Passengers of size pay double on United et al.

United Airlines (www.united.com) announced in May that “passengers requiring extra space” now must purchase a second seat.

United’s new policy reads, “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 there are any unused seats on a United flight, then a customer meeting the criteria for needing extra space will be given a seat next to an empty one. If no unused seats are available, the customer either must purchase an upgrade to a cabin with available seats or change his/her ticket to the next-available flight and purchase an additional, second seat, the price of which will be the same as that paid for the original seat. Any rebooking or change-of-flight fees will be waived.

If the passenger cannot purchase a second seat and there are no empty ones available, the airline will not permit him or her to board and will refund the fare without penalty. 

Seven other major US airlines have policies similar to United’s; however, some airlines offer a discount for the second seat and some do not. In checking websites of major foreign airlines, ITN rarely found stated policies (except for Air France, which notes it does require purchase of a second seat).