DEAR ABBY: I was recently on a full three-hour flight. I was assigned an aisle seat instead of a window seat where I would normally sit. When my seatmates -- a couple -- came to take their seats, they were too large to fit so they lifted the armrests to squeeze in. The man said he'd have to keep the rests up and joked that he'd hold his breath so he wouldn't spill over on me.
As the other passengers boarded, I walked back and asked the flight attendant if something could be done. She said the gate attendant could remove the couple and have them each purchase a second seat. I was mortified that they'd be paraded through the plane because of their size, so I said I'd grin and try to bear it.
Big mistake! The husband was in my seat the entire flight. I hugged the armrest in the aisle, which meant everyone who walked by bumped me. I couldn't watch the movie or recline my seat because I no longer had access to the other armrest with the controls, and it was impossible to lower my tray table because it would have rested on his arm.
Abby, it shouldn't have been my responsibility to be the bad guy and object to sharing the seat with that couple. It was unfair to me to suffer because they couldn't fit into their seats. With the expanding waistlines in this country, how do I handle this next time? -- TRISH IN LOUISIANA
DEAR TRISH: Next time, take to heart the flight attendant's suggestion because you have now learned firsthand what will happen if you ignore it.