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Last week, the blowup over Hollywood actor/director Kevin Smith’s ejection from a Southwest Airlines flight sparked a flurry of controversy over the way that larger Americans travel. Southwest, a notable low-cost carrier in the U.S., has a policy stating that obese flyers who cannot fit into a single airplane seat without being able to put down the armrest must purchase two seats, both for their own comfort and for the convenience of passengers seated next to them. Smith took the matter to Twitter, where he furiously berated Southwest for their poor handling of the matter. Smith’s fame made his personal experience very visible, but the fact remains that this is something that normal people have to deal with everyday.

Nor are heavyweights the only ones who have to cope with discomfort, embarrassment, and/or difficulties when flying. The standard coach airline seat has just seventeen inches of space allotted to each passenger with the seats’ width, and very little legroom. Very tall flyers also have trouble squeezing into standard seats, especially when the passenger in front of them has decided to put down their seat back to recline. (Want to spark a war on an online forum without too much effort? Just ask, innocently, whether the space behind an airplane seat belongs to the person sitting in it – with regards to reclining – or the person behind it, who may want to use their tray table for a laptop, eating, or reading.) I myself don’t have an opinion on whether these policies are fair or should be changed. I’m merely here to offer a suggestion.

Passengers who are too tall or heavy to fly without purchasing an extra seat might do better to travel to their destination by car, if at all possible. This is both a financial and realistic suggestion. First of all, even the cheapest airplane seats get really expensive if you are having to buy two for a round-trip. Travelling by auto is almost always going to be more economical. Secondly, it might be more comfortable. I frankly think that it must be embarrassing for the poor passenger who has bought two seats, especially on a carrier like Southwest with open seating. Can you imagine someone asking you if the seat next to you is taken (as people tend to do on that airline), and you having to explain that it technically is, since you purchased both? Never mind the issue of people who might be right on the border of possibly being too heavy. Smith had, reportedly, travelled on Southwest in recent weeks with just one seat and without any airline personnel raising a stink. The decision as to whether someone is too “fat to fly” is left with the flight attendants, and is therefore quite arbitrary. If you think you will be fine, and then have a snitty steward(ess) telling you otherwise, you risk being ejected from your flight like Smith. Travelling by car is a surefire way to avoid these headaches. That’s in addition to the fact that you can pick your own music, and carry more luggage than just two dinky suitcases weighing less than fifty pounds apiece. (I actually think that more travelers of ALL sizes should consider car travel as opposed to flight, in terms of domestic leisure destinations. Why put up with being squeezed like cattle into an airborne metal tube, even if you are a skinny/normal size?)