Jetiquette | The Sky Steward » large passengers

FEBRUARY 19: Big Passengers/Small Seats, A Peek into the Crew Lounge, and a visit from blogger Queen of the Sky

Margery — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:47:24 +0000

Director Kevin Smith was in the news, the latest in a string of passengers Southwest Airlines judged as too big for one of their seats. To help sort out the controversy and look at effective solutions we will be joined by Bill Fabrey from the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, Inc. Bill helped found the Council in 1991, along with seven others, and has served as a director since that time. Bill has been an advocate for size acceptance since 1969 when he founded NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance). His interest in human factors engineering relates to the fact that as a retired biomedical engineer, he has a special interest in how people, especially larger people, can be helped (or hindered) by technology. Such information as increases in the size and weight limits on medical imaging devices (such as MRI’s), or mobility products such as scooters or wheelchairs, or the availability of office chairs and other furniture with higher size and weight limits, and so forth, always catches Bill’s attention.

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. You’ve seen them chatting in the galley, you’ve seen them give each other knowing looks, you’ve had them tell you to put away your electronic devices and stow your tray tables. You know they perform a mysterious “cross check” at certain intervals. You’ve seen them flirt with the passenger in 3C, and reprimand the guy in 17D who hasn’t turned off his cell phone. You’ve seen them depart and arrive at the airport in vans. Here is your chance to find out about their glamorous and hidden lives. We are joined by Sara and Bobby, hosts of the hit podcast The Crew Lounge. Once you have had a taste for their wit, snark and inside information you will want to make sure to tune in each week to their shows.

We have the honor of hearing from Ellen Simonetti , aka “Queen of Sky” In 2003 Ellen started her blog: Queen of the Sky: Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant as a form of therapy after the loss of her mother to cancer. In addition to describing events of her life, Ellen also described travel abroad, mainly Europe and South America, while working for Delta Air Lines. With practical information on worldwide travel described in a quirky, irreverent tone, the blog developed a considerable following. In late 2004 she was suspended and then fired after Delta Air Lines objected to her posing for photographs on a company airplane and commentary on her blog. Ellen subsequently renamed her blog Diary of a Fired Flight Attendant.

These events became emblematic of the issue of employees’ rights to communicate their own views of their work and workplace versus employers’ rights to restrict them. There was considerable media coverage of Simonetti’s firing and the freedom of expression issues involved. Simonetti advocates:

1. that employers should have clear, unambiguous blogging policies, so that employees can foresee the potential for disciplinary action, and 2. that the penalty for a first offense should be a formal warning rather than dismissal. We will get an update from Ellen and find out how her life has changed since she left Delta.

Raymond, our European Correspondent, joins us live from his home in The Netherlands to give his take on this week’s topics, news and views. Follow Raymond on Twitter@Raymondstar.

JOIN US LIVE AT 1 PM EST. Call in with your questions and comments. When the show is on air you will see a “click to talk” button. You can also call the show by phone or Skype by dialing (917) 889-3203

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Air-besity: The definition is largely unclear

The Sky Steward — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:59:35 +0000

: It’s a big problem

Air-besity is in the headlines again! How’s a person to know?

by Gailen David

No, this is not a joke about being a large person, I promise! People of size must have a way to know for sure if they are in fact too large to purchase just one seat.

Kevin Smith being booted from a Southwest Airlines flight reminds us that it can happen to anyone, you and I included. By looking at Kevin, you would not think he would be TFx2 (Too-Fat-Too-Fly) based on many larger people who fly freely. So how do we make sure that we’re not going to be escorted off of an airplane by a police officer holding a Twinkie up and walking backwards towards the door? This is coming from someone who could eat a whole box in no time flat, so I am being serious here. Some airlines are stricter than others, but if a flight is full it seems that most airlines are left with no other choice than to ignore the situation or remove someone from the plane. Airlines need to do a much better job of clarifying the rules as to not surprise and embarrass someone.

Do I need this?

Here is what I did to check out my situation:

Went to SeatGuru to see the size of a Southwest Airlines 737 seat.
Located the seat width of a 737 which is 17 inches. Plus about 1 inch between seats that allows for a little “spillover”. This must be split with the adjacent passenger.
Sat in a chair and took a measuring tape out. My RSD (rear-spread-distance from outside cheek to outside cheek) came in at 16 inches
My shoulders measured out at 19 inches. Uh oh!

Technically, I think I may be TFx2! My shoulders are taking up too much space. My butt is fine in this case if I do say so myself. When I think about it, I do have to cross my arms in front most time in the middle seat to keep my shoulders from infringing on the space of the people sitting next to me. Fortunately, the aisle and window seats have a little extra space to shift into, giving the center seat passenger more grace-space.

The verdict: If your overall “spread distance” is more than 2 inches over the width of the airline seat, you may be in the danger zone. Remember that even if the armrests contain your RSD (rear spread distance), spillover may occur over the armrest. Spare yourself any discomfort and check with the airline for the purchase of an extra seat or possibly arrange for an upgrade if possible.

At the rate I’m going, I will definitely be keeping an eye on my TFx2 status!

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Jetiquette Podcast 2: Big Passengers, In-Flight WiFi, and More

The Sky Steward — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:49:09 +0000

On this episode of Jetiquette, we discuss the issue of large passengers and whether the situation could be handled better or at least with a little more compassion. Plus, have you used inflight WiFi on any of your airline flights? Have you wondered whether it could be come an airborne nuisance? Gailen and Margery discuss what limits are in place to keep the inflight surfing experience a pleasant one for everyone.

We’ll also revisit the Southwest Airlines “Crying Baby” incident and find out what some of your readers have to say. Gailen also lets Margery use his prized Kiro Travel Pillow!

We want to hear your comments, questions, travel complaints: Call 877-759-7839 (SKY-STEW), ext. 6

To subsribe to our podcasts, use this feed url:

http://www.dearskysteward.com/feed/podcast/

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