Air Canada and person of size

[MelindaKiah]

We are going to the Dominican Republic for our 20th anniversary in October. I am "pooh sized" and concerned about the flights via Air Canada.

Has anyone flown with them? Do they provide seat extenders or should I be purchasing an extra seat?

Thanks!

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Air Canada seats are rather generous compared with some other airlines I have flown, however seat belt extenders are available.

 

[Candid]

What about westjet? We haven't decided between westjet and aircanada yet, but the size of the seats are a concern since I am also pooh-sized.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I am 6'1" tall, weigh over 250lbs. I am not going to couch any of this in cute terms. I am not "pooh sized". I'm overweight. I won't even go into my feelings on using such a term to cover up admitting that one is overweight. Let's call it what it really is. Overweight. Fat. Obese. Calling it by any other term is nothing more than denial.

I am obese and I have had no problems fitting in seats on Air Tran, Southwest, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, or West Jet. These planes are fitted with standard seats installed at both the Airbus and Boeing factories -- nothing special. I have recently flown on the CRJ 700 series on Air Canada Jazz. This is one of the less roomy planes in the Air Canada Jazz fleet. No problem. My friend is bigger than I -- he is approaching morbid obesity -- he had a seat belt extender and had no problem either on any of the Canadair Regional Jets.

Find out what equipment the particular airline flies to the destination on the route you are considering. Go to www.seatguru.com. The website is invaluable for learning about seating configurations, seating pitch and seat width.

Unless one is morbidly obese, I would suggest that one has little to worry about in flying on airlines. If one is morbidly obese, then fitting in an airline seat should be the least of one's worries.

 

[drag n' fly]

I am 6'1" tall, weigh over 250lbs. I am not going to couch any of this in cute terms. I am not "pooh sized". I'm overweight. I won't even go into my feelings on using such a term to cover up admitting that one is overweight. Let's call it what it really is. Overweight. Fat. Obese. Calling it by any other term is nothing more than denial.

I am obese and I have had no problems fitting in seats on Air Tran, Southwest, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, or West Jet. These planes are fitted with standard seats installed at both the Airbus and Boeing factories -- nothing special. I have recently flown on the CRJ 700 series on Air Canada Jazz. This is one of the less roomy planes in the Air Canada Jazz fleet. No problem. My friend is bigger than I -- he is approaching morbid obesity -- he had a seat belt extender and had no problem either on any of the Canadair Regional Jets.

Find out what equipment the particular airline flies to the destination on the route you are considering. Go to www.seatguru.com. The website is invaluable for learning about seating configurations, seating pitch and seat width.

Unless one is morbidly obese, I would suggest that one has little to worry about in flying on airlines. If one is morbidly obese, then fitting in an airline seat should be the least of one's worries.

Sorry to Hijack. We have a new thread started on a bunch of us getting together to support each other in getting healthy. Our reference to Pooh sized was not meant to offend anyone. By taking action and supporting each other shows we are not "covering up" our admittance to our weight issues. We are openly discussing it. Please join us if you also would like to make changes to your Overweight. Fat. Obese body (AKA Pooh sized.)
We welcome anyone who wants to make changes!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1542879

 

[Candid]

I am 6'1" tall, weigh over 250lbs. I am not going to couch any of this in cute terms. I am not "pooh sized". I'm overweight. I won't even go into my feelings on using such a term to cover up admitting that one is overweight. Let's call it what it really is. Overweight. Fat. Obese. Calling it by any other term is nothing more than denial.

I am obese and I have had no problems fitting in seats on Air Tran, Southwest, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, or West Jet. These planes are fitted with standard seats installed at both the Airbus and Boeing factories -- nothing special. I have recently flown on the CRJ 700 series on Air Canada Jazz. This is one of the less roomy planes in the Air Canada Jazz fleet. No problem. My friend is bigger than I -- he is approaching morbid obesity -- he had a seat belt extender and had no problem either on any of the Canadair Regional Jets.

Find out what equipment the particular airline flies to the destination on the route you are considering. Go to www.seatguru.com. The website is invaluable for learning about seating configurations, seating pitch and seat width.

Unless one is morbidly obese, I would suggest that one has little to worry about in flying on airlines. If one is morbidly obese, then fitting in an airline seat should be the least of one's worries.

