Airline Introduces XL Seats for Extra Large Flyers

Samoa Air recently became the first airline to charge passengers by body weight. Now, the airline has announced that they will be outfitting their fleet with a special XL row to accommodate larger passengers.

The cost of a plane ticket on Samoa Air is calculated using a base rate (varies by route) plus the total amount of weight of a flyer and his or her luggage. The airline has not indicated that they will charge more for the XL seats, as passengers who will need the additional room will likely be paying more anyway.

The new seats will be enlarged by up to 14 inches, and the planes will have a special ramp for easier boarding access. The Daily Mail quotes Samoa Air chief executive Chris Langton as saying, “‘Once you’re up and around that sort of weight, a traditional seat on any airline is going to be uncomfortable. Quite often the access is difficult and even the space between the seats is enough that even when you’ve squeezed into the seats there’s no room for your legs. We don’t have a large fleet of aeroplanes, but we wanted to do something that recognised that we are thinking about this.”

Is it nice that everyone will be a little more comfortable on a plane with larger people in larger seats, or are you outraged that bigger people are getting more room for free? Voice your opinion in the poll.

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