A photograph posted on a travel blog showing an obese man spilling out of his airplane seat and blocking the aisle has reignited the debate over whether extremely overweight passengers should be allowed to fly if they don't pay for a second seat. Federal aviation authorities investigated and said the man in the photo was allowed to fly after American Airlines gave him an entire row, with three seats. Should morbidly obese travelers be treated differently by airlines? (Watch a report about the picture of an obese man aboard a flight)
Fat people should buy two seats: "THIS is why people are anti-fat people," says conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel in her blog. "It’s also why humane airlines force fat people to buy two tickets." When obese passengers can't fit in a single seat, they ruin the flight for the poor, squeezed passengers around them -- and keep people from safely getting off the plane in an emergency.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why ghost guns are so easy to make — and so dangerousThe Explainer Untraceable, DIY firearms are a growing public health and safety hazard
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulusPuzzles and Quizzes
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
