SHOULD overweight people pay for two seats on a plane if they take up extra room?

That's the question we asked our readers after a Queensland judge ordered an airline to pay a man's travel costs for a medical exam after he suffered a back injury from sitting next to an overweight person on a plane.

James Andres Bassos took Etihad Airways to court, claiming he was forced to twist and contort his body to avoid touching the large man sitting next to him whose body was encroaching into his seat, on a flight between Sydney and Dubai in October 2011.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: MAN SUES AIRLINE AFTER SITTING NEXT TO OVERWEIGHT PASSENGER 

Daily readers were divided on the topic on our Facebook page. 

Some argued the plane operated on weight and that overweight people were bringing more kilos with them. 

Similarly some of our readers questioned why they were forced to check some carry-on baggage when other passengers were twice their size.

Here's a wrap of your debate.

Taran Epicness: Yes. Operational costs of air travel are directly related to the amount of weight aboard the plane. If we have to pay more to carry more luggage, then why don't bigger people pay more.

Kieran Tunbridge: I have had to check my camera bag when I took it on a plane and that's only 15kg and the passenger next to me weighed twice my body weight. Needless to say i was pretty off it.

Orestes Roumeliotis: If you need two seats then you need two seats. Eat less, the world doesn't need to make excuses just because you're fat.

Erin Jaye Allan: There's no reason to get defensive. The thing is, it's unfair to expect the person sitting beside you to endure an uncomfortable trip because of your weight. They paid for their seat and if you're overflowing into it, you can argue that you're fat for medical reasons all you like - that doesn't make it your fellow passenger's problem.

Tamara White: So we can sue parents that let their kids kick the back of the seats and be noisy?

Tracey Tk Drew: It's quite a difficult point to argue- the 'overweight man' could have been a 'smelly b.o poor hygiene man' or be the 'incredibly tall and legs can't fit man' or the 'woman who has a screaming baby'. To sue the airline is quite ridiculous. More so the judge who ruled in favour of the discomforted man.  

Christelle Odendaal:  So tall people needs to be compensated too because their legs cant fit with their legs pushing into seats in front?

Sam Tolliday: As human beings we come in all shapes and sizes. Short and tall. Skinny and fat. What a lot of you are failing at is your humanity and discriminating against your fellow man/woman. The airlines should take due care to make sure that they comply to enable all users of the aircraft a safe and comfortable flight.