Zoot Suit

Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines, came under fire for removing an overweight passenger from a flight. Now, five months later, the airline has done it again – but this time they kicked off a thin passenger to make room for an obese teenager, MyFoxdfw.com reported.
The Dallas-based airline confirmed that Southwest representatives asked the 5-foot, 4-inch woman, weighing 110 pounds, to get off the flight. She was flying standby from Las Vegas to Sacramento and had paid the full fare for the last available seat on the plane.
The woman said she had just sat down only to be told she would have to exit the plane immediately to make room for the 14-year-old who needed two seats.
"It didn't seem right that I should have to leave to accommodate someone who had only paid for one seat," the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Sacramento Bee.
The frequent flier said she was also berated by the crew when she began to protest.
A spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines said officials intend to apologize to the woman over the incident.
"We know this was awkward and we should have handled it better," Marilee McInnis said.






Woman Removed From Plane to Make Room for Overweight Teen - Incredible Health - FOXNews.com

CaptainCarl

I love fatties... Especially making fun of them

ToiletDuck

I applaud SWA for charging double if they require two seats. I don't see what's so wrong about it. EVERY airline should be doing it and I'm very shocked they don't. As a pilot it really bothers me because our business lives on customer service. Forcing someone to sit next to someone else that's 1/2 into their seat because they are so huge just isn't fair to the other passenger. I have no sympathy for most of them because it's a bunch of laziness and lack of discipline on their part. A 14yr old so big they need two seats? Buy two or get off the aircraft. Start walking or something. I see people so fat they make others push them around the airport in wheelchairs then next think I know I see them at McDonalds pounding down a burger.

I don't see why we can't make this a legal issue. We plan on an average wait per pax seated in a seat. If they take up two seats they need to be counted twice.

TonyWilliams

The 14 y.o. fatty was not on standby, apparently, so I guess she needed to be flown.

But, at what point do you determine that? Maybe when they book the ticket, they should ask what you weigh? A little box, "click here if you're a wide body!", which directs them to a page which discusses that they may need two seats?

Yes, the gate agent should have been on the lookout, and stopped the fatty before she got on and told her that she needed two seats. And then the skinny standby girl would never have got on at all. Either way, she wasn't going.

Ewfflyer

I was on a SWA flight about 2 months ago where a woman had actually bought 2 seats for her one body. Good, bad, definately ugly regardless. You would think that it would be the wake-up call some folks need.

Slice

Just like the bag sizer(that nobody ever uses), just get a pair of arm rests mounted by the gate and if it looks iffy, see if they can or can't fit in between them.

rickair7777

Weeeell...she was probably an unaccompanied minor, so they pretty much had to take her. Standby is standby.

minitour

Like roller coasters at the amusement park?

Here's a mock-up of the seat and harness. If you can't fit in this, you can't fit in the one on the ride. Sorry.

I like it.

-mini

DashDriverYV

Okay, we have all seen the shows on TV with the testing of new aircraft. What is the certified weight limit of the seats and restraints? If a person needs to occupy two seats, and only use one seat belt, aren't they exceeding the maximum design strength of the belt?
I know the use average weights and dimensions when developing the seats, is that taken into account. Could there ever be, "Sorry, you exceeded the limitations of this aircraft" from a gate agent?

WmuGrad07

That's when they just strap in one thigh on each seat and pray their is no problems on the flight.