The flight operator Air France has announced that it will offer obese passengers a free second seat, should they wish one. Currently overweight passengers can buy an additional seat at a 25 per cent discount, but from February onwards their money will be refunded if the flight is not full.
The airline said that if an overweight person turned up without having booked an extra seat, the check-in staff would not intervene. The passenger would board the plane, where the airline said ‘in 99 per cent of cases’ on-board staff would be able to position him/her next to an empty seat, as planes were rarely completely full.
Other non-overweight passengers could also book a second seat for a 25 per cent discount, but they would not get the refund if the plane was not full when it took off, Air France said.
However, like other airlines Air France also confirmed that, for evacuation reasons, an obese passenger could be prevented from flying, at the captain’s discretion.
