Imagine being stuck on a plane next to this guy!
A stewardess reportedly snapped this amazing photo of a passenger who was not only too big for his seat — but almost too big to fit on the aircraft.
One side of the jumbo jetter’s body took up a full seat, while the rest of him jutted so far into the aisle, it nearly touched the opposite row of seats.
The picture was apparently taken aboard an American Airlines 757 as it was at the gate getting ready for takeoff — although it is not known where the flight originated or where it was headed, according to Kieran Daly of the Unusual Attitude airline blog at Flightglobal.com, which first published the image.
“The [flight attendant] took it to show her manager what was happening on the aircraft and why she was unhappy about it,” he wrote. “Seems the guy paid for only one seat and the gate staff let him board.”
Daly said he had “absolute assurance” from his source that the photo is genuine. He added that he was as stunned as the flight crew was after seeing the photo.
“You can see the [fight attendant’s] point of view — how the heck is she supposed to deal with it?” he added. “Sympathize with the guy or not, he’s a major safety hazard in an evacuation, a gross inconvenience for the cabin crew, and I would suggest a totally unacceptable traveling companion for the guy next to him.”
American Airlines could not confirm that the photo was taken on one of its planes.
“We cannot verify the authenticity of that photograph, nor do we know who might have taken the photo,” airline spokesman Tim Smith said.
It is not known if the flight took off with the fat passenger blocking the aisle. To do so would be a violation of FAA rules.
Smith said the image appeared to be snapped while on the ground because people in the background seem to be taking their seats, and overhead bins are still open.
“We would never operate a flight like that with anyone or anything blocking an aisle and not seated properly,” he said.
The airline said that it has no hard-and-fast rule mandating fat passengers must buy two seats. It is usually left up to people at the gate and on the plane. On empty flights, obese passengers could be given two seats for the price of one; on full flights, they might be asked to wait for the next plane.
“When faced with a seating issue which requires our attention, our airport and in-flight personnel have guidelines they follow to assist them in reasonably resolving the matter to everyone’s satisfaction,” Smith said.