What a deal: one person, two fares

Harriet Baskas Travel writer

No matter your weight or width, the next time you fly make sure you know your airline’s policy on “seatmates of size.” Better yet, print it out and carry it with you. It could help you avoid a pain in the butt and save you some bucks.

Last week, United Airlines took heat for its new “Passengers requiring extra space” policy, which went into effect April 15. The policy covers passengers who can’t fit into a single seat in their ticketed cabin; need more than one extender in order to buckle their seatbelt and; are unable to put the seat’s armrest down when they are seated.

The airline's official policy, posted on its Web site, reads: “If unused seats are available on the ticketed United or United Express flight, then a customer meeting any of the above criteria will be re-accommodated next to an empty seat” for no extra charge.

If there are no unused seats, United spokesperson Robin Urbanksi said airline staff will try to accommodate a passenger who needs extra space on a later flight, also at no extra charge, but because many customers take advantage of stand-by travel, “we will not know if the next flight has any extra seats until departure.” “To guarantee that an extra seat is available, we recommend that a second seat be purchased,” she added.

“The original announcement sounded very cut and dry,” says Peggy Howell of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), “but they seem to be taking a kinder, gentler stance. Saying they will exhaust all possibilities to accommodate their passengers of size is a far cry from the first announcement.”

Regardless, NAAFA has formally come out against United’s new policy and has posted a link to a NAAFA-members petition.

Not just United
United Airlines is not the first airline to formalize a policy regarding large passengers.

Southwest Airlines’ “Customers of Size” policy has been in effect for some time and the airline was the first to set the armrest as the definitive boundary between seats.

Under Southwest’s policy, passengers who can’t lower both armrests “and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating” are asked to buy an extra seat. However, if the flight isn’t full, the airline will refund the cost of the extra ticket.

Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air's policy lives in the “Seating” information section on its Web site. The rules state that customers who cannot “comfortably fit within one seat with the armrests in a down position” will be required to purchase a second seat. Refunds are available if all flight segments between the passenger’s origin and destination had empty seats available anyway.

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Continental Airlines is more stringent. A passenger with an economy seat who does not “safely and comfortably” fit in a single seat is required to purchase an additional seat for each leg of their itinerary or purchase a ticket for an upgraded cabin. Tickets not purchased before the day of travel are charged hefty day-of-travel rate. And, even if the originally scheduled flight ends up leaving the gate with empty seats, Continental will not refund the cost of the extra ticket.

What about other U.S. airlines?

While Southwest, Alaska, Continental and United post policies outlining when and if a passenger of size will be required to purchase two seats, other airlines either make passengers hunt for their rules or don’t post policies at all.

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