Not So Silent Bob

[cday]

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.

[Martha2]

You have made my day. I am soo tired of flying between and aside fat people. Could be profitable for you to ban fatties altogether as I am certain that you could fill all of your seats with passengers who would love to fly a fattie-free airline.......knowing in advance that they would not have to sit next to a repulsively obese body. I have a weight problem and spend countless hours in the gym and practicing good nutrition so that I don't balloon. I've heard all of the arguments from fatties about their emotional problems and genetic problems. To those people I say grow up and do something about it. Don't inflict you excuses on my pleasure. Improve yourself or go away. I LOVE SOUTHWEST FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE --- THANK YOU!!!!!

[Rufus]

Southwest was clearly just following regulation. Who cares if Kevin Smith is/was famous? He's not even THAT famous, so it's not like they kicked Robert DeNiro or the kid from Twilight off the flight. Kevin, stop eating and take care of yourself. This makes me want to use Southwest more often because they don't bend rules for celebrities.

[Anonymous2035]

This proves that companies and brands who engage in social media should NOT trust their Twitter feeds and public interaction to a "recent college grad" as Ms. Davis is. May this lesson be taught in college classes and business classes for years to come. Some companies and some people may think that social media doesn't matter; "nobody reads that crap anyways!" Well, how wrong you are. ANY interaction where the public might get involved and where there may be cause for inflammatory interaction MUST be handled by a higher level VP or senior executive. To place the perception of a brand in the hands of a bubbly 20-something is not the way to go. In this case, Kevin Smith - a well known writer and director - has over 600,000 more followers than the brand - Southwest Airlines - does; probably more now due to the publicity this has drawn to his feed. The fact that this girl running Southwest's Twitter account was allowed to post and blog statements that could be construed as: 1) factually wrong; 2) an invasion of Mr. Smith's privacy; or 3) flat-out cheap and flippant coming from a major American company is such an act of corporate negligence on Southwest's part. Once Kevin took to the Twitter-waves do you really think a $100 gift card and your sweet apology was going to make things better? The case should've been sent to a higher-up in the company who was able to craft a real apology noting that the customer is right (as they always should be), acknowledging the carrier's complete lack of customer service and offering him free tickets anywhere Southwest flies. THAT would be a make-good. Now, the horses are out of the barn and Southwest is left holding their dicks in their hands as one of the princes of the social media networks singlehandedly destroys them with twitter-feeds, blog posts and podcasts. The lesson: Even if you are armed with a $10 a month internet connection, a microphone and a computer with Garage Band, you CAN take on and take DOWN a corporate behemoth thanks to their very own PR stupidity. Welcome to 2010. Read and learn.

[Anonymous4276]

I believe Southwest is more than generous to the extra large flyers. I happen to be a frequent Southwest customer and may call upon the crew to enforce the rule that customers must fit and stay beetween the arm rests. seams reasonable to me. If I pay for a seat I should get some where close to 100% of what I paid for and if some large person wants to share my space I would prefer they fly later when they can buy 2 seats.

[Anonymous1343]

Not only is your apology demeaning and trite, but I'm also curious as to why you're so willing to disclose one of your customer's private information to justify your actions. And I'm willing to bank on the fact that if this was not a celebrity, your company wouldn't even so much as offer an apology - just more humiliation. Fat people are still people, and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, just like anyone else. And your arbitrary enforcing of what is - let's face it - discriminatory policies are all the more telling of what the company's true motives are. I'm never booking a flight with you again, and I'm going to be certain to make sure my family, friends, and business associates know of this experience that a fellow customer had.

[getoveryourselv]

The plane wasn't full, and he fits into one seat. Just because he buys two, doesn't mean he doesn't fit. Nice spin. If you were lucky enough to be famous would you want some rube drooling in your lap?

[John_Walker]

Corporations that treat people like garbage will not get my business. No more SW Airlines for me, ever. It is an inconvenience as I fly a couple times a month and I have rewards, but their behavior was inhumane. Adios SWA!

[Anonymous2360]

You know how you have those little metal templates to see if your carry-on will fit into the over head bin or under your seat? Here's a novel idea. Make one of those so you can measure each passenger before getting on the plane. Like if your ass it too big to fit in this mock up plane seat, you must be checked into cargo!!!!!

[Anonymous813]

A similar incident happened to my mother, who was traveling with my dad and her sister, all of them sitting in a row together, and did not pose any kind of safety or comfort threat to the other passengers. The Southwest staff was so rude to her, she broke down crying in line. She was humiliated, especially when she realized she was singled out at random. Several other passengers were her size and larger, and not required to buy an extra seat. It was also the second leg of her journey when her weight suddenly became an issue--meaning she wasn't required to purchase a second ticket on the way there, only on her way home. So her choices were to buy the ticket or be stranded at the airport in a strange city, lose the money she spent on the original ticket, and have to pay outrageous last minute fare for another carrier. That stinks of scam to me. None of us have flown with the airline since. If you're going to enforce such a discriminatory and disrespectful policy, at least put out the exact standards that are to be used (weight restrictions/hip size restrictions, etc) so people will know BEFORE buying their tickets what they're buying into... not find out when standing in line being singled out by a judgmental counter employee or flight attendant. Being overweight in our culture is full of daily humiliations. Thanks, Southwest, for adding to the heap.

