Delta and KLM sued over 'too fat to fly' Vilma Soltesz

Gerald · 11-27-12, 12:48 PM

Quote:

The husband of a US woman who was too big to be flown home from Europe - where she later died - is to sue the airlines involved for damages.

Quote:

Vilma Soltesz, who weighed about 30st (193kg), was refused a place on two flights in October.

She died of kidney failure before a suitable flight could be found, after refusing treatment from local doctors.

Delta Airlines said every effort was made to accommodate her but it had been "physically unable" to get her aboard.

But Peter Ronai, the lawyer acting for her husband, Janos, told CBS: "They [the airlines] took on the responsibility to get her to Hungary, it's their responsibility to get her back."

Mrs Soltesz needed to return to New York from her holiday home in Hungary to resume medical treatment.

She suffered from kidney disease and diabetes and reportedly "did not trust" Hungarian doctors.

But the Dutch airline KLM was unable to get her on board a flight on which she had booked two seats to accommodate her.

She was then told to drive to Prague in the Czech Republic where she would be given seats on a larger Delta Airlines flight.

Do they cut down on weight and fuel costs,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20510267

Note: 27 November 2012 Last updated at 12:14 GMT

em2nought · 11-27-12, 01:04 PM

I find little sympathy for this in my cold little heart. If we go making it too easy to be fat the results are going to be just like what happened when we made it too easy to "not" work.

AVGWarhawk · 11-27-12, 01:36 PM

She was afraid of Hungarian doctors?

nikimcbee · 11-27-12, 01:46 PM

There's an easy fix to this:

Seats 10 portly people.

GoldenRivet · 11-27-12, 01:58 PM

Its not about saving weight or fuel costs... a 430 lbs person is not going to make any measurable impact on the performance of a jet airliner...

The airlines in question were not negligent, and their actions nor lack of actions did not cause or contribute to the death.

The passenger in question was apparently a flight risk, if she had known health problems that required treatment enough to warrant her being flown abroad and the situation was only made worse by her enormous girth she was already an in flight emergency waiting to happen.

This sort of decision was right to have occurred at the captain level "Do not put that person on this airplane." thats exactly what i would have said. and that would have been the end of it.

Federal regulatons require each occupant to have their seatbelts securely fastened during takeoff and landing, and at any other time the pilot in command deems it necessary. If - even with a seatbelt extender (if available) they were clearly unable to securely fasten the seatbelt and in such a case she needs to be off the plane. What were they to do, completely go against internationally accepted regulations, endanger her life and endanger the lives of those around her just so she could get airborne? and what happens if they did let her on unsecured by seatbelt? in the event of a crash have they created a 430 lb projectile?

an additional possibility is she would have likely had some sort of life threatening emergency aboard the aircraft due to the medical reasons warranting her flight in the first place, the flight would have diverted to a destination that in this situation could have taken hours to reach and she would have likely died in route, then you're faced with the prospect of unloading 430 lbs of dead (literally and figuratively) weight from an airplane of onlookers who's lives she just endangered. Then what would be the next headline. "Obese passenger dies in flight, officials unable to remove body due to size." and the husband ( and perhaps others ) would be litigating over that incident!

They were not only right in denying her boarding on this fact alone, but it would appear that if they made the effort and were just physically unable to get her into the airplane, reasonable efforts were apparently made to accommodate her request to fly and the shear mechanics of strapping her ass in proved impossible.

she should have been grounded based on the risk alone of boarding her.

CaptainHaplo · 11-27-12, 02:20 PM

She refused treatment.

No one but herself to blame for the outcome of such a decision.

Case dismissed.

Herr-Berbunch · 11-27-12, 02:30 PM

Stupid woman, treatment in Hungary would've been a darn sight more cheaper than back home.

Hope it gets thrown out of court within two minutes.

IL-76 wouldn't cut it, Super Guppy to the rescue!

As much as I'm on the side of the airlines, how did she get to Hungary?

vienna · 11-27-12, 02:45 PM

Quote:

As much as I'm on the side of the airlines, how did she get to Hungary?

I heard on a radio report of this incident the woman actually weighed substantially less when she flew to Hungary than when she attempted to fly back to the US...

<O>

Herr-Berbunch · 11-27-12, 02:47 PM

Even less sympathy then.

nikimcbee · 11-27-12, 02:49 PM

@ GR
Good point, The captain has the final say. What's the point of having a captain if the zampolits in HR are going to override you.

I was on a flight this year, where there was a woman that took up 1.5 seats and her baby

was in the other seat. Good thing that flight wasn't 100% full, somebody would have had to sit next to her!

The last flight I was on, there was another chuncky woman, who barely fit into her seat. That flight was completely full, so the guy that boarded last

got to sit by her. He wasn't to happy, but what can you do. Fortunately, she was friendly and the guy liked to talk

, so they chatted for 4 hours.

(was no big deal until my laptop batteries ran out.

Gerald · 11-27-12, 03:08 PM

Jimbuna · 11-28-12, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

Even less sympathy then.

