Following the cue of United Airlines and other air carriers, Air France announced earlier this week that it would now formally require obese passengers who do not comfortably fit in a single seat to purchase a second one at 75% of the full price. A spokeswoman for the company told French news agency AFP that the policy was necessary to ensure security for all passengers, and said customers would be refunded for the second seat in the event that the flight isn’t fully booked.

French culture has something of a reputation for being “fat-phobic”, but in the case of Air France, who has in the past been sued by an obese passenger for being asked to purchase an additional seat and has applied the two-seat policy for years in an informal manner, the move is probably just a way of avoiding more legal wrangles. And it’s certainly not as provocative as suggesting that obese passengers should pay more on the basis of the extra weight– an idea that Ryanair briefly flirted with. It’s still problematic, however: how can Air France, or any airline, for that matter, ensure that passengers will systematically think to measure themselves ahead of booking to determine whether they’ll fit into a given seat? The spelled-out policy may save Air France from more lawsuits, but it’s unlikely to reduce cases where obese passengers are not allowed to board due to a full flight, and similar headaches.

Air France to Surcharge Some Obese Passengers originally appeared on About.com Paris Travel on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 05:21:44.

Permalink | Comment | Email this