[Anonymous3284]

I am never flying Southwest again.

[Anonymous3098]

Wow... seems like alot of these posts are being made by the same person "I dont want to sit next to someone overflowing into my seat" has been posted about 100 times. I understand the policy and I do beleive after some size limit someone should have to buy 2 seats but I've never liked the fact that it's simply the airline's decision. Make some sort of measurable standard for size or weight (whichever) and if someone exceeds it then you can ask them to pay more. I dont think Kevin Smith is THAT big that he needs to be asked to buy 2 seats. The fact that Southwest is apoligizing for this is proof that someone in their management or PR agrees. And as others have said this lame attempt at an apology (did they really appologize via twitter???) is laughable and this isnt being handled correctly.

[nijode]

SWA doesn’t seem to be keeping up with current events. Your customer base is getting bigger while your seats have been getting smaller. Do you really have a long term business plan, or are you just making it up as you go?

[Anonymous4315]

Not impressed by Southwest on this one. Unless you are applying this policy equally across the board and requiring every oversize passenger to get off the plane or to purchase two seats, then it isn't a policy at all. That's the whole point of the policy- even application. I've seen "two seater" individuals wheeled onto a plane and not removed. Southwest's argument is one of convenience. Also, you could have just told him that the plane was overweight and that flying stand by wasn't an option. In customer service, it's about how you package it. I'm very disappointed by Southwest on this one. Seriously, learn how to have tact.

[Anonymous1148]

This is ridiculous. Anybody that disagrees with the Southwest policy has obviously never had to sit scrunched next to a fat person spilling over their seat on 5 hour flight. I wish every airline had this policy. Kevin Smith seems like a cool guy for the most part but the idea that he deserves an apology is completely insane.

[Electronaut]

This unfortunate incident could have been avoided if Southwest had simply explained to Mr. Smith, BEFORE BOARDING HIM, that they could not seat him because two adjacent seats were not available. In other words, they should not have seated him in the first place.

[Dejan_Maksimovi]

Just apologize and drop it. You are discriminating daily and this time you just hit a guy with big mouth. I'd be ashamed if I was you.

[Johnny_Watt]

I support Southwest. This is no more due to this gentleman's inflated (no pun intended) ego and popularity, that he believes he can draw attention against a valid decision from an airline based on a policy that is been instituted for quarter a century. Airlines, or corporate institutions for that matter, would typically allow, or break their policy for certain situations (like someone famous). Personally, I feel safer knowing Southwest is focused and makes their decisions based upon written policies and not at the whim for some favoritism of another random human being.

[Ba1]

SouthWest fail !! Learn what a apology is, good luck with the CYA next thing you will remove people over how they dress>>>>woops.. already did that hope you lose some business over this, i know i will pay more to fly another Airline whenever possible

[pacaschera]

Between the actions of the flight attendant, the captain, your customer service people and your PR department, your company looks like it's run by Larry, Curly, Moe and Shemp! This situtation could not have been handled any more badly from start to finish. Once you seated the passenger, asking him to get up and leave was shameful and humiliating. Mr. Smith has stated that he could easily fasten his seat belt without and extender and as I have flown more times than I like to think about, there is never just ONE LARGE PERSON ON THE PLANE! As for safety concerns about slowing down passengers in case of an emergency, well hell I guess the handicapped, elderly and children should not be allowed to fly on your airline as well since they would also slow down other passengers in case of an emergency. Southwest does not inspire confidence in the quality of its service or ability to safely transport passengers when the company looks so inept at hiring employees who cannot handle what should have been a simply matter.

[Anonymous1866]

What you did was a grade A jerk move. Your employees could use some training.

[Cartman42]

I have flown MANY times on SWA and there have been MANY times I was wedged into a seat next to someone spilling into mine with not so much as a second glace from any flight attendant or SWA employee. A policy that is not enforced 100% of the time is not a policy that you should enforce, because by choosing who gets kicked off a plane you are discriminating. SWA is guily of extremely poor service in this mater. In Kevin Smith's case, since he mentions there was a larger person in the SAME situation as him that was NOT put off the plane, you targeted him unfairly. Very poor form on your part SWA.

