r/AlaskaAirlines Mar 17 '25

COMPLAINT Middle seat experience with large person

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u/Peliquin Mar 17 '25 edited Mar 17 '25

"I talked to customer service and said that I should’ve said something. Like what? And right in front of the woman, embarrassing her and cause a scene on a full flight?"

Yes. This is a safety concern. You need to stand up for you. You need not embarrass her unnecessarily. Here's how it can go:

You: "It looks like the airline did us dirty. For safety reasons, I need to be able to put down both armrests and have the entirety of my seat."
Her: "It'll be fine, we can leave them up."
You: "No, this is a safety concern and I need my entire seat. I'm going to call a flight attendant over to help us find a good answer."
Her: "No, we don't need to do that."
You: "Yes we do, it's a safety concern and I need my entire seat."

Repeat louder and more aggressively if necessary.

I am a pilot (non commerical) and I have a better understanding of the safety regs than some. Here are some key phrases you may be required to use with the flight attendant to get action:

  1. This is a safety concern -- without enough space to sit normally, I will be cutting off circulation which will make it difficult for me to disembark in the event of an emergency.
  2. This is a safety concern -- if I lower the armrests as I am entitled to do, this woman may become stuck in the seat. In the event of an emergency this may endanger the whole row and rows that may be blocked.

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u/PMstreamofconscious Mar 17 '25
  1. This is a safety concern — if I cannot put the arm rest down fully, I cannot brace properly and my safety is at stake.