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One Size Fits All? How Airlines Accommodate (or Don't) the Tall, Wide & Small

If you're not a person who fits the mold for airline seating or you have a child flying alone, read on to learn your options.

I had never really considered how hard it was for certain travelers to find in-flight comfort until I married a man that is six foot five inches tall. Suddenly a whole new world of "will he or won't he fit into the seat" influenced my travel decisions.

My husband is not alone. In fact, not only is the world's population increasingly getting taller, but if you subscribe to the findings of most medical journals, people are also getting a lot wider (a polite way to say that obesity is on the rise, especially within the United States). If you are traveling in Business or First Class, neither of these facts should provide you with any cause for concern, but for regular Economy Class folks that happen to be on the large size, here are a few things to consider.

If size really matters, then you could try using Seat Guru (www.seatguru.com). This website outlines seating and legroom sizes on most major airlines by specific aircraft type. The site will also tell you which seats have that annoying inability to be put into recline or which ones don't have stowage space above. It will also assist you if you want to find out where other aircraft amenities are located in relation to your seat, i.e. the galley, toilets, TV screens etc. This way, you can do your research and try to put in a seat request in advance. Obviously we are all aware of the fact that emergency exit rows and bulkhead seats offer the best legroom options, however many airlines will tell you that these cannot be pre booked or on international flights most bulkhead seats are put aside for people traveling with infants. Also if you have movement limitations (or are pregnant), emergency exit seats will not be accessible to you. There are however different seating options on each aircraft that can maximize your legroom. In general, Airbus planes tend to have more legroom than Boeing planes. Boeing is now recognizing changes in passenger size and has designed its new-generation plane, the 7E7, with wider seats, aisles and toilets.

Although you may be booking your flights online, to put in a specific seating request, you may need to phone the airline. It is also quite helpful to request written or e-mail conformation of your seat request as strangely these "confirmed seats" can disappear at the check-in gate.

If your main priority is extra legroom (getting your full 34 inches), American Airlines still provides "More Room throughout Coach" on more than half of its planes -- just make sure to avoid American's 757s and A300s. Unfortunately American recently announced that it would be replacing some of the seats it removed to provide this extra legroom, especially on its flights along the east coast from New York and to the Caribbean. JetBlue provides three inches more legroom than the industry average in the back half of its A320s -- just avoid the first ten rows. United's "Economy Plus" gives extra legroom on most planes, but only to travelers on expensive full-fare tickets or those in the highest echelons of its frequent flier program. The magic number on all Song flights (seeing they only use one type of aircraft) is row 17.

So much for length, but in terms of width, none of these airlines offer any wider girth in their seats so for many, getting in and out may still be a tight squeeze. Boeing 777 aircrafts are one of the few that offer wider seats by design. If you're traveling to or from the Midwest, then Midwest Airlines not only provides extra legroom with its economy Signature Service, but at no extra cost, it also has 21-inch wide seat cushions (compared with 17-inch industry standard). Those four inches can make the world of difference.

Other airlines may charge you a slight premium for seats with additional legroom or width. ATA and Spirit for example have this option and the premium generally does not exceed $100. On the international front, British Airways offers the extra legroom (34-inches) in economy class on all its long haul flights (not transcontinental European sectors). Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have premium economy class seating which offer a 38-inch pitch between seats, but they will charge you up to 20% extra for that luxury. Virgin's European domestic carrier, Virgin Express will charge you only $15 per sector for an upgraded slightly larger seat. Malaysian Airlines has the best seat pitch (34-inches) and width (18.5-inches) combination in its standard economy seats -- with no extra charge and discount European carrier Ryan Air has aircrafts with a whopping 38-inches of pitch.

The company that brought a lot of size issues to the media spotlight was Southwest Airlines, with their introduction of a two-seat purchase requirement policy if a passenger is too large to fit into a standard economy seat (if a flight is not full, the additional seat the larger person has to purchase is refunded after the flight). This decision has been met with a great deal of controversy and cries of discrimination and potential lawsuits, with advocates and detractors falling on both sides of the issue. Its implementation is not a common occurrence as airline staff try to use discretion and good judgment when imposing these restrictions.

Quietly, other airlines do share this unwritten policy to a point. Continental, American, and Northwest Airlines will all request that a passenger purchase a second seat if he or she cannot safely fasten a seatbelt or if a passenger's body covers more than one seat. United and Delta to some extent may also impose these restrictions on an individual basis. Often the extra ticket will be provided at a lesser price and/or refunded if the plane is not full. Some large passengers are forced to travel with their own seatbelt extenders because the airline belts are not big enough (available from www.extend-it.com and www.amplestuff.com). It is a highly sensitive issue, both for the large passenger and for the passenger that must sit next to him or her.

