Big, fat marketing opportunity for airlines

Which is strange because they happily discriminate between young and old by offering cheaper fares to students but not giving their parents ice in winter. They discriminate between passengers sitting in the front of economy and those sitting at the back by giving the former the option of choosing between two or three meals while those at the back only get one if they're lucky because all the popular choices have run out by the time the food trolley gets to them.

They also discriminate against passengers who check in early and those who just make the boarding gate with seconds to spare by delivering the latecomers' luggage first and make those who checked in two hours early wait forever for their baggage to get onto the carousel. The list of airline discrimination practices is endless.

So, they shouldn't worry about potentially upsetting obese passengers. Quite apart from which by studiously avoiding upsetting their obese passengers they're actually upsetting those regular-sized people who have to sit next to them.

Terrible experience

Obese people, by the way, are those who have to ask for a seat belt extension because even at full stretch the normal seat belt won't get round them. They're also the people who unfortunately can't use their food trays because they can't fold down flat in front of them because there simply isn't enough space between the back of the seats in front of them and their ample stomachs and bosoms.

They're also the people who seriously cramp the people next to them to the point of having no option but to hog the armrests on both sides and also preventing the passengers next to them from lowering the back of their seats because the little seat button is invariably covered in blubber.

Incentives for fatties

What airlines need to do is offer some sort of incentive to fat people for declaring themselves in advance. There are always some seats even in economy that have a little more legroom such as opposite emergency exits and near doors, kitchens and toilets.

And if airlines now mutter about not wanting to put fat people next to emergency exist, then that's admitting they do need to do something.

Frankly, I don't think airlines need to make any structural changes to their aircraft to take advantage of this marketing opportunity.

Advertising the fact that they will try to make special arrangements to make fat people as comfortable as possible on a flight will not only endear fat people to them but even more so will endear regular-sized people to them because at some stage or other even someone who doesn't fly that often has had to sit next to a fatty and it is uncomfortable, cramped and claustrophobic.

Politically incorrect

Airlines need to stop worrying about being politically incorrect. Ignoring fat people is actually discriminatory.

I don't have a problem with fat people. Some of my best friends are fat. And but for a medical condition that prevents me from eating things I like, I would undoubtedly be obese.

And if I were, I would hate air travel and the annoying habit airline check-in staff have of persisting in putting obese people in the middle of three seats.