Italian lawyer sues Emirates over nine-hour flight next to obese man

A man is suing Emirates after spending nine hours on a flight next to a large fellow passenger.

Giorgio Destro, from Padua, says he had to contend with the man "spilling" over his seat on the flight from Cape Town to Dubai.

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Mr Destro said he asked to change seats on the flight in July, but could not move because the flight was fully booked.

According to The Local, he said: "For 9 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."


He also shared a photograph he took of himself and his seat mate as evidence of his discomfort.

The Evening Standard reports that he is asking for €2,759.51 (£2,375.23) in compensation: €759.51 (£653.87) as a refund for the flight, and €2,000 (£1,721.81) in damages.

The case will be heard in court on 20 October in Padua.

The paper adds that Emirates were unable to comment as it's an ongoing legal matter.

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We've heard of vomiting bugs in hotels and cruises but rarely on a plane. On a flight from Chile to Sydney in August 2013, 26 passengers became violently ill with gastroenteritis after celebrating at a festival in Brazil and picking up the bug before boarding the plane. Some of the passengers were taken to hospital once the plane landed in Sydney and the plane had to be quarantined and disinfected upon arrival. This is one flight we're really glad we weren't on as the Boeing 747-400 only had eight toilets and the group developed vomiting and diarrhoea.