I have personally seen airline staff at check-ins in small regional airports (mainly in third-world countries) actually weigh passengers together with their luggage to ascertain whether an overweight charge is required and, according to them, to keep the plane balanced. Qantas recently introduced a voluntary passenger weigh-in (together with their carry-on baggage) at Sydney Airport. Qantas insists that it is purely a research study in changing weight requirements on flights, but is this a sign of things to come?

With over 60 percent of the US population officially overweight, and airlines constantly fighting to stay in business, let alone profitable, arguments arise that imply that all this additional weight is impacting the bottom line (no pun intended). According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, Americans gained an average of 10 pounds per person during the 1990s and that the extra weight required airlines to used an additional 350 million gallons of fuel each year. At today's prices, this translates to an additional cost of $448 million per year.

At the other end of the size spectrum, we have unaccompanied minors, children traveling on their own. Different airlines have individual definitions of what constitutes a child -- for some it is between the ages of five and 12, for others it is under 17. Only a handful of airlines accept children under five. Although most airlines have a program in place to accept children traveling solo, but there are also strict regulations, restrictions and sometimes, additional costs involved.

Here are some examples:

American Airlines allows five to 14 year olds to travel unaccompanied at no additional charge but five to 7 year olds are restricted to direct flights whereas 8 to 14 year olds may connect with other flights or those operated by partner airlines.

Continental designates children from ages five to14 as unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors ages five to seven years are accepted for nonstop and direct flights only. Those eight to14 are accepted for nonstop, direct and connecting flights. Unaccompanied Minors will not be accepted on late night domestic flights or on the last connecting flight of the day (if there is any possibility of a missed connection).

Delta imposes an unaccompanied service charge of $30 per domestic sector for children aged five to11. These unaccompanied service charges also apply to children aged 12-17 when a parent or guardian requests full unaccompanied service. For international flights, this charge goes up to $60-$90 depending on number of sectors.

Jet Blue allows unaccompanied minors from five to 12 to only travel on nonstop or direct flights. There is no additional charge and, as a courtesy, they will be seated as close to the front of the plane as possible. Children ages 12 and over are not considered unaccompanied minors and are not escorted or supervised by In-flight crewmembers.

Southwest permits children between the ages of five and eleven to travel provided the child has a confirmed reservation and the flight on which he/she travels does not require a change of aircraft or flight number. Proof of age may be required (birth certificate or other valid identification). Children under the age of five must be accompanied by a customer twelve years of age or older

On United, five to sevens are restricted to direct flights whereas eight to 12 year olds may connect with other United flights or those operated by partner airlines.

On Air Canada, five to11 year olds may travel unaccompanied, where they will be supervised by attendants for a nominal fee. 14 days' notice must be given.

Air France accepts children of all age. Under-fives must use a paid escort service. Under twos are subject to an infant fare and five to 12 year olds may use the "UM Escort Service" which is provided free of charge.

British Airway's Skyflier Solo Service is free for children over five for direct flights, or those over six for connecting flights.

Discount European carrier, Easy Jet allows 14-year olds to travel unaccompanied but those under 14 must be accompanied by a passenger aged 16 or over. On Ryan Air, 12 year olds may travel unaccompanied although 12 to 15s require an indemnity form signed by a parent or legal guardian, which must be presented a check-in

Lufthansa also allows five to 11 year olds to travel unaccompanied but there is a charge of up to $85 per child. A female member staff will look after the children at all times.

SAS accepts all children, even those under 5. Five to 11 year olds may travel unaccompanied for $37, and under fives use SAS's Escort Service where a trained minder accompanies the child at all times (additional fees apply).

Spirit Air does not accept any passengers under 17 years of age on its international flights.

Swiss International accepts two to 11 year olds by prior arrangement. Additional fees are not specified.

On Virgin Atlantic, five to 12 year olds may travel unaccompanied without incurring additional fees.

It is our recommendation that if any of theses factors (height, size or age) influence your flying decisions, you should definitely take the time to research airline's individual policies and pricing practices. Sometimes these may be hidden on websites so take the time to call and check. Do this is advance and you may save yourself some embarrassment and frustration at the check-in gate or once on board.

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