Southwest Airlines in the US has just changed its long-standing policy for plus-size travelers, one that for over 30 years allowed them to get a second seat for free or be reimbursed if needed.

But now, that’s no longer guaranteed.

So, what does this mean for passengers of size? Is it fair to ask them to pay for an extra seat in order to fly comfortably, or even to fly at all?

Editor of travelextra.ie Eoghan Corry said that the standard width for airline seats is 17 inches, due largely to manufacturing guidelines.

“I think [Southwest Airlines] are certainly within their rights when there is an imposition on the other passengers in that row,” he told Lunchtime Live.

“I do think that there is a solution here; you’re not going to get six seats across much wider than 17 inches without changing the entire way you design the aircraft.

“But certainly, I think America is ahead of Europe in the obesity, there is probably a case for the airlines that are dealing with large numbers of obese passengers increasing numbers of obese passengers to include five across and four across for particular routes.

“You also get wider seats in business class, so you don’t have to buy the second seat – and sometimes business class seats are not that more expensive.”

People walking in the cabin of a Vueling airline ahead of take-off in Barcelona, Spain in August 2021. Picture by: Martin Silva Cosentino / Alamy Stock Photo

Listener Gavin, who works in the aviation industry, said he agrees with the move.

“When we’re talking about plus sized, it’s not just large, it’s people who are extremely large,” he said.

“If you look at a company that are now selling just one seat and losing out the money of a sale of another seat because an individual has become so large that they can’t fit into one seat on their own, that’s not fair on the company.

“And secondly, if you’ve ever been on [a long-haul flight], to sit next to somebody of that size, that’s extremely uncomfortable on the individual that has to have that person rubbing off them and reducing the size of the movement they have.”

Main image: Obese overweight passenger unable to fasten the seatbelt on airline. iMAGE: Ozgur Coskun. 6 February 2018