407-Pound Woman Denied Flights Home, Dies Abroad

cancerman1120

cancerman1120

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Ok so they are suing the airline saying her death was "preventable" and their denial of boarding resulted in her death. This has been a pretty hot topic lately about airlines denying overweight people a seat on the plane or requiring a 2nd seat be purchased. As tragic as this was I do not see the airlines at fault. This woman was unhealthy to begin with and he death was more inevitable than preventable.

http://gma.yahoo.com/obese-woman-denied-flights-home-dies-abroad-191137549--abc-news-topstories.html
 
This can't be the airline's fault. Sorry, if you need an airlift to board the plane and can't get the seat belt around your waist you shouldn't be allowed to fly. Also, as a private entity the airline should be allowed to deny service to any customer for any reason.
 
[quote name='Javery']This can't be the airline's fault. Sorry, if you need an airlift to board the plane and can't get the seat belt around your waist you shouldn't be allowed to fly. Also, as a private entity the airline should be allowed to deny service to any customer for any reason.[/QUOTE]

I read something about this the other day, coincidentally enough. FAA doesn't have any restrictions on denying or allowing people to fly based on weight.

If nothing else, for overweight flyers, the lack of regulation has led to a lack of consistent enforcement. The staff on the plane often make the decision to allow or deny. So, for the consumer, it's confusing and odd to be allowed to fly one leg of a flight, and be denied access to the same return flight. That part I understand - if a person knew in advance that they would be denied, they could make reasonable accommodations. Since they don't know until they board, and even then the selection is random, that causes problems.

That said, the notion that this woman's death was caused by neglect on the airline's behalf is preposterous.
 
I have no sympathy for obese people. Obesity is a choice. And there is a big difference between a person being overweight and obese. I can have sympathy for overweight people, but to hell with the obese.
 
[quote name='Chase']I have no sympathy for obese people. Obesity is a choice. And there is a big difference between a person being overweight and obese. I can have sympathy for overweight people, but to hell with the obese.[/QUOTE]


:???: That's a pretty ignorant assessment, I think. To say you have sympathy for overweight people but not obese doesn't make much sense otherwise.There are a lot of hidden factors that affect obesity and a person's ability to maintain weight loss. Especially if it's a person who became obese as a child due to poor diet and/or poor parenting.
 
On one hand while obesity "might" be a choice for some, if you take into account lifestyle choices, for many there are underlying medical conditions like hypothyroidism or metabolism problems that make fighting obesity a uphill battle.

As far as the airlines go space is at a premium; they can't make each seat spacious enough to accommodate 400lb+ people on the off chance they want to fly. If they did they would have to cut capacity on flights by a huge percentage.

I think each flight should have a special handicap/obese/special situation seat or set of seats for situations like this. Most school buses and charter buses have something similar.

I don't consider myself obese (medically I'm sure I am) but I am 6' 6" and about 250lbs. My stature has made quite a few experiences in life less comfortable then they would be for someone 5'10" and 180lbs but I've learned to live with it.

I don't like sitting in cramped airline seats anymore then the next person but when I fly I make a point to buy an aisle seat so I can stretch my legs.

Shopping for pants that fit properly can also be a pain in the ass but I don't expect most retailers to stock my size(s) because I'm sure that would not be profitable for them to do so as it doesn't represent a big percentage of the sizes they normally sell.

Hell even watching a game in person at Fenway is EXTREMELY uncomfortable because of how cramped the majority of the seats are but what are my options? Go and be uncomfortable and or stay home and miss out? Should I sue because I'm big?

But back on topic if this person was granted clearance and allowed to fly one leg of the flight then whatever accommodations were originally made should have been made for her to fly the return leg... even if that means she buys a second ticket.
 
Yeah I can't fault the airline there. People have to take care of themselves. As said above, if she can't get on the plane without an airlift and can't fit the belt you shouldn't be allowed to fly. It's a safety problem. But I'm also supportive of obese people having to buy two seats if they don't fit as one. Flying is expensive. I pay for a seat and I should get my whole seat and not have some lard asses blubber taking up a quarter or half of my seat.

As for sympathy, I only really have sympathy for overweight/obese kids as their diet is largely out of their control. Beyond that people have responsibility for taking care of themselves. If you can't take care of yourself, chances are you're pretty worthless overall. The rare person with a medical condition aside--but even those are mostly treatable and often just means a person has to work harder on diet and fitness.

Judgmental yes. But I'm a judgmental person who hates people in general. I have little use for people who aren't near mirror images of my values and priorties.
 
She was in Europe, I doubt they have much experience dealing with folks of this size.

