英國超重男乘機要買兩張票 座位不在一起

Before he boarded the plane, 37-stone Les Price had already been forced to pay for an extra ticket.

The airline’s rules for passengers weighing more than 20 stone required him to buy two seats for himself.

But when he got on board, insult was added to injury. For a dismayed Mr Price found his seats for the flight to Ireland were not even next to each other – they were either side of another traveller’s seat.

And on his return journey the situation was even more farcical, with his allocated places two rows apart.

Mr Price, 43, had booked his tickets in advance of the flight.

But he said the unnamed airline’s employees did not seem to understand its policy on heavier passengers.

‘When I got to the airport I had to explain to all the staff why I had two tickets,’ he said yesterday.

‘They didn’t have a clue. When I finally got on the plane one was an aisle seat and the other was by the window – in a three-seat row.

'On the way back from Ireland one seat was in row 17 and the other in row 19.’

Mr Price, of Brynithel near Newport, South Wales, said the incident was one of many everyday difficulties he has faced since he began struggling with his weight.

The unemployed widower, who sleeps on the ground floor because he cannot manage stairs, said: ‘From the age of about ten I put on around a stone each year it seemed.

‘But I was the same as everyone else, working, playing rugby, training, so I wasn’t inactive. I’d work 70 or 80 hours a week and play rugby on a Saturday. I wasn’t a layabout.'

Mr Price then injured his back in an accident. He added: ‘I lost my mobility, developed sciatica and I didn’t get out of the house for three months.

‘Even if the boys took me out they would pick me up and drop me off and when I was at the pub they’d go to the bar and get my drinks for me.’

When his wife Zeruiah died from cancer in 2009 he admits he turned to comfort eating. ‘I fell into a depression,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t be bothered to cook, would eat takeaways and want to treat my step-daughter Charlie because her mother had died.

‘When I was working, I had to get the calories in. I’d be up at 5am and have a cooked breakfast later. I also worked for a bakery, which involved physically hard lifting, moving things around.’

Earlier this year a travel expert advocated a ‘pay-what-you-weigh’ airline pricing scheme because heavier people cost more in fuel to fly.

Passengers weighing above a certain threshold would pay more for their plane tickets and lighter ones would be charged less under plans put forward by Norwegian scientist Dr Bharat Bhatta.

Writing in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Dr Bhatta said weight and space should be taken into account when airlines price their tickets.

Mr Price said he is cutting down on his calories and attending an NHS weight management clinic. He said: ‘I want to be out there working.

'I feel guilty my partner is out there working all she can. Christmas is coming up and I feel awful I can’t do anything to help.

'I know a lot of people work the benefits system – but I want to be out there, not stuck at home.’據英國《每日郵報》10月13日報道，體重約235公斤的南威爾士人萊斯·普賴斯不得不爲自己購買兩張機票乘機，可是，登機後令他更加鬱悶的是，他的兩個座位卻不挨在一起。

普賴斯現年43歲，體重約235公斤。在去愛爾蘭之前，按照航空公司的要求，凡是超過127公斤的乘客都需要購買兩張機票。爲此他預定了兩張機票。登機時，他吃驚地發現，這兩張票竟然不挨着，中間隔了一個座位。更滑稽的是，他的回程票被分別安排在兩排——一張在17排，一張在19排。

他說，航空公司的僱員似乎並不瞭解公司對超重乘客的政策，在機場，他不得不向所有工作人員解釋自己爲什麼要兩張票。

據普賴斯說，從10歲開始，他的體重幾乎每年增加約6.35公斤，因爲難以上樓，他不得不睡在一樓。他說，因爲超重，他每天都會遇到難題，乘飛機只是其中之一。但是，“我和其他人一樣，工作、打橄欖球、鍛鍊身體，並不是不活動。我每週工作70或80小時，星期六打橄欖球。我不是懶漢。”

後來，在一次事故中，他傷了後背，不能活動，還得了坐骨神經痛，三個月沒有出門。他說，“即便夥伴們帶我出去，也得接我、送我。在酒館，他們還得去吧檯爲我取飲料。”

2009年，他的妻子死於癌症，他爲安慰自己而開始狂吃。他說，“我變得意志消沉，懶得做飯，就叫外賣。我在工作時，需要攝入熱量。我早上5點起牀，然後，吃點現成的早餐。我當時爲一家麪包店工作，要擡起重物，還要搬運東西。”

今年年初，有專家提出“按體重付費”的航空定價方案，因爲在飛行過程中，較重的人會消耗更多的燃料。挪威科學家巴拉特·巴塔認爲，航空公司確定票價時應該考慮到乘客的體重和所佔空間。根據他的計劃，體重超過一定臨界值的乘客應該爲機票付更多的錢，而體重較輕的乘客可以少付些錢。

現在失業在家的普賴斯表示，他正在減少熱量攝入，還參加減肥活動，希望能夠出去工作。他說，“我知道有許多人在利用福利制度，但是我希望出去，不想被困在家裏。”