Man Forced to Stand for Entire 7 Hour Flight

(NY Daily News) Arthur Berkowitz, 57, opened up Tuesday to Christopher Elliot, of consumer advocacy blog Elliot.org, about his in-air nightmare on Flight 901.

Berkowitz sat next to an empty middle seat, the last spot on the full flight, when one more passenger – who Berkowitz pegged at least 400 pounds – boarded the flight and squeezed into the remaining seat, he told the website.

“He was very apologetic,” Berkowitz said to ABCNews.com. “When he boarded, he said: ‘I’m your worst nightmare.’”

And he was right.

Berkowitz couldn’t to fit into his own seat, and realized he would have to stand for the majority of the long flight.

“His size required both armrests to be raised up and allowed for his body to cover half of my seat,” Berkowitz said to Elliot.org.

“It did not allow me to use my seatbelt during takeoff and landing as well as required me to stand in the aisle and galley area for most of the seven-hour flight.”

Berkowitz notified flight attendants about the situation, but had no luck.

“They were sympathetic, but could not do anything,” he told the website. “No other seats existed on plane. They would not permit me to sit in their jump seats, and fully acknowledged the mistake by their gate agent, in allowing this individual on [the] plane without requiring him to purchase and occupy two seats.”

Berkowitz said that safety, not comfort, was his main concern, and fired off an email to US Airways after landing.

“The airlines and regulatory bodies need to have protocol when it comes to this,” he said to ABCNews.com.

The airline responded to Berkowitz’s complaint by apologizing and issuing a $200 voucher, but Berkowitz’s says that’s not enough.

“The $200 is inappropriate,” he said. “I paid in excess of $800 for the ticket.”