I heard about a story where a man took a trip on an airplane that turned out to be an unpleasant experience. The man indicated he had to spend nine hours on a plane next to a passenger that was extremely obese. The gentleman said that the man next to him was so over-weight that his seat was unable to contain all of his body weight and it spilled over on him. I am sure the heavier man felt just as uncomfortable having to sit in a seat that was too small for nine hours as well.

In order to demonstrate his displeasure the man took a picture of the heavier man squeezed in the seat next to him. This was suppose to demonstrate how unpleasant it is to sit next to a person who is extremely over-weight. His main complaint was that he was uncomfortable and he did not receive full enjoyment of his nine hour flight. The man decided he was going to sue the airline because he did not think they made enough effort to accommodate him as a gold card, frequent flyer member. The airline basically contended that they made as many accommodations as possible given the flight was full to capacity. Some things they did included: allowing the gentleman to stand in the aisle and sit in the seats designated for the crew whenever they were available during the flight. This apparently wasn’t good enough for the man because he decided to bring a lawsuit. In my estimation, no matter how you slice it somebody was going to be uncomfortable in this situation. The man who was over-weight was probably just as uncomfortable as the man he was sitting next to. The problem is not necessarily the weight and size of the man, but the airlines have cut down the size of the seats, reduced the aisle space, tightened the amount of space between the seats and taken away the leg room from everybody who is not first class. It’s become almost unbearable for the average person to take a flight. The only people who have not lost ground are the first class passengers and maybe the crew. These passengers pay a premium price for their tickets and they may be the only ones who still have it good. I realize airlines are trying to make money in every way they can to stay afloat, but what is the cost to the average passenger? Maybe instead of packing everybody in the plane like sardines, it might come to the point that only those who can afford to fly are able to fly. Maybe we as citizens might need to look at other means of transportation that is economical, comfortable, and convenient. We just can’t continue to sue every time something happens we don’t like, but we can demand reasonable services for the money we pay. Every unpleasant situation doesn’t require a lawsuit; however, something does need to be done. Think about it. Free yourself, you’ll feel better!!