Airlines are a business and they need to accommodate for all passengers. Honestly, after seeing the photo would anyone on this thread want to be boarding the same plane as this woman, you just know that flight is going to have problems.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah I can't fault the airline there.[/QUOTE]

In terms of liability, I would agree with you completely.

I would, however, like to see airlines establish policies for handling such passengers. As I mentioned before, the random nature of letting them on or not letting them on is (a) embarrassing, (b) confusing, (c) arbitrary, and (d) isn't determined until a passenger gets to the gate, so it's super inconvenient as well.

Some kind of guidelines so that passengers know what to expect in advance will help everyone - airlines have a policy to point to, passengers know in advance what to expect, etc.

It's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction from what we have now.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']In terms of liability, I would agree with you completely.

I would, however, like to see airlines establish policies for handling such passengers. As I mentioned before, the random nature of letting them on or not letting them on is (a) embarrassing, (b) confusing, (c) arbitrary, and (d) isn't determined until a passenger gets to the gate, so it's super inconvenient as well.

Some kind of guidelines so that passengers know what to expect in advance will help everyone - airlines have a policy to point to, passengers know in advance what to expect, etc.

It's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction from what we have now.[/QUOTE]

I just don't see that happening.

In the past few years, I have yet to take a trip that didn't involve a delay of at least 3 hours. They can't even organize boarding a flight correctly, let alone setting efficient flight routes and keeping the planes up-to-snuff.

There is alot of low-hanging fruit I would like to see the airplanes tighten up on, but all you see in the news are fringe cases where Kevin Smith or this lady get stranded due to their size. That's sad but at the same time we all know how small those seats are, I just don't see what these folks expected...
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']
As for sympathy, I only really have sympathy for overweight/obese kids as their diet is largely out of their control. Beyond that people have responsibility for taking care of themselves. If you can't take care of yourself, chances are you're pretty worthless overall. The rare person with a medical condition aside--but even those are mostly treatable and often just means a person has to work harder on diet and fitness.[/QUOTE]

That's my exact take on it too. Some people are predisposed to gaining weight easier, some are predisposed to being skinnier, but it's pretty straightforward science. If you take in more kilocalories than you exert, the overflow is going to be stored. I have never in my life known someone who was fat, that didn't bring it all on themselves. I have known countless people who were fat, made lifestyle changes and now are fit, or at least in much better shape.

Too busy to cook healthy, too expensive to eat healthy, too busy to workout? Come on. There are people around the world with far fewer resources, who aren't morbidly obese. Our society doesn't properly stigmatize poor health choices, instead we turn to stomach stapling and plastic surgery to fix our lack of self-control.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']the random nature of letting them on or not letting them on is (a) embarrassing ... [/QUOTE]

Isn't the morbid obesity embarrassing enough? :D

I agree in theory though - a few guidelines would be beneficial. Like instead of the "you must be at least this tall" signs at amusement parks there should be "your ass needs to be at least this narrow" signs at the airport.
 
[quote name='Javery']Isn't the morbid obesity embarrassing enough? :D

I agree in theory though - a few guidelines would be beneficial. Like instead of the "you must be at least this tall" signs at amusement parks there should be "your ass needs to be at least this narrow" signs at the airport.[/QUOTE]

Speaking of which, I always get a kick out of how small the "your bag must be this size" signs are. I bought a bag specially fitted to take up the alotted 33% of an airplane overhead compartment, so I know how off that sign is. 90% of people bring carryon that's bigger, the only folks that don't are carrying nothing but a purse.

Those airlines are always up to something whacky.
 
Yeah some type if standards are needed. Waist size bigger than ____ must buy two tickets or will be denied entry.

Also like the idea of having larger seats at higher cost too, and not just be outrageous first class/business class tickets.

Seems like some airline could make a lot of money by offering a better experience for $50-$100 more than other airlines. I'd happily pay that for wider seats, a section with no children allowed within several rows etc.

And yes there's seldom any excuse for being obese. One doesn't have to start working out a ton or eating super healthy. Just eat less and take in fewer calories than you burn. That doesn't require anytime or money. Of course it's much better to eat healthy and exercise. But an obese person can lose a lot of weight with simple diet cutbacks. For the vast majority it's a problem of lack of self control, depression etc.
 
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She could have been treated where she was but didn't trust the Hungarian doctors, at that point her fate is in her own hands, for once I'm siding with the airline on this one, they did all they could.

People that fat cause problems like this, might not be their fault, but that's the reality of it.
 
I mean the article makes it clear three different airlines tried to do their best to accommodate her. To try to sue is ridiculous.

I have no problem with airlines charging two seats to people who take them up. I pay for my seat like anyone else and definitely do not enjoy it when a person spills into my seat. I don't get a discount for it.
 
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