Time for the airlines to install wide load seats at special loaded prices and avoid causing discomfort for others. Alternatively charge travellers at a rate per kilo all inclusive (person plus all luggage)
Also put screamers in a separate sound proofed area
125kg woman told she's "too fat to fly" From Joshua Crouthamel on ninemsn
We've often discussed budget airlines and their threats of instituting a fat tax on the Armchair Traveller blog, but it seems a certain low-cost carrier in the US has gotten serious about charging the chubby. And in a way that's both demeaning and humiliating.
Kenlie Tiggeman, a political strategist in New York City, writes a blog about her struggle to lose weight, and to date she's lost 55 kilos. But unfortunately that wasn't enough for a Southwest Airline gate attendant in Dallas, Texas.
Tiggeman and her 65-year-old mother had been given boarding passes for a connecting flight and were waiting to board when a Southwest employee approached them and ordered them to buy additional seats ... in front of more than 100 other passengers.
The airline has a "Customers of Size" policy which requires a passenger unable to fit between arm rests, which are 43cm apart, to purchase an additional seat. Unfortunately for Tiggeman and her mum, the agent who approached them was unable to articulate the policy and instead just told them that they were "too fat to fly".
"I know that I have a lot of weight to lose but I am definitely not too fat to fly," says Tiggeman. "I do it all the time, domestically and internationally, and I have never had anyone approach me and particularly in the way that (he) did."
To add insult to ... well, insult, another big boy in the boarding area was left alone. "At no point during this half-hour ordeal did anyone from Southwest say anything to the gigantic male who plays (gridiron) for Louisiana State University," gripes Tiggeman. "For the record, according to his roster stats, that football player is (2m tall) and weighs (143kg)! That makes him well over a foot taller than me and almost (22kg) heavier!
Issues with Southwest's "Customers of Size" policy are not new. A spokeswoman said employees are told to chat with passengers in a private area and, if necessary, check if they fit in the seats prior to boarding. However, Tiggeman and her mother, Joan Charpentier, said the 45 minute conversation, which included questions about their weight and what size clothing they wear, in front of more than 100 people, was anything but discreet.
"It was the worst time I've ever had in my whole life. I was embarrassed, humiliated," said Charpentier.
Tiggeman says, in her blog: For the record, I can sit in any seat on the plane with the armrests down. I can use the seat tray table to place my laptop or water comfortably in front of me. I can cross my legs, read a book and/or listen to my iPod without encroaching on the seat next to me.
Once the Southwest employee (a large lad himself; see below) was called up on his indiscretion, he tried to bargain with Tiggeman, her mum, and another passenger ticketed on the same flight (seen with the gate attendant in the picture below): if all three ladies would sit together in the same row, they wouldn't be charged an additional fee.
Once Tiggeman pulled out her smart phone and started recording their interaction, Mr Southwest changed his tune, apologised, and offered the ladies a $200 voucher each for their troubles.
In response, Tiggeman blogs: Your $200 voucher is laughable at best. It's not even enough to cover a (return) flight. And can you promise me that I won't face the same harassment on the next flight if I did fly Southwest again? Your say: What's too fat to fly? What kilo limit should be enforced at the gate? What you said: Not too fat in Perth said: I'm sorry but as a normal sized person why should I have to endure the overflow from someone sitting next to me. If you are large you just have to accept that airline seats dont accommodate you and you need to buy two. Sucks I know but thats life.
