[richlevy]

While I'm not as fat as that guy I have to admit that I need a seatbelt extension.

In the end, paying for an extra seat doesn't work a lot ot the time because on many airlines the passenger is forced to give up the extra seat or can't get two assigned together. This means the extra seat is another fee with no benefit to the the obese passenger or anyone else.

Some airlines won't let a passenger book two adjoining seats:

http://consumerist.com/2009/05/delta...ing-seats.html

Here's what happened to me. First, I try to order two tickets online, but it says tickets cannot be assigned the same name. So then I try to call customer services, where after many times on hold while he checks with another person, the agent said he could help me. Only he gave me a price of nearly double the online price. After I protested, he gave me several different prices, finally ending on one that was $200 more than what I was looking at in front of me online. I told him I'd have to think about it.
I called back and spoke to another customer service agent who tells me that it can be done, but I have to speak to the department who assists with online purchases and they can help me make my purchase. After one of the longest periods I have ever spent on hold, I spoke to yet another agent who told me that I could try putting in a middle initial on one of the names to purchase the two seats, however he said, just so I know, they will give my second seat away if they need it, even if I paid for it. At this point, I had spent 1.5 hours on the phone (most of it on hold) and I hung up in a rage.

BTW, if I pay for an extra seat and the stewardess gives it away, the first call I make is to my credit card company. If they only deliver one seat, I only pay for one seat.