Has anyone had experience with booking 2 seats for a large person?

My dad is a big guy. He will probably not fit in one seat. I've been talking to my TA about buying him two seats or what we need to do. She is still trying to figure it out. On a charter flight he'd have to pay for two seats minus the taxes & fees on the 2nd. It makes his 3 night stay $1000. Other guests are paying $650.

 

He is determined to lose weight before the wedding. He really has been making progress, but I don't know how much is realistic. He weighs somewhere around 500lbs.

 

He hasn't flown in over 26 years & I was really surprised he would come to the wedding. It's been wonderful that he is so excited about it & motivated.

 

What's the best way to book two seats? Commercial or charter?

 

UPDATE My dad has lost over 100 pounds since June. But, with only 4 months left he will still need two seats. I'm glad we booked it this way. He went ahead & paid the $1000 for two seats when he booked. I am really happy to hear that he has lost so much in 7 months. He said he feels like dancing!

I don't know know what the rules, regulations or best thing is. But I think it's so awesome your dad is so motivated to do all this just to get to your wedding. Just shows how much he loves you and FI!!!

 

I don't know how much weight is realistic, but it kinda sucks he would have to pay extra $$ if he needs two seats. Do you live near him? I was going to say, maybe you could work out with him to keep that motivation going if you do.

No, I haven't lived with him in over 16 years. He is in Texas & I am in NC. I do try to talk to him reguarly to keep him motivated. It brings tears to my eyes when I talk about how wonderful it is. He was in a wheelchair the last few years, and now he walks a track in the morning. I'll see him this christmas for the first time in a year. Then I won't see him again until the wedding. I can't imagine how amazing it would be to see him thin at the wedding.

This has been one of the best things that has come out of planning my wedding. When things get a little stressful & I wish we eloped, I think about the great things like my dad having motivation to get in shape. I'm just a little stressed out right now about booking trips!

Morgan, that is such a great thing to come out of your wedding! You must be so happy!

It is *wonderful* that he's motivated by your wedding so much that he is doing his best to lose weight. And no matter whether he still has to purchase tickets for 2 seats or not, what an amazing accomplishment for him!

 

I will say this tho (speaking as a 'heavy')---- You mentioned he has been in a wheelchair, and is now able to walk a track- Was the wheelchair due to weight-related issues? And what would be a ballpark range for 'ideal weight' medically for him?

 

The reason I ask is because you can have a person who weighs 350, but they are tall and evenly distributed with a larger bone structure. For someone like that, they could lose 100 pounds and would be comfortable on a plane because their medically ideal weight might be 175.

 

Or, you can have someone with a normal body frame and height who weighs 350, and losing 100 pounds might not be enough when it comes to flying on a plane if their medically ideal weight is 125.

 

With that being said, I would say to talk to your dad when you're home for Christmas and get a feel for whether the wedding is the 'heart' of his motivation or whether it's truly for health reasons but looking better for the wedding is a 'plus'...

 

If you feel his motivation truly is focused on the wedding, then I would hold off on saying anything to him about booking a second seat. I would hate to see him lose the motivation to keep working like crazy toward his goal.

 

In my opinion, if your dad has more of a normal body structure/height and was wheelchair bound because of his weight, then I don't think 8 months would be enough time for him to lose weight and only have 1 seat on the plane. If he lost 15 pounds per month (starting with 500 as the start weight), he would be down to 380 at the wedding. And if he has average build/height, he's still going to be uncomfortable in one plane seat.

That's excellent that your dad wants to be there, and I have to say it's incredibly considerate of you to purchase him a second ticket. I was stuck next to a very large woman on a redeye back from Maui a while back and it was pretty unlpleasant.

Great news! I booked my dad's trip tonight! My TA really helped me out with this. My dad's price is higher than everyone else, but it's still not a bad price. We decided that it was worth it to get the two seats & guarantee he can go than to take the risk.

 

Last week I was pretty stressed about booking trips & all the other things that were going on. it was a busy week for many reasons. Tonight I am so relaxed & happy!

OK, I know this is an OLD thread...but I was searing to see if anyone had used the "walk away the pounds" video and I guess the terms I searched for pulled this up.

 

Congratulations to your father! That is AMAZING that he has lost that much weight in only a few months!!

My FMIL has used it and had great results.

I got it the other day, but have yet to try it...maybe tonight