[Slowtravelbug]

My husband and I booked and paid extra for premium seats in a two seat row according to the seat map on the QA website and ended up in a three seat row with a hugely obese person on the aisle. The person’s body took up much of my husband’s seat and table pace. We seriously considered deplaning as the thought of enduring 14+ hours trapped in our seats was unbearable, but we did not want to cause a problem and the flight was completely full. If there was an emergency, we would not have gotten out. The obese person could not easily stand without assistance and a cane, which had to be retrieved by a flight attendant, and was wedged in. We were trapped, and my husband could not lower his tray table due to the person’s leg in the way, so could not eat. The armrests could not be lowered, because the obese person took up half my husband’s seat, forcing him into my seat space. We spent the entire flight firmly pressed against each other and we could not lower any of the armrests. The flight attendant provided a seatbelt extender that required my husband’s assistance to buckle as the person could not reach it. We did not want to cause a problem or embarrass our seat mate. The seat map was incorrect when we chose and paid for our seats. I have never flown Qatar Airways before and read great reviews, but this experience was unacceptable. The obese person should book and pay for two seats. It was the worst flight we have ever experienced in our decades of travel on six continents. We paid extra for two premium seats, and ended up with 1.5 seats that were unsafe and extremely uncomfortable, and we couldn’t use the washroom for 13 hours. It was traumatizing. I have filed a report with QA and with the US Department of Transportation. QA put us off for ten months and is refusing any compensation.