6′7″ Passenger Forced to Stand During Flight: ‘Awful’
- Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:41pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Anderson and his family.
“It’s like being in a subway car for two-and-a-half hours, which is awful.”
That‘s how 6’7″ Brooks Anderson explained his recent flight on Spirit Airlines. A flight that, because he is so tall, featured Anderson standing during almost the entire thing. That‘s because the seat he was assigned was the smallest he’s ever seen. The long and short of it? He just couldn’t fit.
But instead of letting him stick his feet in the aisle — a modest request considering he had that last seat in the back of the plane — Anderson had to ask if he could stand for the flight. The flight crew obliged.
“It’s bizarre,” Anderson’s mother, Katie, told ABC. “This was the first time he’s been treated like this.”
According to ABC, the leg room on Anderson’s plane was only 28 inces, three inches less than the standard 31.
The family has complained to Spirit but has yet to hear back. However the airline did issue a statement to ABC: “We do offer the option of exit row seating and our Big Front Seats for customers who prefer more legroom. We do not require customers to stand during flight.
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Comments (58)
TBTNK9
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 5:48pmSince I will no longer fly, thanks to the TSA, personal comfort on planes is no longer an issue for me. But I do feel for this tall man, who deserved way more accomodation from Spirit than he got, even for a discount ticket.
Report Post »mossbrain
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 5:06pmThat’s not so bad. I took a plane out of Idaho once that was so bad they opened the windows and made all us customers flap our arms real fast just to take off.
Report Post »emmanuel Goldstein
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:56pmThey will let you sit in the rows with 4 more inches if, and only if you pay an extra fee of at least $50. I am a tall person as well and hate flying. I prefer to just drive instead and not travel by air. We need the days of Zeppelins to return ASAP.
Report Post »TJexcite
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:50pmThey will now make anyone over 6′ or 300 lbs buy two seats. But two seats would not help. Unless he then sits sideways in the seats with his back on the arm rest.
Report Post »HillKid8
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 9:20pmYes you can buy an extra seat but…. you do not get 2 seats… thats just to punnish you for being to tall or to fat. I would buy 2 seats and use all the space but the airlines over book and my seat would be taken away any way. no getting around it, flying sucks
Report Post »cnerd
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:46pmI thought you had to be seated for a major part of the flight.
Report Post »lizaz
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:44pmI hope he wasn’t standing during takeoff and landing…believe the FAA might have something to say to Spirit about that…like a big fine. Better for these tall folks to use the less cheapo airlines with greater seat pitch..if there are any left. Or, go for first class….a lot more room usually, but more expensive, of course.
Report Post »Republic Under God
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:40pmHe’s just a tall man
With small aspirations
All he wants to do
Is see the band
Don’t give him grief
It’s my firm belief
He can stand
Where he wants to stand.
He got here
When the doors opened
Found a good spot
Way before you
He doesn’t hate ya,
He’s just a freak of nature
He’s God’s joke
What else can he do?
The cruel tentacles
Of the genetic heritage
Have wrapped themselves
Around his life
We shouldn’t despise him,
We should just study him
Perhaps there’s a gene we can remove
So future generations
Can see the band.
So don’t disrespect the beanpoles
The beanpoles are just like you and me-poles
They mean no harm to others
They’re just music lovers
God made them badly
God made them badly
That is a song by Tripod aptly titled “Tall Man”
Report Post »KEA
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:12pm@ bcullum1952
Sorry, anther report I read on this same story reflected he was forced to stand throughout the entire flight to include take off and landing.
No problem comprehending, just got two reports and posted my comment on the wrong one. God forbid a mistake was made :)
Report Post »Insipid
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:55pmIt seems making a mistake here is a crime worthy of the chair. With all those who love to flame each other and not really discuss the issue at hand give “The Blaze” quite an appropriate name.
Report Post »WHITE LOTUS2x
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:59pmHe should have flown united or southwest , they have more leg room. Would walk or hitchhike before i would get on legionair or northwest and i think they are part of delta, never been on delta. Dont care for american or continental iether. I was a whitenuckle flyer till united and southwest. Southwest was a little cramped but not bad.
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:23pmI have to either get a bulkhead seat or, business/first class. I can not physically fit my legs in regular seats. I‘m only 6’ 4″ but that’s apparently too tall on an airplane. They have collapsed the leg room on airplanes the last 20 years, leading to leg embolism risks sky rocketing on long flights. Being dead doesn’t save me money.
