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Southwest Airlines Community

Not So Silent Bob

cday
Frequent Flyer C

Many of you reached out to us via Twitter last night and today regarding a situation a Customer Twittered about that occurred on a Southwest flight.  It is not our customary method of Customer Relations to be so public in how we work through these situations, but with so many people involved in the occurrence, you also should be involved in the solution. First and foremost, to Mr. Smith; we would like to echo our Tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you.   We are sincerely sorry for your travel experience on Southwest Airlines. 

As soon as we saw the first Tweet from Mr. Smith, we contacted him personally to apologize for his experience and to address his concerns on both Twitter and with a personal phone call. Since the situation has received a lot of public attention, we'd like to take the opportunity to address a few of the specifics here as well.

Mr. Smith originally purchased two Southwest seats on a flight from Oakland to Burbank – as he’s been known to do when traveling on Southwest.  He decided to change his plans and board an earlier flight to Burbank, which technically means flying standby. As you may know, airlines are not able to clear standby passengers until all Customers are boarded. When the time came to board Mr. Smith, we had only a single seat available for him to occupy. We are responsible for the Safety and comfort of all Customers on the aircraft and therefore, we made a judgment call that Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight. Our Employees explained why the decision was made, accommodated Mr. Smith on a later flight, and issued him a $100 Southwest travel voucher for his inconvenience.

You've read about these situations before. Southwest instituted our Customer of Size policy more than 25 years ago. The policy requires passengers that can not fit safely and comfortably in one seat to purchase an additional seat while traveling. This policy is not unique to Southwest Airlines and it is not a revenue generator. Most, if not all, carriers have similar policies, but unique to Southwest is the refunding of the second seat purchased (if the flight does not oversell) which is greater than any revenue made (full policy can be found here). The spirit of this policy is based solely on Customer comfort and Safety. As a Company committed to serving our Customers in Safety and comfort, we feel the definitive boundary between seats is the armrest. If a Customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a Customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement.

1,758 Comments
Tinkerbell
Explorer C
Thank you Southwest for protecting me from the fat seatmate. I always get stuck by the fat guy who takes up half my seat. If I'm in the middle seat between two fat folks then i have no seat. I want my seat to myself, thank you. I love my Southwest Airlines.
Anonymous2855
Explorer C
The captain has unlimited authority over what does and does not happen on his aircraft. If he wants you off, you are off.
I_support_South
Explorer C
I am with you 100% Southwest. Smith is a vulgar, spoiled, unprofessional, lying brat. I am fat too, and don't expect the world to make exceptions for me. He chose the earlier flight. If I can't take on extra baggage without being charged, I shouldn't be able to take on my extra spare tire around the middle either. I am all for anti-discrimination...but this isn't about fat discrimination. It is about a jerk with a fat ego. I have always loved SW and this won't change that.
Anonymous4586
Explorer C
Have you people SEEN Kevin Smith? The dude is a blob and I wouldn't want him sitting next to me, for comfort or safety concerns. If he spent a fraction of the time in the gym that he has spent whining on twitter about this, perhaps he wouldn't be in this predicament. I say good job Southwest.
Anonymous614
Explorer C
I agree with most here - people who overflow into the other seat should have to purchase it. I personally never want to have some stranger pressed against me for hours on a flight. Kuddos to Southwest for handling the situation - my concern however, if Mr. Smith wasn't a celebrity would he have gotten this treatment? I'm flying to CA soon if my flight isn't good and I tweet to you will you personally call me?
FatGuyinMA
Explorer C
Well put me in the GO KEVIN SMITH camp. You are overtly discriminating against fat people and for a made-up reason of "safety." But, as pointed out previously, you allow people on with crutches and casts and who have walkers and need wheelchairs, etc. etc. etc. It is blatant and rude. I will NEVER FLY SOUTHWEST AGAIN. UNLESS YOU CHANGE THIS HORRIBLE POLICY. You have the choice of being inclusive or being cruel and vindictive against people who you choose to discriminate against. Frankly... I am only assume that the employees you FORCE to enforce these policies would be glad to see them go as well. Bye for now.
