Question about flying, domestically

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

I haven't flown since the 80s, when I was much smaller than now.

Last time I flew , I was 6ft 2in, but only 190 lbs. Now I'm still 6-2, but hovering around 300 lbs. Am I going to be able, at my size, to fit in coach seats?

[NightWatcher]

1. As long as you're not flying Delta.

I'm 6'5" and I can't cram my legs into their smaller domestic planes. The arm rests will also probably jab into your hips.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

2. Great to know

The flight I'm looking at is on American.

Thanks much!

I'm also trying, without success so far, to look into trains, from either Chicago or St. Louis to Phoenix, Az.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. maybe call the airlines and ask?

Depends on which class you are flying, of course, but most airlines have shrunk seats and legroom during a time when most people are becoming larger.

[mnhtnbb]

4. You should call Amtrak

Here's their phone number

1-800-USA-RAIL

1-800-872-7245

So here is the Amtrak map: you can take the train from either Chicago or St. Louis to Flagstaff and they
have a transfer route to Phoenix.

https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/631/638/SystemMapMar2015.pdf


Also, you might want to consider checking the Southwest website for low cost fares.

https://www.southwest.com/

[PasadenaTrudy]

5. Southwest Airlines

has pretty roomy seats

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

7. Thanks

I looked through Travelocity and don't recall seeing Southwest. I'll look again. They may be further down the list, where the prices go higher. I stayed near the top.

[CurtEastPoint]

8. You can only book SW through their own site, not travel sites.

Use https://www.southwest.com

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

9. Yeah I figured that out, finally

I looked at the Southwest site. Seems the only Illinois city they service is Chicago. I think if I have to go there I'd rather deal with a train station than an airport. Plus I can take the train from Champaign-Urbana, 40 minutes from me, directly to Chicago's Union Station. I could still take the train to Chicago to fly, but probably not to the airport, and I'd rather not mess with buses, taxis or the El, with the luggage and all.

Although, I just saw that they fly out of Midway, not O'Hare. If there is some sort of direct, reasonably priced transport for Champaign-Urbana to Midway, maybe I'll do it.

Train-Roughly 34 hours-relatively hassle free, as in no TSA BS.

Flight- Roughly 8 hours, excluding getting to Chicago, TSA BS.

Pricing seems comparable. Leaning toward Rail.

Thanks for the help!

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

6. Thanks. I'll keep those numbers, but

I found train service from Bloomington-Normal, Il to Flagstaff, where I'll either need to trafer to a bus to Phoenix or have my son drive up to get me. He's gonna pick me up, somewhere, either way.

I'm thinking I might opt for a 31+ hour train ride over the hassles of flying.

[Major Nikon]

10. SeatGuru

Select the airline and aircraft type and it will tell you the seat pitch (leg room) and width. Many flights have seats available in coach with more room, but you may have to pay more to get them. Most coach seats are between 17-18" wide, but seat pitch can vary considerably.

http://www.seatguru.com/browseairlines/browseairlines.php

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

11. Thank you all so very much

Using the info you've all so kindly offered to dig deeper into my options, I'm now 99% sure I'm going to take a train and leave the airports for others.

[mnhtnbb]

12. I HATE flying anymore and I love trains.

In fact, we are going (flying) to California for a family wedding in August. But my husband and I are going
to take the train up the California coast to L.A. to visit friends (where we used to live) after the wedding
and then take the Coast Starlight train to Seattle--where I've never been.

Looking forward to the train portion of the trip.

Hope you enjoy your travels!

[fizzgig]

17. i can't wait to see the photos!

i am absolutely green with envy right now.

safe and happy travels!

[Ineeda]

13. Good choice. Don't forget that

'flying' time is misleading. That only covers the time from when the aircraft pulls away from the gate to the time it touches down on the destination runway. Add to that the travel to the airport time, the 'get there two hours before your flight' time, baggage check and retrieval on the other end time, security, boarding and deplaning time. Train travel is comfortable and anxiety-free, in my experience. Plus you can look out of windows and see more than clouds.

[fizzgig]

15. i much prefer trains to flying

flying is miserable.

[whistler162]

16. Lots better.

[athena]

18. Good choice! I travel by train all the time.

It's so much more relaxing. And people who ride trains are much nicer than people who fly. It all makes for a much more pleasant experience, and it's better for the environment!

[Skittles]

14. if you can afford to, buy two seats for extra comfort

but if one, get an aisle seat and pray the person in front of you isn't an asshole who puts the seat back

on edit, yes, train is a good option

[noamnety]

19. What about the megabus?

I've traveled by megabus before from Detroit to Chicago. It was about the same length of time as driving myself, but I could just sit back and surf the web on their wifi. One that route, they do one pitstop at a highway rest area, which is nice if you aren't into the whole swaying bathroom experience.

[oldandhappy]

20. See you decided on train, I love the train.

Scenery, you can walk around, sound of the wheels on the rails is like my heart beat. Have a great time.

[doc03]

21. The last time I flew I had the aisle seat. I always get an aisle seat because I had

a blood clot in my leg a couple times so I get that seat so I can get out and walk the length of the plane a couple times to keep up my circulation. Anyway the in middle seat and the window seat there were two guys that to be professional football players. These guys had shoulders like 3 feet wide my top half was clear out into the aisle. The stewardess saw the situation and she found another empty seat for the guy the middle seat. I am only 5' 10" and 200 lbs. and I have almost zero leg room myself.