I have a feeling that now, with all the hell you have to go through to get on the plane, that will change. Maybe not in the next few years, but 5-10 years when they start hurting. They will need to attract customers rather than pack them in like sardines and tell them to blow if they don’t like it. As it stands now I’d rather take a slow boat across the ocean than an econo class plane.
Report Post »sethlevy
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:03pmSpirit is the public bus of the sky… you know what you are getting into when you buy a ticket from them. I am over 6′ and suck it up when I fly Spirit because they will take me from Miami to NY for $80 round trip. You get what you pay for.
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:03pmFirst safety regulations should not have allowed this man to stand. But in another point men have to stand 6 to 8 hours at their job. Being an air flight these seats have been getting smaller by the day. It is even quite uncomfortable for shorter people who are crammed in like cattle with the sacrifice of safety and health.
Report Post »Air flights are now a nightmare even though air flights are supposed to globally grow rapidly.
conservativeme
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:54pmEvidently, Spirit Airlines is not very friendly to persons of size (height or width)
Report Post »Eyeball
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:34pmDont be so tall next time.
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:15pmMy 5′ frame @ 115# has been a drawback when trying to reach something on the top shelf, but has never caused me a problem in an airplane. It’s the only time I am thankful for my size. I even too small to be a flight attendant, but not to fly.
Just sayin’
Report Post »dawgPound
Posted on January 1, 2011 at 12:22am“just saying” is gettin’ old. Quit it already.
Report Post »SlimnRanger
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:14pmI am 6ft6 and i haven’t had a problem flying, took a bus couple years back and that was pure misery,had no loeg room to speak of
Report Post »Average_JoeMN
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:45pmEven 31 inches is too little, and not just for this guy.
Report Post »mark t
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:02pmAhmen!
Report Post »Panhandle Patriot
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:15pmWho is Spirit Airlines? Never heard of them. Must be popular.
Report Post »Buckaroo
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:25pmhttp://www.spirit.com/Default.aspx
can‘t recall if I’ve ever flown them in the last decade — and I’ve lived near one of their hubs …
Report Post »chatmandu002
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:07pmFly with some other airline. Isn’t it all about free enterprise? If the airline seat is to small then let the free market work it out. Or should we turn it over to the government to enforce seat size for all. Like everyone should be able to fit in an airline seat. Even those that are 500 or 600 pounds or 7′ tall. After all, aren’t the small seats some kind of size discrimination? And we can’t have any kind of discrimination.
Report Post »williamj26
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:04pmRecently flew Delta to Alaska. It was torture. I am 6 feet tall. My knees touched the seat in front and when the seat sas back I had to stand as much as possible. Will avoid Delta as much as possible..
Report Post »Buckaroo
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:06pmDude, they all buy their airplanes form either Boeing or Airbus — what makes u think it will be any different on another carrier?
/two words — exit.row.
Report Post »ARIZONA VETERAN
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:13pmin response to BUCKAROO, airlines configure their seating arrangements NOT the airplane manufacturer..
Report Post »Buckaroo
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:22pmTrue dat, but my point is — 1. its’ the same airframe and 2. more seats = more revenue so u know which direction the airline will aim towards [!]
Report Post »Lesterp
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:23pmArizonavet, 100% correct I fly Southwest when I can, I‘m 6’3 and have never been uncomfortable, plus the flight attendants seem to be happier at Southwest.
Report Post »Buckaroo
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:26pmThere’s Southwest, and there is every.other.airline. when it comes to customer satisfaction.
/you’d think the others would catch on after, what, 20 years, but noooooo …
Report Post »Paul G
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:00pmHmmm..I wasn’t click on this because I figured it would be a story about some Russia or China airline…now I’m even more sorry I clicked this.
Report Post »KEA
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:58pmI think the Airline should be sued for violating the FAA rules that require ALL personel be seated during take offs and landings.
Sucks they guy had to stand but since when can the arilines pick and choose what Federal Regulations they are going to comply with?
Report Post »bcullum1952
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:30pmNo where in the story does it say he was “forced” to stand during take-off or landing, nor does it say he was standing during those times. It does say that he asked if he could stand DURING THE FLIGHT due to the legroom problem. Have a reading comprehension problem?