Anonymous4078
Explorer C
I've flown Southwest only one time: Christmas 2009 from San Jose, CA to Reno NV and back. It was a lot better than my previous flying experience many years ago when the Delta Airlines pilot, taxiing (sp?) to get onto the runway, left the pavement with the plane and got us stuck in the mud. The many hours of delays in Jackson, Mississippi and arranging flights the NEXT day in Jackson caused me to miss my step-brother's memorial service. Because of this and all the so-called security measures, I made it a point NOT to fly anywhere if I could avoid it. No real apology from Delta was ever extended so I'll never fly Delta again if there is an alternative. Anyway, enough background and now to the matter hat hand ... I finally relented somewhat and chose SWA to fly on my Christmas holiday. That was largely because of their "bags fly free" policy vis-a-vis how other airlines are ripping off customers. If I was married ... oops ... wrong kind of bag. As I said, I had a good experience on the SWA flight. Dealing with things in the airport is still a p.i.t.a. To the issue at hand, from what I have gleaned from the original story, or at least the version I have read and discussion thereof, the captain has the final say as to whether you get bumped off the flight or not. Maybe there should be some objective criteria here, not just how the captain feels. As to how many tickets were bought and whether he was on standby status or not, this is relatively immaterial. If SWA felt the need to apologize after many people brought this issue to light, SWA should have apologized before many people brought this to light. Better yet, this customer should have been treated with dignity and respect and not booted off of the plane because the captain "felt" the customer was too large. It seems as though the apology was just corporate spin control. God knows, companies NEVER EVER do this. Yeah, right. In conclusion, I don't exactly have any sympathy for SWA in this case. They put themselves in a no-win situation. While SWA and other corporatons may have their policies and such, that does not make it right. My sympathies are going to the customer that was treated so poorly. I will not boycott SWA for this (this does not rise to the standard that caused me to avoid Delta), but I certainly hope things like this do not happen again. OK, I'm an optimist. PJ
Anonymous4617
Explorer C
Southwest = "Friendliest Airline"? BULLSHIT. Even though I'm super fit - I'm never flying your airlines. Discrimination is crap.
iamrafsusername
Explorer C
The only reason to ever fly Southwest is if you are in a hurry and money is an issue. If my budget affords it, I fly almost any other airline other than Southwest. As a few other people have posted already, if possible, I'd buy an extra seat as well. (I'm 5'8 and 185lbs... average size.) Mostly because the rest of the people on the airplane are so damned annoying. I'm a writer/artist and when I'm not dulling my senses on the plane with a couple whiskeys, I'm sketching or writing. Can't really do that when the old fart next to me is looking over my shoulder or asking me what I'm drawing or giving me their opinion on my work. "Ooh, that's scary-looking! You should draw a puppy!" Seriously, Granny? Bite me. A while back on a flight back from Minn. on a different airline, me and my brother got royally screwed over, due to our flight being delayed from 10am to about 10pm. He had to go to work the next day and we had already turned in the rental car. No way we were staying at the airport for the rest of the day. We complained. For two hours. Some other passengers did as well. Eventually, we got bumped up to an earlier flight that connected in Denver on our way back to Phoenix. These new seats were also First Class on a different airline. Moral of the story? Squeaky wheel gets the oil. If you get screwed over, complain until the situation is rectified. There's no reason a paying customer should have to put up with mediocrity from an airline. My twitter is @iamrafsusername feel free to contact me if you disagree.
Anonymous1223
Explorer C
Poorly handled. I was particularly moved by the story Mr. Smith related on his podcast about the young woman you humiliated on his next flight. This is just to let you know that I, like so many others, will never, ever fly your airline again (and I gotta say, decorating this posting with scattered peanuts gives the impression you deem it of little importance--also not so swift). Good luck in your next corporate endevour.
