According to a CNN.com poll, 75 percent of those surveyed think overweight passengers should be required to buy an extra airline seat. What do you think? The issue has been thrust to the forefront of the travel industry this week after director Kevin Smith was asked to disembark a Southwest Airlines flight for being too heavy. The airline cited safety concerns and the comfort of other passengers as the reason for the request.

Smith usually purchases two airline seats when flying Southwest. In this particular instance, he was flying standby and there was only one seat available on the flight. He was allowed to board, and as far as I can tell from the accounts I’ve read, he was seated with the armrest down and seatbelt fastened. It was at this moment he asked was to leave the flight. I can only imagine how embarrassing the situation was for all parties involved.

Southwest does have a policy for overweight passengers, requiring them to purchase two seats if they cannot sit in the seat with the armrests down. If the flight is not full, Southwest will reimburse the passenger for the second seat. Policies surrounding this topic differ from airline to airline.

Those opposed to these policies cite discrimination. Those in favor of the policies cite safety concerns and the comfort of other passengers. No matter which side of the debate you are on, there is no denying this is a touchy subject. And is there really a clear-cut answer to this problem? I searched the Internet and read various policies. All of them that I found state the armrest is the deciding factor. There was no weight limit given. Airline seats vary from airline to airline. A passenger might fit comfortably on one flight and not on another. Judging by past experience, they wouldn’t buy two seats. Awkwardness will ensue. There is no simple solution here.

The debate continues. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

— Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive