Three airline passengers who claim that cramped seating gave them deep vein thrombosis can continue with their lawsuits against Singapore, Delta and US Airways, a judge ruled.
The same judge (who previously threw out 37 similar lawsuits, claiming that an international treated protected airlines from paying damages stemming from routine travel), ruled that these three lawsuits were different because they alleged that the airline negligently caused injuries by not allowing passengers complaining of pain to move to open seats with more legroom.
Walker on Friday also dismissed 14 other lawsuits against domestic airlines not bound by the international treaty. An appeals court has ordered him to separately reconsider whether the airlines are providing enough seating space or would raise fares if forced to remove seats to make cabins roomier.
Air passengers claiming blood clots can sue airlines [IHT]
(Photo:Keenan Pepper)
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You can check out each airline’s seat layout ahead of time at [www.seatguru.com] I’m 6’3″ 260 lbs but I always manage to find a decent seat by researching ahead of time. It’s a little obsessive, but if I’m going to be in that seat for 3-4 hours it’s worth it. I’ve also found airlines I never knew existed because of that site, ones that don’t show up on expedia.
@gatopeligroso: Most that got it are probably dead. It is unusual to survive.
My crippled girlfriend is coming with me to the US from Australia for a vacation. She is a huge risk for DVT (and has had clots before), having cerebral palsy. Funnily enough, the same CP that makes her a risk for DVT makes it difficult for her to get up and walk around. Not everyone CAN get up and go for a stroll, even if they feel comfortable doing so. This is especially true if you’re trapped in the middle seat of a huge plane like the 767 (I think?) that is used for cross-pacific travel. We managed to get a pair of seats together at the back, and I’ve tried to get bulkhead so she can move her legs. No such luck. Even for a medical reason, they won’t give it to us.
For people saying the seats aen’t THAT cramped .. thee is a HUGE difference in the legroom of international and domestic flights … IE domestic flights actually have some. I flew to Japan in coach. I’m 5’5″ and my knees were touching the seat in front of me.
Now my recommendation for international flights is … Get the exit seats if you can, They’re way better. After my flight to Japan I had horrible leg cramping because I was in a middle seat and I couldn’t get up to move around often enough. On the flight back the flight attendant offered an exit seat though and it was great. I could stretch my legs out tons and when I was done with my meals I was able to put them on the floor in front of me instead of being trapped until they came to pick up the empty trays. I also didn’t have to step all over the people next to me to get out of my seat. Sadly it wouldn’t be a good idea for a disabled person, only because if you sit there, you have to be able to help people off of the plane if there’s an emergency.
Yes, I’m bi-coastal and fly a lot! I’m 6’2″ 215 and really suffer in those seats. It is unlawful to cause so much pain with any remedy. There is a guy above claiming to be 6’2″ saying he has never had a problem, but I’m thinking he’s exaggerating his size, a lot of guys do. If I had a dollar for every shorty claiming to be 6’2″….
Wow, didn’t take long for this thread to become an anti-lawyer whinefest.
I think I’m going to sue the airlines for the POSSIBILITY of me getting deep vein thrombosis. This lawsuit is about that ridiculous. Ever heard of periodically getting up and walking around?? Sheesh.