BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Southwest Airlines' policy of providing free adjacent seats to overweight and obese passengers has sparked controversy in recent days. Some people see it as a way to care for special people, while others think it's unfair to others.
Crews inspect a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California, U.S., March 27, 2019. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhao Hanrong).
According to USA Today, according to the company's regulations, passengers who "cannot comfortably fit in one seat" will be provided with an adjacent seat free of charge, bounded by the armrests of the seats. "Oversized" passengers are encouraged to buy an extra ticket in advance and inform the airline of their needs, and the company promises to refund one ticket at check-in.
In addition, "oversized" passengers can enjoy the benefit of early boarding.
This policy has been praised by many obese people, who believe that it can improve the comfort of travel for special groups. However, there are also many people who believe that this preferential treatment is not fair. They said on social media that tall passengers who can't stretch their legs in regular seats, passengers who carry medical equipment, etc., also need extra space, but have to pay extra. It has even been suggested that tickets for the thinner should be discounted.
People often use the body mass index (BMI) as a measure of obesity, which is the square of weight (kg) divided by height (m), and no less than 30 is considered obese.
The British "Daily Mail", citing data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported that 40% of adults in West Virginia, Louisiana and Oklahoma in the United States are obese;Another 19 states have obesity rates of more than 35 percent;No state has an obesity rate below 25 percent. (Jing Jing).