Air France and obese passengers

This item appears on page 75 of the March 2010 issue.

Air France encourages obese passengers to prebook a second seat at a 25% discount, and as of Feb. 1 the airline will refund the price of the extra seat if the flight is not full. 

For overweight passengers who did not book a second seat in advance, the airline does try to accommodate them whenever empty seats are available, but seats are not guaranteed. The airline reserves the right to prevent a large passenger from flying if it might impede evacuations. The decision is left to the captain. 

Other, non-overweight passengers also may book a second empty seat at 25% off, but they are not eligible for the refund.