Obese man required to buy two tickets finds them two rows apart

An obese British man knew airline regulations required him to buy two seats for his recent flight from Ireland because of his weight. But even though he paid double the price, 518-pound Les Price would have to split himself in two to use the seats reserved for him, oddly, in rows 17 and 19.

The Telegraph reported Price, 43, met confused staff at the airport when he claimed two tickets for himself. They didn't seem to realize the airline, which he didn't name, had a 280-pound limit for passengers buying only one seat. The confusion became a bigger muddle when he boarded the flight and found his seats were two rows apart.

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On the way to Ireland, he said his seats had straddled a three-seat row — one at the window and one at the aisle — with a passenger in between. He rearranged the seating with other passengers, according to the New York Daily News.

The resident of Brynithel, Wales, who told the Telegraph he gained much of his weight after a work injury and the death of his wife, will share his struggle with obesity on the BBC's Welsh Weight Clinic.

Airline policies for overweight passengers have been a touchy subject recently, with the small airline Samoa Air making headlines in April by instituting a pay-by-weight fare system that required passengers to enter their weight online, then step on a scale at the airport.

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Air Canada considers obesity a medical condition and the airline will give an extra seat free to overweight passengers who bring a medical note.

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