Report Post »Buckaroo
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:55pmwtg spirit airlines — solidifying your rep. all the more of a 2nd class carrier [!]
Report Post »rbqueen
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:55pmLooks to me like Spirit Airlines doesn’t have the right spirit to try to satisfy their customers.
Report Post »KenInIL
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:57pmOnly customers under 5′2″.
Report Post »UPSETVET
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:13pmHazzard of flying with those “fly by the seat of your pants ” airline companies. I bet it was a “discount ” flight. Be that as it may, why wasn’t one of those special seats with more leg room mentioned in the article offered to the young man ? Bad public relations and an eye opener for those who are contemplating a flight with Spirit. Don’t do it !
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:53pmOne of the few disadvantages of being tall.
Suck it up, big guy.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:11pmThis sounds funny (strange) to me. I worked on passenger planes and there are seats on them that have less leg room due to the seat configuration on different types of aircraft. I can’t believe the airline would not have offered this guy a seat that suited him. I wonder if he refused to move so he could have his fifteen minutes of fame.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:20pmAt least he is not bringing a lawsuit against them; I do figure there are civil rights and disability attorneys who would slaver over this case for a discrimination suit just to line the lawers own pockets.
http://www.artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:46pmI remember the good old days, before the cost of oppressive government regulation and other mandates forced the airlines to start cutting corners everywhere to make a profit. Back then, you would actually have a seat that normal sized people could fit in, before the days of cramming people in like sardines to maximize profts became necessary. You also didn’t pay for your bags, while blankets and pillows were free and real meals served on real plates was an everyday occurance. Now we get herded through lines like cattle, fondled, have crappy bags of peanuts given to us, and treated to what has become a generally unpleasant experience…
Report Post »amerbur
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 1:56pmThis airline was not responsible and gave poor customer service. If they could not offer him a seat in which he could safely buckle up during turbulence, they should not have taken his money. The leg room on their airline is shortened according to this story. He is obviously tall. They should have warned him ahead of time. Again, this was poor customer service.
Report Post »KenInIL
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 2:18pm@kate Spirit has one type of A320 with only 28″ pitch seats in coach. None of them recline!
See: http://www.seatguru.com
These seats must be a pain for obese folks also.
Report Post »GEW
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:03pmI agree, sounds “strange” like the gal said, 15 minutes of fame, plus the possiblity of getting some mula (money) to make this go away fast.
Report Post »Is_Sense_Common
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 3:34pmMy husband is 6′ 7″ and this story is telling. The little leaf-eating lefties don‘t know what it’s like to be man-sized as they continue to nudge us into tiny little cars & tiny little airplane seats & who knows what is next? Believe it or not, there are many issues with being so tall. (however, i must admit that i love being able to wear my 4″ heels when we go out to dinner :~))
Report Post »NeoFan
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 4:40pmGood information to know. I have never flown on Spirit Airlines and I never will.
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 7:24pmI bet you say that do the people complaining about the TSA as well.
“It is for your own good, suck it up and do as your told comrade”
Report Post »101
Posted on December 31, 2010 at 8:17pm.
If you want to be fondled by TSA to fly in a 20+ year old sardine can…then don’t complain about having to standup…flying the friendly sky’s ended a long time ago when the bean counters figured out putting an extra row of seating could bring in millions, and if somebody complains TSA their *ss!
The US has the oldest fleet of passenger airliners in the world…& HLS/TSA is worried about terrorist!
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/BusinessTravel/story?id=4622145&page=1
Report Post »dawgPound
Posted on January 1, 2011 at 12:15amBlaze reply: ” OBAMAS FAULT!!! HE HATES TALL WHITE PEOPLE” and short white people…and he’s muslim…and socialist…..where’s his birth certificate…..why does Michelle want kids to eat healthy meals….why does he take vacations (like all other presidents)….did you know he’s not a “true” christian?….he thinks he’s SO SMART (Harvard eduacated) And He’s Black…AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on January 1, 2011 at 8:03amIf I were that tall, knowing there may be problems, I probably would have inquired about the seats before making the reservation. Plus, wasn’t there another seat available to him that some other passenger could have given up?
Report Post »And most of all, DAWGPOUND, your and idiot.
mizflame98
Posted on January 1, 2011 at 6:35pmScrew that! Why coudn’t they seat him at an emergency exit? Plenty of leg room there. I know. I’m 6 foot and I jump at the chance to sit there.
Report Post »