Anonymous22
Explorer C
I've heard over and over again that your seats are ridiculously small. Perhaps it's not Kevin Smith who was the problem here? Also, is it your policy to publicly shame people who you feel cannot "fit" into your seats designed for pubescent teens? I wonder if Kevin Smith had been a women with a plastic surgery enhanced triple E chest if she would have been labeled a safety risk by the captain? Somehow, I think not. I think the captain would have invited her up to the cockpit for a closer view. Try again Southwest.
Anonymous4189
Explorer C
Listen to the Smodcast. What really pushed Kevin over the edge was that once he actually got on a flight, they pulled the girl who was sitting beside him off of his plane and subjected her to the exact same humiliation. Not two hours after they did it to him. Sounds to me like this particular gate crew really screwed the pooch when it came to implementing the corporate "2 fat 2 fly" policy. (Or maybe they were following the policy, verbatim, who knows?) Southwest should back down from it's current (very weak attempt at an) apology, publicly admit that this crew screwed up, and implement a better policy.
Anonymous4499
Explorer C
Southwest - Do not back down from your company policy. I can assure you that more of your customers think your policy is a good idea. It is time that the rights of other flyers are taken into consideration.
Gary6
Explorer C
I have flown Southwest many times in the past. Never again will I use your airline. How utterly unprofessional, kiss my business goodbye.
gowri
Explorer C
What if i smell bad man, Will i have to buy all the seats upto the extent of which my body odor can travel ? Will u chuck me off board cos customers may wanna use up the oxygen cylinders and not save it for an emergency ? :-/
Anonymous668
Explorer C
I forwarded several reports on this incident to family and friends. Result: No more travel for us on Southwest (10+ people who regularly travel by air in the US and to international destinations). By the way, wasn't it Southwest that deplaned a young woman because her dress was deemed too short? Maybe Southwest could re-brand itself as the airline for judgmental busy bodies.
Anonymous37
Explorer C
Shame on you, SWA. Between kicking off overweight passengers and passengers not dressed in what you want them to be in (but wearing more than your flight attendants did back in the 1970s & early 80s), you truly are a despicable company. You have great schedules and fares, but because you treat people the way you do, I will no longer purchase another ticket from you. Grow up. Be ethical.
Andrew1
Explorer C
Does everyone who is defending SW know that Kevin Smith actually fit in his seat??? Meaning he WAS able to fit WITHIN the armrests AND buckle his seat belt with no problem. ALSO both passengers on either side of Smith said they were OK. There seems to be many misinformed people here thinking Smith was spilling out of his seat. This was NOT the case, he fit within the seat according to THEIR RULES. And they STILL kicked him off the flight. How is this enforcing their policy? If Smith did not fit in his seat fine, but the fact of the matter is he did. So how are there actual people here who can still defend SW? It make me want to pull my hair out. Add to that the overwhelming inconsiderate and mean-spirited comments about overweight people, that sound like they were written by 5th graders btw, and I find myself at a complete loss of words for humanity. Seriously, there are comments on here about "fatties" that are a few degrees shy of calling for a type of genocide.
Anonymous1466
Explorer C
Your policy states that "the armrest is the definitive gauge for a Customer of size. It serves as the boundary between seats and measures 17 inches in width. Customers who are unable to lower both armrests and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating should proactively book the number of seats needed prior to travel". Mr Smith states that he was able to lower both armrests. Do you dispute this? Or was the criteria for having him removed from the flight that he compromised a portion of the adjacent seating? I think this second portion of your policy needs clarification. What is meant by "compromise"? Is this an objective or subjective assessment by the captain? Why is the armrest gauge mentioned as being definitive in one sentence and then undermined in the next? Why is it even used as an assessment metric if a passenger is subject to a subjective visual assessment by the captain? What training does a captain undergo in assessing the flight risk of overweight passengers? Mr Smith also states that he flew in a single seat on a later flight. Do you dispute this claim? Was one of your captain's judgments compromised on this matter? If so, which one, and what actions will you be taking to remedy this matter so such arbitrary decision making does not subject another passenger to an embarrassing and unfair situation? I have flown almost exclusively on Southwest for the past eight years, and have generally been pleased with the level of service and commitment and competence of your staff and crews. This apparent arbitrary judgment on the part of one of your pilots calls into question your fairness to passengers and a failure of communication between cabin crew and your staff on the ground. I would appreciate an answer, as well as a reexamination of your policy and its wording. Thank you for your time.
