How do you know if you will need a seat belt extender on the plane? I would prefer to buy one ahead of time if I need it.

I tried to anticipate this "problem" when I made my travel plans. I live in west palm beach, and have scheduled VSG w/ Dr Aceves on May 28 in Mexicali. SPIRIT Airlines (and some others) now offer a few "business sized seats" (2 per row) in their econo sections. Obviously you pay a bit more ($100 each way) for these seats. Since I wanted to do some post-op real estate investigating around Prescott AZ. I flew Ft. Lauderdale to Meza AZ (on Spirit) and will drive the 4 hrs to Calimex and cross the boarder there. After my surgery (during recovery) I intend to visit the www.tridipanel.com.mx industrial factory (where they make the panels). After my post-op release I plan to drive back, spend a few days looking at Prescott / Flagstaff before sitting my fat ass in a "business size" seat and flying back to Florida. I think the "worry" relief of NOT having to deal with seat-belt issues or the even worse problem of being charged "double seating" makes the advanced purchase of the over-sized seats worth the extra cost. And certainly will make the flight back more comfortable. Hell, even after I hit my "goal weight" (225lbs) I might still book the econo business seats when I can. IMHO spending $200 extra is a stress busting benefit.

Before sitting my fat a.....thanks a lot. I'm sitting here post op and I didn't want a deep belly laugh

I just hoped the flight wasn't full. People could clearly see that I was encroaching on the seat next to me and my mom was by the window. Oddly enough no one sat in the middle :/ This is Southwest with the festival seating

_{this is all of our greatest fears http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/24/man-reportedly-kicked-off-southwest-flight-for-being-overweight/?test=latestnews I feel "relieved" that I booked the "oversize" seats}

Oh goodness sakes. I fly them home on Friday. Prayers please

I'm an airline employee. I can tell you asking for an extension is not an issue. I was my heaviest back in September 2012 when my whole family took a Hawaii vacation. On every leg of the flight I needed an extension. I simply asked the flight attendant as she made her rounds. (Sometimes they approached me. Lets face it.. I wasn't fooling anyone into thinking I was skinny!) They will not think any thing about it. And taking your own extension is not an option. While you can buy them on many websites, if the flight attendant sees you use it, she will just bring you one of the airline's and ask you to use it instead.

I was sleeved on 2/27 and I'm down 70 lbs since that trip to Hawaii. I won't be asking for an extension the next time I fly.

I have had to use an extender many times over the years. I always fly spirit. I purchased my own extender for $25 on eBay and have never had an issue using it. I carry it on in my purse and just put it on. No flight attendant who has seen me has ever said a peep.