best suits your needs.”

The differences between economy seating and premium economy is significant in terms of extra room.

On Qantas, an economy seat has a pitch of 78.74 centimetres and width of 43.6 centimetres, while premium economy has a 106.6-centimetre pitch and 49.5-centimetre width.

On Virgin Blue, the difference between economy and premium economy is almost eight centimetres in pitch and five centimetres in width.

On Jetstar, economy pitch is 76.2 centimetres and width is 44.45 centimetres, while StarClass has a 96.5-centimetre pitch and 48.2-centimetre width.

Susan Clarke, Jetstar’s manager of training and development, says StarClass is popular with the airline’s overweight customers.

“I have had some passengers who are larger say at the end of the journey they were really happy they flew in StarClass as they had the extra room and it really made the difference to their journey,” she says.

In the coming months, Jetstar is also planning to offer in-flight upgrades for customers who want additional room.

“This has been happening with people who have sat down in economy, then decided they would be happy to pay the extra dollars to move into StarClass,” Clarke says. “Once they find it is not too much extra, they are happy to upgrade. On a long-haul flight, it would make it much more comfortable.”

If a passenger elects to buy two seats for their journey before flying, the taxes on the second ticket are not applied.

On a Qantas Sydney-to-London flight, that can make a difference of about $654.28 when buying two fares.

But when the flight is full and there are no extra seats, it becomes a matter of having to cope with the situation. Flight attendant Theresa says, on occasion, passengers have been moved into the crew rest seats.

The one thing for all parties when dealing with this situation is to maintain a cool head.

“Politely explain the situation to the cabin crew and ask for something to be done about it,” Theresa says.

“If they say nothing can be done, then you are entitled to ask for a senior member of the crew like the purser, and hope they might take the issue more seriously.

“But be diplomatic – no one should ever emerge from this feeling humiliated.”

TIPS FOR BETTER FLYING FOR ALL

* Board early so if there is an issue, it can be resolved before the door has closed.

* Ask a crew member to notify you of any spare seats.

* Don’t change seats until after take-off.

* If the crew don’t seem willing to take the matter seriously, ask for the purser or customer service manager.

* Consider squeezing a few extra dollars out of the budget for a premium economy seat, or even business class on a cheaper carrier.

* Stay calm and polite, and don’t ever insult your fellow passengers.

A Report by The Mole from The Sun Herald