No Two Seat Law in Canada
Linda McKay-Panos, a fat lawyer from Canada, recently complained to the Canadian Transportation Agency. On a 1997 flight, she was forced to buy one-and-a-half seats (?), causing grief and humiliation; she claimed that obesity was a disability and thus, the airline wasn't justified in asking her to pay more. The CTA ruled against her.
In any event, the Agency stated that cases should be taken on an individual basis. As a bonus, McKay-Panos was given a voucher for that half-seat. Do you think she still has a legitimate complaint?
(and here's a slightly better article on the subject.)
"Being unable to fit in a seat should not be enough evidence of the existence of a disability as many people experience discomfort in the seat," the agency said in its decision released yesterday.Clearly, it's a matter of the Agency not understanding fully. Yes, many people are uncomfortable in seats - but come on, can you really sit there and say that it's the same for fat people as it is for skinny people?
McKay-Panos, who has said she was once told weight loss would improve her career success and been prejudiced against because of her size, suffers from polycystic ovaries syndrome, a hormonal disease in which obesity is a common symptom.
In any event, the Agency stated that cases should be taken on an individual basis. As a bonus, McKay-Panos was given a voucher for that half-seat. Do you think she still has a legitimate complaint?
(and here's a slightly better article on the subject.)
College Students and Body Image | Calling Out
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| Sybil |
October 24th, 2002 | Link |
While I wish the airlines
While I wish the airlines would provide bigger seats, I do always purchase two since I can't fit into one without squashing someone next to me. It's not fair to that person to squash them, so I buy two seats so as not to inconvenience anyone. I do wish that the airline employees would be better trained to handle the situation when someone *has* purchased two seats. I end up having to explain what I've done over and over, and nowadays prove that I'm not somehow trying to smuggle a terrorist on board with me somehow. And on full flights, the flight attendants routinely try to give my "extra" seat to someone else, and I have to produce receipts to prove that I paid for it and they shouldn't give it away. It's really very humiliating.
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| Sasha |
October 25th, 2002 | Link |
I think the whole thing is
I think the whole thing is ridiculous! Having to pay for two seats? They shoulc *not* get away w/such a thing! :*(
~Sasha
amorefitme@hotmail.com
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| leslie |
October 25th, 2002 | Link |
It's good Air Canada has a
It's good Air Canada has a policy on this. I don't think the policy is fair on fat people but at least there is a policy unlike other airlines. The problem seems to be lack of staff training. There must be a way to make sure someone who has bought two seats is handled with tact by ground staff and Flight Attendants.
It's interesting that they admit 'many people experience discomfort'. Why do we accept travelling for hours in an uncomfortable seat whether we are fat or thin? The airlines are an exception when it comes to customer service. If we got this low level of service anywhere else (say in a shop or a restaurant) we wouldn't hesitate to complain. And yet the vast majority of us put up with unacceptable seating in economy class. In the UK, Watchdog has highlighted this problem with replicas of seats on their show, demonstrating how people couldn't get into the seats or safely out of them in an emergency. I hope the European Union will make a ruling on seats pitch and width and force the airlines to adapt to their customers needs.
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