Exactly

Herr-Berbunch · 11-28-12, 02:16 PM

I'm sure you'll also add a few pounds when you get on your cruise.

Jimbuna · 11-28-12, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

I'm sure you'll also add a few pounds when you get on your cruise.

I can predict the outcome....he has the dates but doesn't rejoing his ship in Miami until Dec 10th and by then swmbo will be panicking in case she misses her land choice, Oludeniz and silly bugga me will be called upon to make a definitive decision.

One month later after the boy fixes us up "I told you we should have waited"

Stealhead · 11-28-12, 02:56 PM

I agree with GoldenRivet she would have been a huge liability.Perhaps they feared that the in flight meal would not appease her and she would have attempted to eat small children
aboard the plane.

She should have arranged some sort of air medical flight firm to fly her.I dont know if there are any that fly such great distances though short of the US military and some others.

Of course she refused treatment and it seems she was a fat gluttonous pig so
who really cares?

11-27-12, 01:04 PM	#2
em2nought Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 3,485 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I find little sympathy for this in my cold little heart. If we go making it too easy to be fat the results are going to be just like what happened when we made it too easy to "not" work. __________________ em2nought is ecstatic garbage!

11-27-12, 01:46 PM	#4
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,952 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	There's an easy fix to this: Seats 10 portly people. __________________

11-27-12, 01:58 PM	#5
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,729 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	Its not about saving weight or fuel costs... a 430 lbs person is not going to make any measurable impact on the performance of a jet airliner... The airlines in question were not negligent, and their actions nor lack of actions did not cause or contribute to the death. The passenger in question was apparently a flight risk, if she had known health problems that required treatment enough to warrant her being flown abroad and the situation was only made worse by her enormous girth she was already an in flight emergency waiting to happen. This sort of decision was right to have occurred at the captain level "Do not put that person on this airplane." thats exactly what i would have said. and that would have been the end of it. Federal regulatons require each occupant to have their seatbelts securely fastened during takeoff and landing, and at any other time the pilot in command deems it necessary. If - even with a seatbelt extender (if available) they were clearly unable to securely fasten the seatbelt and in such a case she needs to be off the plane. What were they to do, completely go against internationally accepted regulations, endanger her life and endanger the lives of those around her just so she could get airborne? and what happens if they did let her on unsecured by seatbelt? in the event of a crash have they created a 430 lb projectile? an additional possibility is she would have likely had some sort of life threatening emergency aboard the aircraft due to the medical reasons warranting her flight in the first place, the flight would have diverted to a destination that in this situation could have taken hours to reach and she would have likely died in route, then you're faced with the prospect of unloading 430 lbs of dead (literally and figuratively) weight from an airplane of onlookers who's lives she just endangered. Then what would be the next headline. "Obese passenger dies in flight, officials unable to remove body due to size." and the husband ( and perhaps others ) would be litigating over that incident! They were not only right in denying her boarding on this fact alone, but it would appear that if they made the effort and were just physically unable to get her into the airplane, reasonable efforts were apparently made to accommodate her request to fly and the shear mechanics of strapping her ass in proved impossible. she should have been grounded based on the risk alone of boarding her. __________________

11-27-12, 02:20 PM	#6
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,405 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	She refused treatment. No one but herself to blame for the outcome of such a decision. Case dismissed. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

11-27-12, 02:30 PM	#7
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Stupid woman, treatment in Hungary would've been a darn sight more cheaper than back home. Hope it gets thrown out of court within two minutes. IL-76 wouldn't cut it, Super Guppy to the rescue! As much as I'm on the side of the airlines, how did she get to Hungary? __________________

11-27-12, 01:36 PM	#3
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,303 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	She was afraid of Hungarian doctors?

11-27-12, 02:47 PM	#9
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Even less sympathy then. __________________

11-27-12, 02:49 PM	#10
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,952 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	@ GR Good point, The captain has the final say. What's the point of having a captain if the zampolits in HR are going to override you. I was on a flight this year, where there was a woman that took up 1.5 seats and her baby was in the other seat. Good thing that flight wasn't 100% full, somebody would have had to sit next to her! The last flight I was on, there was another chuncky woman, who barely fit into her seat. That flight was completely full, so the guy that boarded last got to sit by her. He wasn't to happy, but what can you do. Fortunately, she was friendly and the guy liked to talk, so they chatted for 4 hours. (was no big deal until my laptop batteries ran out. __________________

11-27-12, 03:08 PM	#11
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	__________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

11-28-12, 02:16 PM	#13
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	I'm sure you'll also add a few pounds when you get on your cruise. __________________

11-28-12, 02:56 PM	#15
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	I agree with GoldenRivet she would have been a huge liability.Perhaps they feared that the in flight meal would not appease her and she would have attempted to eat small children aboard the plane. She should have arranged some sort of air medical flight firm to fly her.I dont know if there are any that fly such great distances though short of the US military and some others. Of course she refused treatment and it seems she was a fat gluttonous pig so who really cares?