> As summer vacations begin, some passengers on Southwest Airlines will
> be pulled aside and, because of their weight, asked to buy a second
> ticket. This controversial policy pits the commercial interests of the
> airline against the dignity of overweight fliers
Let's make this clear - they aren't singling people out just because
they have a beer belly or a few love handles. They are referring to
the type of people who are GROSSLY OBESE and have their flab and fat
singificantly intruding into the adjacent seat, inhibiting the
airline's ability to sell the seat and generate revenue. I can assure
you that you have not been in airline hell until you have been wedged
in a middle seat next to two sweating, overweight porkers on an
international flight. As far as their "dignity" goes: I have been
overweight at times in my life, but when I got to the point where my
pants stopped fitting, I realized it was time to hit the gym, back off
the snacks, and lose a few pounds. Lardasses who aren't embarrassed
enough to do something about their weight even when they can't fit in
an airline seat have NO grounds to blame Southwest (or any other
carrier) when they stopped caring about their own dignity a long time
ago... :O|
and raises the issue
> of whether anti-discrimination laws should be applied to obese people.
> For Southwest, a plane ticket is like real estate: You get only the
> space you pay for. (Passengers must buy an extra ticket if their girth
> prevents them from lowering the armrest that divides the seats. If the
> flight is not full, they qualify for a refund.) Southwest
> representative Ashley Rogers says the airline instituted the policy
> because of complaints from adjoining passengers. =93We want to give
> everybody the room they need,=94 she says. =93People should be able to
> breathe a little without their neighbor encroaching.=94 But in Canada, a
> new government policy prevents airlines from charging extra for
> passengers who are considered disabled by their obesity. The policy
> will cost Air Canada $7.3 million a year. As our nation=92s collective
> girth increases, the debate about the rights of overweight people is
> also playing out in the courts. A Michigan law protects overweight
> people from job discrimination; Massachusetts is considering similar
> legislation. And overweight people claim that a federal law preventing
> airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities should
> apply to them, too. So far, their lawsuits have been unsuccessful.
> =97Lori Andrews
>
> http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_06-29-2008/Intel...
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