Comments for Overlawyered

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Dave Lincoln

Dave Lincoln — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:11:52 +0000

PatW, now you are thinking like a good businessman - the way you have to think in a socialist economy.

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Dave Lincoln

Dave Lincoln — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:10:07 +0000

I understand what you are saying (from the first post also), Jim, but where is that room coming from? You can’t eliminate the aisle. So, that would mean going to 2-3 seating and taking out 17 % of the coach class capacity. That’s if you did if for all the coach cabin. If you didn’t, you would be creating a medium (1/2 way between 1st and coach, based on width) class.

Either way, these planes can make money due to their capacity, and reducing it 17 % can wipe out profits big time, or conversely raise fares. I’m not knocking the “raising fares” part, but people don’t seem to want to pay more than the cheapest fare they get off expedia, even if they do have to go from Omaha to Chicago to Dulles Field in order to get to Phoenix so as to save 20 bucks - more power to em.

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Jim Collins

Jim Collins — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:52:41 +0000

Dave,
I used to build the seats for those planes. Every so often our production orders would change the seat width an inch or so. As far as the pitch is concerned the only specification is for the seats leading to the window exits.

My point is that if Canada is going to require their airlines to give a large passemger an extra seat for free, it might be more efficient to look into increasing the seating area for each passenger. Unless a passenger is extremely large, two seats is too much space. This might let the airline end up with more revenue generating seats than they would have if they just allowed large people two seats. I’m a pretty big guy and I’ll tell you that an extra 3 or 4 inches in seat width would accomodate me nicely, without my needing an extra seat.

Comment on EEOC settlement: pork-handling exemption, prayer breaks for Muslim workers by Bill Poser

Bill Poser — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:26:22 +0000

As a matter of curiosity, why does the handling of pork arise at a poultry plant? Is there some new “pig chicken” that I haven’t heard about?

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by PatW

PatW — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:14:55 +0000

I think that everyone is overlooking the fact that the ruling didn’t mention pricing- therefore, people of size will be charged for one seat, but it will be a new class- call it seatplus class- where one ticket costs twice as much as coach. That’s how it should be, eh? The court didn’t say they couldn’t charge more, did it? Or did I miss that part?

Comment on Judge Joyce convicted in Pennsylvania insurance fraud by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:56:11 +0000

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney Disciplinary Board, Michael T. Joyce is still a member in good standing of the PA Bar and has no disciplinary history: http://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/pa_attorney_info.php?id=25573&pdcount=0

What does that tell you about attorney discipline in PA?

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Dave Lincoln

Dave Lincoln — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:50:10 +0000

QBQuiet, on your first point, about basically charging shipping rates for people (after all passenger airlines, just ship “boxes with legs”, as the freight guys will tell you look:

Each passenger has to have a seat belt fastened, that’s what it comes down to - I really don’t think they have to be supplied with a seat (FAA rules, I mean), i.e. like skydivers, however, common sense and business sense says at least one seat per person. So, even a light-weight takes up a seat, with the exception of “babies-in-arms” of their Mom or Dad - under 2 year-old.

So, if you charged shipping rates, the airline would actually make more money on the “big” uns. That, on the other hand would start to mess up the weight/balance requirements, as right now, everyone but young kids (1/2 wts.) weighs 190 lb in the summer and 195 lb in the winter, period. Now, there are exceptions to this for say sports teams, actual weight calculations for a sumo wrestling team, or a women’s ballet group.

Why doesn’t the court just stay the hell out of it; this is wasting my morning.

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Dave Lincoln

Dave Lincoln — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:41:14 +0000

Jim Collins - the problem on the 757 is both seat pitch and width (especially of the aisle) though it is a hell of an airplane - one of the best-flying airliners ever made, especially the -200. But, the “huskie” crowd mostly has a problem with width. If you were to go to 3-2 seating in part of the coach cabin, just for this, that is 1/2 way to 1st class, so they may as well pay - only fair!

Question for OBQuiet: Is suing one obese person the same as suing 2 regular people? Why would they have the advantage, just based on the ability to sit on the judge and squeeze the ever-lovin justice out of him? I don’t know myself - a weighty question, indeed. hmmmm

Jason - I will just have to repeat the words of the wise trial lawyer from The Simpsons: “People, does this look like a man who has had all he can eat?”

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Jason Barney

Jason Barney — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:31:04 +0000

Do the obese have a “right” to extra portions at no additional cost at the restaurant of their choosing?

Comment on “Obese have right to 2 airline seats –Canada court” by Jim Collins

Jim Collins — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:29:34 +0000

You need to take a look at what airlines use to define a “normal” passenger. Then take a look at what defines a “seat” as far as space is concerned. For years airlines have sold space as a luxury in the First and/or Business class sections of the plane, while cramming more and more seats into the other sections. If this ruling affects more than an average of 15 people on a 757 or 767 flight, the airline might find it cost effective to reduce the number of seats and increase an individual seat’s space.