Seat policies for overweight passengers

Seat policies for overweight passengers made headlines in February when indie film director Kevin Smith was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight. Frequent fliers should be aware that each airline has its own guidelines on whether overweight passengers must buy more than one seat and how much it costs.

Southwest requires passengers to book a second seat if they are unable to lower both armrests or compromise any portion of adjacent seating. American and United use three tests: inability to fit into a single seat, put the armrests down or properly buckle the seatbelt with a seatbelt extender. Delta Air Lines doesn’t list its criteria but allows employees latitude in making decisions based on the safety of a flight and the best interests of the passenger.

The price for a second seat varies on airlines based on discounts, refunds and upgrades. But the most important factor influencing the cost of a second seat is availability and whether or not a flight is oversold.

According to TripAdvisor’s Second Annual Air Travel Survey of more than 3,200 U.S. respondents, “Seventy-four percent think passengers of size should be required to purchase tickets for two seats on flights. Twenty-one percent of travelers think that airlines will add passenger of size fees in 2010.”