Obese fliers on United Airlines may be required to pay for two seats

Here's another incentive to lose weight, especially if you are an overweight American. United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp, will require obese passengers bumped from full flights to purchase two seats on a subsequent flight, matching the policy of some other carriers.

United said Wednesday that it will charge obese, economy-class passengers for a second economy seat or for upgrading to a larger seat in business or first class, if necessary. The policy applies to United and United Express flights. United published its new policy on its website under "Passengers requiring extra space."

"Last year we had 700 complaints from passengers who had to share their seats," said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. "Now our employees have a formal policy they can refer to."

Under the new policy, obese passengers - defined as unable to lower the armrest and buckle a seat belt with one extension belt - will still be accommodated, at no extra charge, to two empty seats if there is space available.

If, however, the airplane is full, they will be bumped from the flight and may have to purchase a second ticket, at the same price as the original fare, Urbanski said. If the bumped passenger chooses to cancel the trip, the ticket will be refunded with no additional charge.

Urbanski said United is one of the last large carriers to develop a formal policy for heavy passengers. Continental Airlines said it has the same policy. But some airlines handle the situation differently. American Airlines uses a case-by-case approach. If a flight is full, Delta Air Lines offers a heavy passenger the option of buying a second seat on the next available flight at the lowest fare available, which may not be as cheap as the passenger paid for the first seat.