Passenger advocate appeals decision that says he's not large enough to challenge airline

quit flying 10 years ago...retired...mainly because I couldn't stand flying anymore and I was always upgraded to business or first... people would ask me what I did for a living, I replied,
"I wait in line"
took a few "pleasure trips" since then... wasn't pleasure...just an ordeal... hate flying and avoid it whenever possible...

As someone who flies frequently, and is not "supersized" and 5'9", even I find the airline seats to be tight, as my knees are up against the seat ahead (unless I get into the exit row). The airline execs need to RIDE IN THEIR OWN CABINS to see what it is like and how tight it actually is.

Why is everyone piling onto this guy when the underlying issue is that most airline seats are simply too small for normal sized adults? We're all miserable in airline seats whether or not a large person is sitting next to us. I fully expect to see a 29" seat pitch become the new normal.

I have been trying to find answer as to why airlines choose 17" seat for single Isle planes when they can accommodate and seat just as many passengers with 19" seat. Where is the financial advantage to the airline? I understand adjusting seat pitch to get additional rows but why the extra narrow?

Im a bigger person and have tried repeatedly to "just lose the weight" as one of the posters below stated. Its a battle, I have had all my life.
Seats however are shrinking in size. It was never a problem 20-30 years ago.
Some of you guys are of the ilk of treating an overweight person like some fat slob. I am hardly that. Ive had situations where a person called me a bunch of F-words to my face and threw a 2 year-old hissy fit because he had to sit next to me for a 90 minute flight. I was able to fit within the confines of the seat dividers just fine. I just could not believe that a grown man working for some business would act so much like a whiny little brat. He attracted the attention of occupants in the section up front and they were shaking their heads in disgust AT HIM!!!! The behind me had eyes as big as saucers watching him throw his tantrum.... If I wasnt so completely humiliated I would have laughed in his face...
Thats only one of the stories. Another was being humiliated by an Airline agent in the entrance of the aircraft within earshot of the flight crew, flight attendants and the 1st class passengers. She insisted I guy a second seat because she "thought" I couldnt fit in a seat. The flight wasnt full either. Eventually she relented and let me onboard and sat me on a section with the three seats with me on the window and someone on the aisle no one in between, as I said the flight wasnt even full. Funny that the passenger on the aisle seat looked at me like I was some sort of freak and after takeoff proceeded to place his overheard carry on in the seat between us... I guess he thought I might give him cooties. I flew all the way from DFW to ATL on the flight sitting INSIDE the seat divider for my OWN seat. Both of these flights took place on good Delta Air Lines.
I dont fly anymore because of this kind of stuff... At first getting to fly on airplanes was my hobby and my escape and for the past 27 years its been part of my job, as a Travel Agent.. Now, I just cannot be bothered by all the selfish "what about me" snobs that look at me like a sideshow freak when I want to fly some place...Even if I fly 1st class... People have just gotten to be so ignorant and rude.

The reason that overweight people have problems on airlines is because every year the seats are made smaller and closer together. As a 6'2" man, I am extremely cramped on airplanes but I was fine 20 years ago.

This time is as good as any to highlight the left handed treatment that the passengers get from the profit minded owners. Little do they realise that the owners exist because of passengers and not the vice versa .
People traveled even when there were no aircrafts. They adapted themselves to slower mode of transport. If pushed too hard humanity may have to revisit the stone age and reinvent the wheel.

Lets not forget that there could be medical issues involved with some of the passengers and that the seats are getting smaller each time the airlines decided to add another roll of seats and squeeze more Humans into the Cargo Holds.

As I said before, " if your carry on fits in this little measuring device....no problem", next to that " if your ass fits in this seat, your are good to go, if not pay up or drive/ float your way to your destination!" The way to effect change is when 65 pax out of 178 on the plane don't fit in the "seat sizer" and get left behind......the airline will change their seat pitch. simple economics.

Keep buying those small seats and they will continue to shrink.

Almost seems like they are making a joke saying he is not 'large' enough. Seems to me the reason to bump or force him to buy two seats is a matter of physics and economics but he wants to take it as a personal attack on him and others of his so call larger class.

It sucks when I get my seat next to a 300 pounder. It is wrong for me to have my space violated with body fat protruding over and under the armrest. Buy a first class seat dude!

I don't know what gets under my skin more...sitting next to someone whose fat herniates over the armrest or self-appointed "advocates". That is a draw....the clear winner was the nasty, skinny toll on a flight from YHZ to LGA who marinated a perfume best described as Essence of Gym Socks.

And because of his and others size every one else around the fat has to put up by not having enough room to comfortably fly in the next seat. Needs to go on a diet and get over himself and think of others. Make him and others buy two seats as they need it.