[Anonymous301]

I just happened to think of this before I posted: Tell them that relative/friend/FOAF, etc. has a rare blood type and you happen to be a good donor and you're flying there to make a donation. You could say bone marrow and that would still be feasible. Kidney? Don't overdo it. "You're going to prevent me from going & donating some to my and they might die.? (or feel worse than they already do until I get there)? I gotta go with the 'eat an onion like an apple" the night before. Find one where the sugar has "turned" (You can smell it as you look over onions.) Cut the ends off - if it looks like it's started to grow, you've got a good one. Just scrape the skin off, dig out the starter: grab some garlic powder. For me: Sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast biscuit. Add a lot of mustard and drink lots of OJ. For some reason, my body processes that to where the sulfur is released. If you don't know what sulfur beyond just a guess. A couple of hours after that... Is there an issue about hygiene? Your body can put off some good fumes (via the skin), as much from what your releases. That onion & garlic should do it. No shower or brush your teeth for 3-4 days? (No whore's bath) "My water is out and I was waiting for them to take care of it until I had to leave. What was I supposed to do? Rent a hotel meeting? Sneak into a health club? No one I asked would let me use their bathroom. Find a truckstop?" I wonder if you could get away with it by claiming it's against your religion to do so at that particular time - time of day, month, etc. That' would be a stinky situation for them - they can't prove you can't/aren't in a religious situation. I have an idea they'd try to toss someone because the stink could easily drive people away and (they) won't notice they're doing something related to terrorism.

[Mike_Murphy1]

First to all to you anonymous that has to take shots at heavy people - what goes around comes around. Second, Southwest Sucks!!! Safety Bullshit - More Money for Southwest is the key.

[Mitch111]

I am a traveller with loads of miles behind me (almost 2 million miles in the air over the past 27 years including a circumnavigation of the globe by air). It is not fun to be forced into a seat next to someone who is OBVIOUSLY too big to sit in a single seat. I think Southwest should be comended for being concerned about the comfort and safety of ALL their passengers, not just those who are overweight. Thank you Southwest for taking care of the rest of us.

[McLeod_Turner]

I think it is very admirable that Southwest sticks to its policy regardless of who the individual is. I have been sat next to people on planes who have clearly not fit into their seats and it is uncomfortable and unsafe. If it had been any other overweight person we would not be having this overload of crass comments and finger pointing. While I respect Mr. Smith's frustration, I believe he has blown this whole issue out of proportion and I think Southwest has done a good job of trying to diffuse the emotion. I do not typically fly Southwest as they do not fly out of my local airport, but I will fly in future with them and they have my wholehearted support in this matter.

[Anonymous3472]

A little common sense here. Mr. Smith knew when he continued an unhealthy diet and continued over eating that there would be some consequences. Is every business supposed to accommodate his lack of self control. SW Airlines is looking out for his and our safety. There are probably a lot of places that Mr. Smith does not fit. That's his problem. SW Airlines does not owe anyone an apology.

[Anonymous266]

Another question.. if you are too tall are you a safety hazard? I often find myself bumping my head on the interior ceiling of a plane..I'm just curious to see if SW will kick me off a plane for being too tall. This airline is a joke, but then again I could have told you that when their only selling point is that bags fly free.

[DDC]

I'm an overweight woman who travels regularly but rarely with Southwest, so my telling you that I won't ever fly Southwest again will do very little to affect your bottom line. But I won't ever fly Southwest again (and I'll encourage my parents, who are thinner than I am but still chubby and who *are* regular Southwest flyers, to boycott you, too). This incident with Kevin Smith has made visible a real fear that many overweight people have: that they're going to be called out--publicly, without warning and without recourse--and punished and humiliated for their weight. Kevin Smith has articulated one of my worst travel nightmares, and I simply won't put myself in a position to be humiliated by an insensitive staff. That I fit "comfortably" into the seat (the seat belt buckles and the arm rest goes down easily, without coaxing) is beside the point. What if one day one of your staff members looks at me and says, "You're out"? And to those of you who think that flying is uncomfortable only because you're sitting next to a fat passenger? What planet are you on? My 5'11-180-pound brother and my 5'10-150-pound boyfriend complain as loudly as I do about how miserable they are on the plane. People who kick the back of your chair, people who recline their seat into your lap, children who cry and scream, people who bring on stinky food, people who take an eternity to put their carry-ons in the overhead, people who blast their headphones so their neighbors hear the tinny tin tin or their music--just about everyone's miserable! On my last flight (JFK to SFO), the man on the aisle gave me (window) and my neighbor (middle) are hard time about getting up so that we could use the restroom! And plenty of skinny or average-sized men have laid claim to the armrest for the entire flight. I think most of them would be stunned to realize what they've done and are doing. Me? I think the armrest belongs to the person sitting in the middle. Thanks to Kevin Smith for speaking out.

[Anonymous4585]

i will never fly southwest again

[Anonyedymous]

Smith lost a fan... he was wrong, not wronged. a history of buying 2 tickets was the reason.

