Most of the answer options have to do with making those travelers either purchase an extra seat or sit somewhere special on the plane where there are larger seats (which, of course, don’t actually exist). And, as of right now, most people have voted for the “make them purchase two seats” option, which I find a bit horrifying, and certainly discriminatory.

I fly a lot, and to be honest, I’m pretty sure young children are the only people who might actually be “comfortable” in an airplane seat, and even that’s debatable.

What do you think the solution to more comfortable airline travel is?

Go here to vote: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/surveys/readersurvey.htm?csp=tripadvisor

What do you think about this new policy (included here for your convenience)?

For the comfort and well-being of all customers aboard United flights, we have aligned with other major airlines’ seating policies relating to passengers who:

  * are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin;
  * are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or
  * are unable to put the seat’s armrests down when seated.

If unused seats are available on the ticketed United or United Express flight, then a customer meeting any of the above criteria will be reaccommodated next to an empty seat.

If no unused seats are available on the ticketed flight, then the customer must either purchase an upgrade to a cabin with available seats that address the above-listed scenarios, or change his or her ticket to the next available flight and purchase a second seat in addition to the one already purchased. If a customer meeting any of the above-listed criteria cannot be accommodated next to an empty seat and chooses not to upgrade or change flights and purchase a ticket for an additional seat, he or she will not be permitted to board the flight.

This policy applies to tickets purchased on or after March 4, 2009, for travel on or after April 15, 2009.

Please understand that we care a great deal about all of our customers’ well-being, and we have implemented this policy to help ensure that everyone’s travel experiences with United are comfortable and pleasant.

Fares
If an additional seat is purchased, the fare for that seat will be the same as the fare paid for the original seat, regardless of whether the additional ticket is purchased along with the original ticket or separately. This applies even if the additional ticket is purchased on the day of departure, when fares are normally higher.

Availability
If purchasing on the day of departure and an additional seat or upgraded seat is not available on the ticketed flight, then the customer will be required to rebook on the next United flight that has adequate seating available. Any fees that would normally be associated with this type of change will be waived in this circumstance. If adequate seating is not available and the customer decides not to travel, the ticket can be refunded without penalty, even if it is a nonrefundable ticket.

Baggage fees and allowances
Checked baggage policies apply per seat, so any checked baggage allowances will be multiplied by the number of tickets purchased. Baggage fees can also be distributed among the ticketed seats. For example, instead of paying first and second bag fees for two checked bags, a customer with two ticketed seats could instead pay two first bag fees.

Carry-on baggage policies are determined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), not by United, and are per passenger, rather than per ticket. As a result, carry-on allowances remain the same regardless of the number of tickets purchased.

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-gets-2-million-613736.html

Apparnetly, 2.35 million dollars has been given to Dekalb to fight fat - and only for that reason. Is there nothing better that we can do with 2.35 million dollars that this seems like a good idea?

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2010/03/does_the_obesity_task_force_ev.php

I spoke with a reporter in Pittsburgh this morning who said that Lincoln’s response to “why not require this course of all students?” was that they can’t afford to. Then don’t require it of anyone! Can we say discrimination?????

I would love to see all of you speak out as well. I would encourage you to write to President Ivory V. Nelson, Ph.D. at inelson at lincoln. edu or call at 484-365-7400. Share your concerns and reinforce our message and suggestions for a resolution from our press release. Thanks for joining us in speaking out against this discriminatory practice.

Lincoln University Gets a Failing Grade!

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2009

Oakland, California - NAAFA, a civil rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights of people of size, is shocked that the historically Black college Lincoln University is engaged in discriminating against their fat students. It was not so many years ago that people were not allowed to pursue higher education based on their skin color. Now Lincoln University will deny graduation based on the size of one’s body.

Lincoln’s policy that requires fat students to reduce their weight below a BMI of 30 or complete a one semester fitness course serves to further stigmatize students of size on campus. Students of all sizes engage in unhealthy practices. Health and nutrition education are good for every body and singling out fat students is discriminatory.

The Rudd Center at Yale University published:  “In a study of more than 2,400 overweight and obese adults, 79% reported that they had coped with weight bias by eating more and 75% reported that they refused to keep dieting in response to bias. In addition, adults who experienced weight bias were more likely to engage in binge eating. Other evidence suggests that weight stigma reduces the desire to exercise and thus makes obese adults less active.”

Fat students are already less likely to go to college (Crosnoe, 2007) due to the stigmatization of weight and the perceived discrimination they expect to experience in college.

Targeting fat students only makes the problem worse by increasing the risk of students engaging in unhealthy eating habits which lead to eating disorders, and increasing thoughts of suicide and depression. 

NAAFA recommends the immediate withdrawal of this policy and practice. NAAFA offers to assist Lincoln in developing a health policy that encourages students of all sizes to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors independent of numbers on a scale and BMI calculations. Most health professionals agree that BMI is not an indicator of health.

NAAFA encourages Lincoln University to incorporate Health At Every Size (HAES) principles into their policies and practices (http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/education/haes.html ).

“It is an unacceptable situation, when an institution of higher learning engages in such short sighted and harmful practices. A letter along with a NAAFA Size Diversity Toolkit will be sent to Lincoln’s President, in the hope that a new perspective can chart a better path for all concerned.”, stated Lisa Tealer, NAAFA Board Member and corporate diversity professional.

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
 
On the web:  http://www.naafa.org 
       
For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director, NAAFA
email:  naafa_pr at yahoo dot com

Do you think that this is discriminatory?

They’re also targeting smokers by screening for tobacco use and charging them. Is that an invasion of privacy.

For more, check out this article but please let me know what you think about this.