The passenger who had to stand during a seven-hour flight because of a morbidly obese man sitting next to him has today spoken about his ordeal.
Arthur Berkowitz, 57, said his 400lb neighbour on US Airways Flight 901 from Anchorage to Philadelphia made it impossible to get into his seat.
The obese man spilled over into Mr Berkowitz's personal space and he could not move because the plane was full so he was forced to stand up.
The passenger who had to stand during a seven-hour flight because of a morbidly obese man sitting next to him has today spoken about his ordeal.
Arthur Berkowitz, 57, said his 400lb neighbour on US Airways Flight 901 from Anchorage to Philadelphia made it impossible to get into his seat.
The obese man spilled over into Mr Berkowitz's personal space and he could not move because the plane was full so he was forced to stand up.
He said the obese man was very sorry. 'The first thing he said to me was: "I want to apologise - I'm your worst nightmare",' he told MailOnline.
'He was a real gentleman. The first thing he said to me was: "I want to apologise - I'm your worst nightmare"'
Arthur Berkowitz
Mr Berkowitz added that his ordeal in July presented a safety risk because he could not use his seatbelt for take-off and landing.
'I didn't fly from Alaska to Philadelphia on Flight 901,’ Mr Berkowitz told consumer advocate Christopher Elliot’s blog. ‘I stood.’
'His size required both armrests to be raised up and allowed for his body to cover half of my seat,’ he told the website, elliott.org.
US Airways has since apologised for the 'regrettable' incident. A statement said: 'Our intention is to offer the best travel experience possible.
'The details you have provided indicate that we have failed to meet our intentions.' It offered Mr Berkowitz a $200 voucher in compensation.
'I didn't fly from Alaska to Philadelphia on Flight 901. I stood'
Arthur Berkowitz
But he called this 'inappropriate' after paying more than $800 for the ticket. He also complained the airline has not fixed the safety issue.
'I reviewed his case and agreed with him that US Airways might want to take another look at his complaint,' Mr Elliott wrote on his blog.
'I mean, leaving a passenger with no alternative but to stand for almost seven hours - if that’s true, then this might be one of those rare cases when a full refund is in order.'
Mr Berkowitz told MailOnline he raised the issue primarily because he wants the airline and authorities 'to develop a policy on safety'.
This is so Annoying if you ask me, If I were that skinny man, I would have trashtalked that fat guy, no he is not a gentleman, he knew he's suppose to buy two seats instead, he is selfish that's all I can say.
People say:
'I apologise, I'm your worst nightmare' That should have been: 'I'll pretend I'm sorry, but I'm just selfish.' If you know that you're bigger than your seat, you should ask if you need to buy two tickets. If you do, just pay them. Less people would be judging fat people if they were a little more thoughtful. I wouldn't have stood up. The man didn't get fat in a night. When he bought the tickets he knew that he needed two seats. He didn't bought two. He shouldn't have been allowed to use two. Non-morbidly-obese man should have kept his seat. Also: Most fat people are fat because of dietary habits and lack of exercise. Sure, you can be a bit overweight from eating cheap, fast food because you can't afford to eat better. But you don't get enormous that way, unless you eat too much cheap fast food and then that means you can afford better food and, thus, you can avoid being obese. Some fat people are sick/disabled and they do deserve consideration, but they are a minority.
I agree with them. That guy needs a full refund and stuffs.
