Flier sues Emirates for 'spillover' from obese seatmate

An Emirates passenger is suing the airline after he says he had to sit next to an obese passenger for nearly nine hours on a July flight from Cape Town to Dubai.

Giorgio Destro – a lawyer from the northern Italian city of Padua – claims the “spillover” from the man seated next to him ruined his trip. Destro says he asked crew to find him another seat, but that they were unable to do so because the flight was full, according to a report in the Italian newspaper Mattina Padova.

Now, Destro – who says he’s a “Gold” member of Emirates’ frequent-flier program – is suing the carrier for about €2,759. That includes €759 (about $847) in compensation for his fare and €2000 (about $2,232) in damages, according to The Telegraph of London.

“For nine hours, I had to stand in the aisle, sit on seats reserved for the cabin crew when they were free, and in the final phase of flight resign myself to suffer the spillover of the passenger at my side,” Destro is quoted by the Toronto Sun as saying to the Italian newspaper.

Destro says he took a picture from the flight to prove his case.

Emirates has said it cannot respond directly to the comments since the litigation is pending.

The case is scheduled to be heard in Italy on Oct. 30.

Stay tuned …

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