Air France May Bar Obese Passengers From Flights

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21/01/2010 | 2 comments

The BBC reports that Air France may prevent obese economy passengers from boarding its planes for "safety reasons".

It said that, under new rules, if a flight was full an overweight person who did not fit into a single seat might have to take another plane.

It made the admission when it said obese people buying two seats for more comfort would be fully reimbursed for the second if the plane was not full.

This new rule comes into effect from 1 February 2010

At present Air France offers heavier passengers 25% off the price of buying an adjacent seat, a policy that has been in effect since 2005.

The airline said it had no intention of forcing heavier passengers to pay for a second seat.

Air France is part of Air France-KLM, the largest airline group in Europe by revenue.

2 comment(s) posted

Posted by Ambrose Ivor on 2010/01/21 - 13:10:45: "Canadian court rules obese travelers get 2 seats..." (news item from 2008)

http://www.usatoday.com/topics/post/Places,+Geography/Towns,+Cities,+Counties/Airports/Denver+International/59020432.blog/1

There are many more stories on this subject on the Web, with airlines and countries operating under different policies.

Airline seats are also different sizes. So,
obese consumers should always ask the airline before buying a ticket (or two).
Posted by Ambrose Ivor on 2010/01/22 - 16:49:25: Here is the rush of consumer comment about the Air France article on BBC News: http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/jumbo-jetsetters-should-large-people-pay-more-to-fly/

Submitted by: Ivor Ambrose
Language(s): EN

Publisher: BBC
Date published on the web: 20/01/2010
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8471451.stm