Etihad Airways are being sued by an Australian man after he was forced to sit next to an obese passenger on a long-haul flight.
James Bassos claims he now suffers back pain, which affects his sleep and concentration, after he was forced to twist and contort his body to avoid touching the overweight passenger.
The incident took place on a 14-hour flight from the United Arab Emirates to Sydney back in 2012, but now Mr Bassos will finally have to face a medical.
Etihad disputed the charge from the start, and have attempted to get it thrown out of court. They say it is common for customers to have to sit next to obese passengers if the flight is fully booked, and that he was allowed to sit on a crew seat at the back of the plane for part of the flight.
Mr Bassos is suing for claimed loss of earnings and medical expenses, and is after $227,000.
What a cheeky bastard. It doesn’t sound like a very pleasant experience, but for that much money you’d have thought the man had sat on him for the duration of the flight.