Thank you for the link Neil, but please, this thread was not to state your (or mine, or anyone's) feelings on weight. I will call it what I want to call it...overweight, fat, pooh-size, fluffy, under tall, etc. and you call it what you want. And not everyone is fat because of eating issues. Some (not all!) are due more to medical conditions. I am morbidly obese and I am worrying about seat size. I want my son to have an enjoyable vacation and having his mom embarrassed because of a tight fitting seat would greatly deter from that!

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Word of advice to those concerned about their size and the seats on any particular airline: since it is nearly impossible to give these seats a "test run" for size, I would suggest that if you have no troubles fitting into a standard movie theatre seat, then you will have little or no trouble fitting into a standard airline seat. Neither seem to be designed for ultimate comfort for overweight people, however I have found the widths to be somewhat equal.

Depending on the specific airline, seats, aircraft type, seat configuration and row in which a passenger may find themself you might have some trouble bringing the tray table down. That said, it's a rare flight on which you get much more than a mouthful of any liquid to drink and I haven't received anything more than a package of cookies, peanuts or pretzels in economy class in a long time. You can purchase food to eat onboard the airplane, but an Air Canada pilot recently apologized to me for the substandard quality of food that is available.

 

[Candid]

Word of advice to those concerned about their size and the seats on any particular airline: since it is nearly impossible to give these seats a "test run" for size, I would suggest that if you have no troubles fitting into a standard movie theatre seat, then you will have little or no trouble fitting into a standard airline seat. Neither seem to be designed for ultimate comfort for overweight people, however I have found the widths to be somewhat equal.

Depending on the specific airline, seats, aircraft type, seat configuration and row in which a passenger may find themself you might have some trouble bringing the tray table down. That said, it's a rare flight on which you get much more than a mouthful of any liquid to drink and I haven't received anything more than a package of cookies, peanuts or pretzels in economy class in a long time. You can purchase food to eat onboard the airplane, but an Air Canada pilot recently apologized to me for the substandard quality of food that is available.

Ohhh , I never thought about the theater seats thing! Woohoo, I sit in them all the time!!

Another piece of advice I'd heard is to take a tape measure to a store that carries computer chairs. Measure to find one that is the same size as airline seats (between 17" and 18" althought 18" is NOT the norm!). Once you find a seat that is the required size, sit in it to see how it fits.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Please don't flame me on this and I can admit I cannot put myself in your position, but 'fitting' in the seat can have different meanings.

On more than one occasion, my wife or I have had to sit with our arms tight to our mid section and 'behind' someone else's arm. Even though you can technically fit in the width of the seat, are you sharing half of the other persons seat? Understand that it is just as uncomfortable for me to be in that situation as I DO NOT want to embarrass that person. Personally I usually ask to be moved to make it a comfortable experience for both the 'pooh sized' person or myself. PS - The theatres here in Nova Scotia have much wider seats than any airline I have flown. The computer chair idea sounds like a better test.

My suggestion, if it's just you and your son, try to get an aisle that has the middle seat open and you will have no problems at all. You can even raise the armrest to make it even more comfortable if needed.

Flame suit on!

CJM

 

[Candid]

Please don't flame me on this and I can admit I cannot put myself in your position, but 'fitting' in the seat can have different meanings.


On more than one occasion, my wife or I have had to sit with our arms tight to our mid section and 'behind' someone else's arm. Even though you can technically fit in the width of the seat, are you sharing half of the other persons seat? Understand that it is just as uncomfortable for me to be in that situation as I DO NOT want to embarrass that person. Personally I usually ask to be moved to make it a comfortable experience for both the 'pooh sized' person or myself. PS - The theatres here in Nova Scotia have much wider seats than any airline I have flown. The computer chair idea sounds like a better test.

My suggestion, if it's just you and your son, try to get an aisle that has the middle seat open and you will have no problems at all. You can even raise the armrest to make it even more comfortable if needed.

Flame suit on!

CJM

It'll be me, ds and dh so hopefully we can all sit together. I was recently in an old theater in Yarmouth with 50 year old seats and while the fit wasn't comfortable by any means, I could at least sit in them.

 

[murcor]

jmho...westjet seems more cramped than air canada