Air France to charge fat people to pay double for seats

January 20, 2010 09:17am

OBESE people who are unable to squeeze into a single plane seat will have to pay nearly double to fly with Air France in future.
Extra-large flyers will have to pay 75 per cent of the cost of a second seat (the full price excluding tax and surcharges) on top of the full price for the first, spokeswoman Monique Matze said, saying the decision was made for "safety" reasons.

"We have to make sure that the backrest can move freely up and down and that all passengers are securely fastened with a safety belt," Ms Matze said.

People who cannot fit into a single seat are fastened by slotting the belt tip of one seat into the plug of the next – stretching over both seats.

By paying for both, the overweight passenger will be assured that two seats will be available next to each other.

They will, however, get their money back on flights that are not fully booked, Ms Matze said.

The new measure will apply for people who book their tickets from February 1 for all flights from April 1 this year.

The average plane seat is 43cm wide and 44cm for long-haul flights.