Obese Man On American Airlines Flight (PICTURE, POLL)

MSNBC passes along this picture of a slightly awkward situation on an American Airlines flight.

Originally reported by Kieran Daly at airline blog FlightGlobal.com, the picture was supposedly taken by a worried flight attendant who wanted to ensure that the seating arrangement didn't compromise the safety of the other passengers.

Here's FlightGlobal:

"This is sent to me with the absolute assurance that it's a genuine picture taken by a flight attendant at American Airlines. The F/A took it to show her manager what was happening on the aircraft (757???) and why she was unhappy about it. Seems the guy paid for only one seat and the gate staff let him board."

As we pointed out earier this year, some airlines are now requiring obese passengers to buy more than one seat. Last year United Airlines had received "more than 700 complaints last year from passengers 'who did not have a comfortable flight because the person next to them infringed on their seat,' an airline spokesman said."

UPDATE: The New York Post has more details on this incident. According to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson, the passenger in question was given "a whole row to himself" to comply with safety regulations. According to the Post, the flight staff was worried that the passenger would obstruct the plane's aisles in the event of an emergency. Read the entire story here.

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