Passengers want airlines to curtail noise and cut the fat

North American airlines, already under fire for their security procedures, are increasingly under pressure to confront two other weighty issues: fat and families.
 

At a time when airlines are more crowded and uncomfortable than at any time in the history of travel, and social media makes it easier than ever to vent frustrations, those are the two biggest complaints after security concerns.
 

"Travel really has become, from the time you leave for the airport to the time you get to your destination … a stressful experience," Jami Counter, senior director at SeatGuru, told USA Today.
 

Studies show that a majority of passengers are in favor of having fat people pay for two seats and that it’s a good idea to set aside airplane sections for families or have all-family flights.
 

A report last year round that almost 60 percent of passengers support creating special sections on flights for families. Nearly 20 percent in the survey by Skyscanner said they would like to see airlines offer child-free flights.
 

Ian Burford, a frequent flyer from Boston started a Facebook group called “Airlines Should Have Kid-Free Flights.” His site says:
 

“How many times have you got on a plane, for business or pleasure and had your flight disturbed by endless crying or screaming or by having the back of your seat endlessly kicked? While everyone has the right to fly I think that there should be some ability to separate out, by flight or by seating area, the people who do not want to put up with the constant and annoying disturbance.”
 

He adds the technology exists for accomplishing the goal is available.
 

“A check box while booking or a warning at seat assignment perhaps? As I am careful to avoid bothering the people around me when I fly, I really just want the same consideration,” he writes.
 

Burford said the idea for his Facebook site came after sitting through an international flight when parents allowed a screaming child to continue his protests.
 

It might be easier to dismiss separate seating if they came only from the childless. Many parents support the idea, however.
 

A family-only section would give children and parents the freedom to “chat, watch Nickelodeon and laugh out loud,” read a post on Madame Noire, a blog catering to African-American women.“And yes, the kids can cry if they want to.”
 

Even the US Congress has not overlooked the issue. Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler introduced legislation in 2007 that would force airlines to create a family-only section on planes. The bill gained some media attention but never made it through various committees for a vote.
 

Then, there’s the weighty issue of fat.
 

There’s no doubt that flyers are irritated at having other people spilling over onto their own seats. Off-topic board found 57 percent of those polled wanted fat people to pay extra for airline seats.
 

Some passengers and groups are urging airlines to put aside designated rows for tall, heavy or disabled passengers.
 

On the other side of the coin, overweight passengers have complained about being humiliated as airlines start to enforce rules that they pay for a second seat so their bodies don’t spill over to next-seat flyers.
 

Airlines are clearly moving to squeeze the fat.
 

United in 2009 began requiring fliers who couldn’t put down their armrests and needed more than one seatbelt extender to purchase a second seat.
 

Southwest also requires fliers who can’t lower both armrests or who intrude on the space next to them to buy an extra seat. If the flight isn’t oversold and a second seat is available, the flier can get a refund.
 

"We could no longer ignore complaints from customers who traveled without full access to their seats," the airline’s website says.
 

The prevailing attitude from all flyers may that of “Airlines Should Have Kid-Free Flights.”
 

“So airlines, do something please! The solutions are there and they are not just to upgrade every time we fly. We do not need to be charged for the right to a peaceful flight. We are already charged for everything else!”
 

By David Wilkening