Anonymous1466
Explorer C
Your policy states that "the armrest is the definitive gauge for a Customer of size. It serves as the boundary between seats and measures 17 inches in width. Customers who are unable to lower both armrests and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating should proactively book the number of seats needed prior to travel". Mr Smith states that he was able to lower both armrests. Do you dispute this? Or was the criteria for having him removed from the flight that he compromised a portion of the adjacent seating? I think this second portion of your policy needs clarification. What is meant by "compromise"? Is this an objective or subjective assessment by the captain? Why is the armrest gauge mentioned as being definitive in one sentence and then undermined in the next? Why is it even used as an assessment metric if a passenger is subject to a subjective visual assessment by the captain? What training does a captain undergo in assessing the flight risk of overweight passengers? Mr Smith also states that he flew in a single seat on a later flight. Do you dispute this claim? Was one of your captain's judgments compromised on this matter? If so, which one, and what actions will you be taking to remedy this matter so such arbitrary decision making does not subject another passenger to an embarrassing and unfair situation? I have flown almost exclusively on Southwest for the past eight years, and have generally been pleased with the level of service and commitment and competence of your staff and crews. This apparent arbitrary judgment on the part of one of your pilots calls into question your fairness to passengers and a failure of communication between cabin crew and your staff on the ground. I would appreciate an answer, as well as a reexamination of your policy and its wording. Thank you for your time.
Anonymous3483
Explorer C
Thanks Southwest. I will gladly pay another airline more money to fly the same route because of your bullshit policies.
Anonymous156
Explorer C
I'm not surprised you're burying your head in the sand regarding the person of size slight on Kevin Smith. I wonder how well sticking to your guns on this issue will bear out when people will stop using your airline. I think you need to remember the we are the customers, without us, you have no company. You seem to have a few bad apples, either train them, or move them away from the customers.
Anthony5
Explorer C
Southwest; I travel over 15,000 miles a year, over half on your planes...Not any more. He conformed to your standards, and you still kicked him off. If he usually buys 5 seats cause he like s to strech out, would then expect him to ALWAYS buy 5 seats. NO! You are out of line and quite frankly discriminatory. You have lost quite a few customers and now one more. Anthony
Anonymous3596
Explorer C
I live in Dallas and have flown SW for years. No longer. You herd passengers like cattle, pack them like sardines, then insult those who pay for tickets. Why not create a couple of oversized seats reserved for the overweight, rather then make a huge spectacle just to maintain your margins. BTW... you use to be a cheaper alternative... I encourage others to check other airline prices. SW is no longer the cheap way to go.
Anthony5
Explorer C
Southwest; I travel over 15,000 miles a year, over half on your planes...Not any more. He conformed to your standards, and you still kicked him off. If he usually buys 5 seats cause he like s to strech out, would then expect him to ALWAYS buy 5 seats. NO! You are out of line and quite frankly discriminatory. You have lost quite a few customers and now one more. Anthony
Anonymous3585
Explorer C
Do you really think it's ok to post his ticket-purchase history publicly without his permission? Is than anything other than an attempt to embarrass him?
Tiffany6
Explorer C
I'm agreeing with the majority here and say this... My and family and I will never fly with your company again! I can not believe you would make someone get off the airplane in the way and manner as you made Mr. Smith. I'm also going to say that you probably wouldn't of put out such a blog nor would you have been as accommodating to a normal person. If this was a person without the financial means as him nor with the ability to be as vocal this manner would of been ignored and you wouldn't of been seen as if you were trying to lie your way through this situation. Stop and realize that people with not a lot of finances can't in general afford more than 1 seat! maybe you guys need to be more accomodating to the majority of the American public!
