caused howls of protest from overweight travellers

As from the beginning of February very overweight men and women traveling on the French national airline, Air France will have the option of getting a 2nd seat for free. Previously Air France came into a lot of criticism after it instigated a policy by where overweight passengers would be forced to buy a 2nd seat at a 25 percent discount. The policy which was put into place in 2005 caused howls of protest from overweight travellers and obesity lobbying groups all over the world.

As from next month Air France said that they would completely refund obese travellers for the second seat if there were spare seats in the economy section but they did point out that they could completely refuse to let obese passengers on board fully booked flights if the passenger was unable to fit properly in one seat.

Basically what this means is that very obese people should purchase two tickets if they want to be 100 percent certain that they can fly on the day and if the airline is not full up they will get a refund on the 2nd ticket. If they only purchase one ticket there is always the danger that should the plane be full up and they can’t sit in their seat comfortably they will be removed from the plane.

Obese individuals on airplanes have become a major problem for commercial airlines who have to try and balance a sensitivity and understanding of obesity but at the same time guaranteeing the comfort of the passengers who sit next to these obese people. If you have ever sat next to a very overweight person on an airline and tried to do anything as routine as using your iPod, iPhone (or the new iPad for that matter!) you will understand how uncomfortable and restrictive it can be as they often spill right over into your own seat space.

The two American companies United Airlines and also Southwest Airlines operates similar policies to Air France. This problem is likely to become even more contentious as more and more people become overweight in America and the United Kingdom.

Maybe these policies will encourage people who travel to lose weight?