According to Air France, they have denied reports that came out stating that the company planned an extra charge for overweight passengers if they were unable to fit into a single seat. Instead, the carrier said that overweight passengers who had freely chosen to buy an extra seat for comfort would get their money back on flights that were not fully booked.

Air France went on to say that contrary to reports in the press that came out earlier this week, The company is not planning to force overweight passengers to pay for a second seat. Air France went on to say that since 2005 it has offered overweight passengers the option to buy a second seat at a 25 percent discount for their comfort.

A spokesman for Air France, Jean Pierre Lefebvre, said that it is not at all an obligation. The airline suggests to such passengers that they can buy a second seat for their own comfort and in order to be sure that their seats are adapted to their needs. If the plane is not full, they can get a refund.

Several other newspapers have said that obese passengers that are flying with Air France would have to pay 75 percent of the cost of a second seat on top of the full price for the first seat. They also pointed out that this was a measure introduced for safety reasons.

United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have policies where oversized people need to buy a second seat and can claim a refund if the plane is not full. This policy followed complaints for adjacent passengers who had to sit next to the overweight passengers.