Anonymous787
Explorer C
Congrats Southwest. It doesn't matter who you are, if you are overweight, restrictions should apply in terms of travel. Certainly, Mr. Smith has the money to buy two seats, as he should. I am livid every time I'm on an airplane and have to share my seat with an obese person. Bottom line, Southwest did what I hoped they would have done. Hopefully, Smith can now focus on a career that died a decade ago.
Anonymous1920
Explorer C
I travel several times a month on Southwest and I'm a big guy myself. I have never been kicked off a plane but I can't risk the embarassment of getting kicked off a plane. I don't think I'll fly with you all anymore.
Anonymous3272
Explorer C
I'm glad this came to light... Obesity is the #1 killer in America folks. If you're too fat to sit on an airplane, you have a PROBLEM that you need to WORK ON. I applaud Southwest for their policy, and I will continue to fly Southwest with now hopefully fewer obese people. Look - there's nothing wrong with being obese, EXCEPT that you're extremely unhealthy and in danger of an early death if you don't DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Flying on an airplane is also just fine, as long as you don't make someone else's flight on that same airplane unsafe or highly unpleasant. For that matter, if it's unsafe for you to fly because you're too fat - then you shouldn't fly anyway. Exercise. It does a body good.
Anonymous4043
Explorer C
If you're going to make fat people buy two seats then I think that you need to make tall people buy two seats, as well. On my last flight, I had a tall guy next to me whose thighs were too long and he couldn't sit with his legs in front of him. He had to spread his legs apart to fit and his left thigh and knee were in my space. I was annoyed but not at him because it wasn't his fault that you don't have enough leg room for tall people. I was uncomfortable the whole time.
Anonymous4065
Explorer C
Southwest should offer to pay for Mr. Smith lap band surgery and Mr. Smith should book all his flights on a blimp like Goodyear Airlines.
poncho
Explorer C
some years ago on a flight from LA to SFO on a 737 aircraft the person in the next seat to mine must have weighed 300 or more pounds, while his bottom fit into the seat his upper torso spilled over into my area since it was a short flight I made no complaint. I approve of your policy that large persons must buy a second seat.
poncho
Explorer C
some years ago on a flight from LA to SFO on a 737 aircraft the person in the next seat to mine must have weighed 300 or more pounds, while his bottom fit into the seat his upper torso spilled over into my area since it was a short flight I made no complaint. I approve of your policy that large persons must buy a second seat.
poncho
Explorer C
some years ago on a flight from LA to SFO on a 737 aircraft the person in the next seat to mine must have weighed 300 or more pounds, while his bottom fit into the seat his upper torso spilled over into my area since it was a short flight I made no complaint. I approve of your policy that large persons must buy a second seat.
Phil10
Explorer C
I say ban every fat person you can. Not just the morbidly obese, but all of them. Post that height and weight chart right on the website and have a damn scale and measuring tape at the check in counter. It will certainly make flying SWA more comfortable as each flight will have about 15 people on it and tickets will be about $200 each way. Give me a break SWA! You are the freaking city bus of the sky and everyone knows it. That's not a bad thing, it's just that everyone knows that if you fly SWA you are gonna be packed in like cattle and it's gonna be on the cheap. If Mr. Smith fit the arm rest test then I would say you were contractually required to let him fly. Mr. Smith is someone who can shine a light on this. There are probably hundreds of people whom you have humilited like this who had no voice or platform. I spend a min of 5 days a week in the gym, am 6 feet tall and weigh 220. I'm not bragging but I'm very lean and very muscular and I can barely sit comfortably in one of your seats without my arms neededing to be pulled in as to not infringe on the preson next to me. I usually pick the isle to I can lean out a bit as to not infringe on the person next to me. Sure I get the hell beat out of my isle arm by people walking by, but I'm flying for dirt cheap. I've see larger passengers do this as well. I flew another carrier last month and was shocked by how much bigger the coach seats were compared to SWA. Of course I paid A LOT more for that flight. You're a cattle car airline, and you make money on filling planes to capcity, I get it. I'm okay with it but if he passed the test, then you are WRONG. I can't image if this happened to my brother or my mother for because they are larger (not morbidly obese, but heavier). Hell technically I'm "obese" according to those weight charts but obviously not one is going to look at me and question my fitness or my flying due to size. I have no stomach for this selective enforcement of a policy that has such humiliating effects. Taking my business elsewhere is about at loud as I can "speak" on this issue.
