Obese flyers to pay more with Air France-KLM
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Obese people who are unable to squeeze into a single plane seat will have to pay nearly double to fly with Air France-KLM in future, the company said Tuesday.
Extra-large flyers will have to pay 75 percent 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 told AFP, saying the decision was taken 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," said Matze.
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, said Matze.
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 43 centimetres (about 17 inches) wide - 44 centimetres for long haul flights.
mlr/sas
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments