It is no secret that I am a man of size. Call me “fat”, call me “pleasantly plump”, or just try to avoid the elephant in the room, it’s not going to hurt my feelings.
However, while I will always fight to be allowed to be as I am, I acknowledge that my generous proportions are of concern to some people.
For instance, when I see a sign in a elevator declaring what the total load is in terms of people and kilograms, I realise that I count for two in Schindler speak.
And when I get on a plane, I try to ensure that my extra bits spill out into the aisle rather than in the direction of the person next to me. As often as I can, and my finances allow, I try to travel premium economy or business class to ensure that I can travel comfortably and not be a burden on others.
But I get annoyed when I read that certain airlines are preparing to go out of their way to shame their larger clients.
Recently, Uzbekistan Airways announced that it is going to weigh passengers before deciding if they can get on flights. There were assurances that the information would not be shared and that the practice was not discriminatory. It was, they said, all about making flights safer.
Fair enough. If they can make a convincing case that my presence on a plane might cause an life-endangering incident, then I will gladly stay on the ground. But if they are going to discriminate against me on the basis of my size, and it comes to the point where larger passengers must pay extra, then I want some quid pro quo — the airlines must provide a range of seat sizes in all classes to suit everyone on every flight.
To assume we are all the same is not good enough.
I will gladly pay more to fly, but not for the same cramped and narrow seat as everyone else.