Anonymous1346
Explorer C
seems simple enough. if he can't fit in one seat, he should buy two. sitting next to fat people on a plane is a terrible experience. the seats are small enough already. having someone's blubber hanging into your space isn't fair.
David26
Explorer C
I love to fly southwest. I appreciate the care they take for everyone. I surprised that so many people have come to the defense of this guy. They must not fly southwest - EVER! If they have ever flown US Air or Delta or American they would know bad behavior by an airline! I will be flying southwest again this week!!!!!!
Nathan1
Explorer C
Despite being a Kevin Smith fan and a big guy myself, I was at first outraged, but I understand why the policies are what they are. There does remain two issues I don't feel are addressed however: 1. Mr. Smith was able to get into one seat and lower both arm rests. He's said it, it's been widely circulated, and I don't see a rebuttal for it anywhere. Also, he really isn't *that* big a guy. He's probably closer to average than your pilot was. 2. Airlines have been reducing seat size to get more seats on planes for years, yet people (Americans at least) have been steadily increasing in size. Not to single out SWA, but it would seem that this is a mess created by the airlines that should have been expected, you guys should have seen it coming and done something about it. Here's my suggestion, and it's based on what I've read that the weight of a plane is of paramount importance to safety and that also the balance factors heavily into this as well. I've read that pilots prefer more weight to the front for better control and airlines prefer weight to the rear for fuel economy. In either case, take a map of the seating arrangements on the regular planes and draw a triangle, with the base being the entirety of the end you want to favor with more weight, and the point being in the middle of the other end. The seats that fall entirely in that zone should be increased in size and sold at a slightly higher rate. Not double, but somewhere between current and double. For the jumbo, move one column of seats from either side of the middle to the sides and increase the size of the seats in the middle. Your engineers can fine-tune these figures, but the basic idea should hold. You put your heavier passengers to the middle and fore or aft and the balance should work itself out.
Beatrix_Kiddo
Explorer C
I love the policy and love this story. Nothing worse than having some "wide load" spilling into your seat. That's why I continue to be a SWA customer.
Chris__
Explorer C
Huge fan of Kevin... with that said, I think he's being overly dramatic. If SW is in the wrong on this, and based on his side of it it does appear that way, they have some apologizing to do. He should have handled the situation with more tact and had the people who(in an actual mistake of applying the rule) reprimanded, if not fired, for their error. Instead, he essentially folded his arms and cried about how unfair SW is. The policy isn't the problem... it's the application in this particular instance.
Anonymous726
Explorer C
With the large people now flying other airlines, who by the way have similar policies, it should be easier for me to fly SW w/o having someone encroach my space.
Anonymous1422
Explorer C
According to Kevin Smith he just spoke with someone from Southwest who said the pilot DID NOT EJECT HIM. Just come clean southwest and tell the truth about what happend. These half truths are not helping your case. I hope Kevin Smith begins appearing on shows and talks about Southwest.
Anonymous2501
Explorer C
Southwest Airlines (and all airlines) need to recognize the fact that the vast majority of americans are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control Website (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm) states that 67% of americans are overweight with 34% of them being obese. This means that only 33% of americans are considered skinny and can fit comfortably into the plane seat. With all of the airlines catering to the minority and their bottom line - smaller seats = more people = more money. Here's a bottom line for you - what happens when you make your product unavailable to 67% of the market? You go bankrupt. Americans are tired of bailing out big companies so I would go looking to the government to keep you afloat again.
Anonymous2190
Explorer C
Southwest must feel very proud that of the small percentage of people posting here who support your actions, the majority of those are ignorant, rude and feel quite free to openly mock larger people. How refreshing it must feel for your company to be championed by the boorish of society. You should definitely keep this PR campaign up, think of the untapped market... "Southwest... the airline for those with no manners." Well done.
Anonymous22
Explorer C
What amuses me is all the people who are "supporting" Southwest by talking about "fatties" and telling people to go eat snickers bars and what not as though it gives Southwest some sort of validation. It doesn't. It makes you look immature and actually weakens Southwest's position. So please, keep it up. You're only doing the rest of us a big favor.
Anonymous4478
Explorer C
Face it folks. Southwest Airlines has become the Greyhound Bus of the skies. As have most airlines. This is just a symptom of that change. When PR outweighs (no pun intended) actual service it becomes quite clear. Now all we need is the overflowing and smelly toilets that the buses always had. Oh...wait...we have that now don't we? The transition is complete. BTW I am fat and am not smelly and fly infrequently because of the trepidation involved with being locked in a slot with a bunch of loud, sometimes smelly, inconsiderate boobs. Also, because I was an aircraft controller in the USAF and I know what really goes on up there.
Bergroup
Explorer C
BRAVO Southwest Airlines!! By law the Captain is responsible for the safety of the passengers and crew. Too much attention has been given to this issue due to Mr. Smith's celebrity status. The real issue here deals with voluntary obesity. Every hour of every day 20 people die due to voluntary obesity related diseases and illnesses. 20 people! We complain about the high cost of medical insurance but think nothing of the horrible financial and emotional toll takes on our society. Being voluntarily fat is NOT acceptable. If you want to get fat and kill yourself, fine. But PLEASE don't do it to your kids! 30% of kids under 13 are now considered obese! It's quite a sad commentary that our society places such a high premium on celebrities such as Mr. Smith. If he had better used his time to exercise instead of whining about getting thrown off the plane he'd be a little bit healthier than he currently is! Bravo Southwest! You did the right thing.
Jason30
Explorer C
Seriously Southwest? You are a bunch of tools. YOU THREW A PERSON OFF A PLANE. Even though he met with your policies, he could buckle his seat belt, he could put the arm rests down, and the passengers on either side of him said they were fine. I fully understand the policy when people are truly too big, but you need to make that judgment before a person gets on a plane. The other problem, I can see how it's a comfort or service issue, but how on earth is it a safety issue? My real issues though, first seriously DON'T GIVE OUT PEOPLES INFORMATION, it is NOT your right to announce that Kevin Smith "is known" to buy two tickets on your flights. Second, $100 Voucher? REALLY? Third, STOP LYING.
Ron
Explorer C
Perhaps Southwest could've been more upfront with Mr. Smith regarding stand-by availability being contingent on two seats being available (to match what he purchased -- and also asking the FAs to block out two sidebyside seats just in case this largere standby passenger would need them).... HOWEVER, I say CONGRATULATIONS to Southwest for not catering to some famous person (famous on way past laurels and needing attention to jump-start a "yesterday" career) and RESPECTING the other 100+ average folks passengers on the same flight. Personally, when traveling Southwest or any other airline, i first go for the exit row or bulkhead -- because the seats have a full metal divider (not just an armrest) so that I don't have to deal with some slob's oversized thighs smashing against me (I'm not tiny, at 6 ft 200 lbs but I make sure I stay in my seat). Yup all the politically correct organizations for "people of size" can cry foul about how mean I am. I dont deserve to have to be in a fetal position or like I'm in a game of Twister for 2 hours -- all because some large person can't fit into one seat and bought a ticket knowing the airline's specific longstanding policies. (Who's gonna pay my chiropractor bill -- the large person advocate group, the large person and or the airline?). Kudos to Southwest for politely and firmly sticking by its policy and respecting all passengers -- and not being bullied by a diva Hollywood type who's crying for attention regarding his fading career.