We all have seen the figures that clearly show that obesity costs you money in healthcare and other expenses but recently an overweight man had an unpleasant experience when he was asked to pay extra to fly in an Air France flight. The man was told that he wouldn’t be able to fit in a normal seat and therefore was asked to pay for the seat next to it too, The man a Monsieur Jauffret said that the actions of Air France had ‘humiliated’ him especially as he had his waist measured in a public area in the airport at New Delhi before he was informed of the airlines decision. Air France replying through their legal team said that Air France have for sometime had a clear policy with regard to the problem of obese people and if they are over a certain size they must buy 2 seats.

The lawyer held nothing back and in court argued that the passenger was “fat”, “enormous” and that he was too big to fit on an airline seat. With the growing number of people being overweight and obese, airlines have to have clearer policies about what to do with huge people who can’t reasonably fit in a normal seat.

The issue is delicate one as many overweight people are very touchy about their weight and resent being made to pay more as they feel that it is a form of discrimination against them. Airlines respond by saying that passenger safety and comfort are of paramount importance and that these obese people compromise both.

The man in question who weighed over 160 kilograms has requested that Air France pay him 8,000 Euros for damages as well as a 500 Euro refund or the price of the extra ticket that he was forced to buy. Ukmedix will report on the verdict that is due in February.