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Old July 5th, 2008, 09:01 PM posted to rec.travel.air,alt.california,alt.politics.economics,alt.activism
Stan de SD[_2_]
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Posts: 11
Default Paying Extra For Being Fat

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. “We want to give
everybody the room they need,” she says. “People should be able to
breathe a little without their neighbor encroaching.” 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’s 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.
—Lori Andrews

http://www.parade.com/articles/editi...-29-2008/Intel...