[Anonymous201]

I once had to fly next to a very large man who's body touched mine completely from shoulder to calf when we were seated and belted in. He could not put down his tray or his armrest and it was disgusting to be smashed up against a total stranger who did not have the grace to acknowledge it or apologize. I spent the flight leaning away as far as possible until my muscles ached! I couldn't even escape to use the restroom for the whole flight as he slept and snored and would have had to be woken and get completely out of his seat and down the aisle to let me out. I was able to get upgraded to business class on my flight home as recompense. It was gracious of SW to apologize, and professional of them to stick to their policy. There will always be those who want special treatment and make a huge stink to get thier way. PLEASE STICK TO YOUR POLICY!! I think you'll have more people flying SW as a result, knowing you won't cave in. The loud few do not represent the majority!

[Anonymous3472]

This is the reason I fly Southwest Airlines. The safety of all passengers comes first. Who in there right mind wants to sit next to a fat slob anyway?

[Alaskngrl]

I wish more airlines would enforce this rule! I don't want to "share" my seat with someone else. I paid for my seat, 1 seat, just like you. If you need to purchase 2 or 3 seats because you are too large to fit comfortably in 1, then you should do this....not necessarily because the airline requires you to,but because you are curteous and don't want to infringe or be rude to another paying passenger. To the person who never uses the arm rest "thing", you would if I was sitting next to you! That is my comfort zone, if you can't sit in the seat with the armrest down, why should I be uncomfortbale because you are rude? You all know who you are that are uncomfortable in an airline passenger seat because of the size of your body. It is no one elses fault that you have become that size. Not the airline, not the doctors, not the food service you choose to eat at! Americans need to stop blaming others for their problems! If you ship an oversized package through Fed Ex, UPS, USPS or any shipping company, you pay for the service. What is the difference to ship a person from one location to another?

[Anonymous3472]

This is the reason I fly Southwest Airlines. The safety of all passengers comes first. Who in there right mind wants to sit next to a fat slob anyway?

[Salembabie]

You people are not telling the whole story!!!!!! http://smodcast.com/smods/smodcast106.html

[Anonymous1704]

Right on SWA............. you'll get more of my business from now on. I'm sick and tired of being politically correct with "people of weight", Let's just call them what they are, FAT. BS on the genetic stuff, there weren't nearly as many fatties 40 years ago. Please don't squeeze your fat smelly bodies next to me. You may think you don't overflow, but believe me you take up more than your fair share of the space.

[Erika__Lard_Ass]

I think that this is just another example of big business failing to realize who makes their pay checks clear. In THIS case, your company picked on someone who was famous. What about for the rest of us who are not famous, but are paying customers? Would we get such a response? What if you fly with children, should they be put into cargo because they are too loud? Can you make customers check their cell phones in the overhead compartments or force customers with bad breath to brush before they sit next to me? I don't think that anyone in the world would like to face the embarrassment that Mr. Smith has faced. I know I wouldn't. According to a statement made on his professional website, Mr. Smith fits into one seat, is able to lower the arms rests AND was able to fasten the belt. I think that as a CUSTOMER of your company he has gone above and beyond what would be expected of a customer. I think that your company has not done so. I would personally have a problem flying anywhere these days. The costs continue to rise while the service decreases. You pay for air fare but what you get is no different than you get on a bus. Shame on you Southwest. Next time I go to Florida, because of this situation, I guarantee I will NOT be using your airline. It's great that Kevin Smith is able to make a joke about something that isn't at all funny. It's humiliating, discriminatory, and just plain mean. Great job.

[Anonymous297]

N.B. Christi Day Your clock is off a day. The minutes are fine.

[Anonymous1839]

Southwest=FAIL on this one.

[Anonymous4419]

Maybe with all the money Mr. Smith makes from his stupid moives he could start his own FAT airline. I will contuniue to use SWA as much as I can now that all the LARGE people are not going to use SWA.

[Anonymous1697]

Worst apology ever. Own your mistakes. Stop being rude.

[Josh_In_SF]

Well Southwest you effed up this time. Guess I'll be flying other airlines from now on.

[Anonymous3792]

why do you have a food background huh huh southwest hate fat ppl. boycott sw there suck go !

[Anonymous201]

I will fly SW knowing that they will not cave under pressure and stick to their guns! I can't stand being smashed up to some stinky stranger for hours.

[Anonymous2812]

Good for southwest!!! Safety first!!! Loose weight people and you won't have the embarrassing situation of getting booted off!! You are a hazard to flying, our health care system and our reputation as the United States. Fat is gross!!!

[Keep_fat_rights]

well SW Looks like about 60-70% are very angry about this as I am GOOD! It's about time we stop the prejudice for ALL people! I will never fly SW again. You have LOST MANY-- great PR Fools!

[Jersey_Shore_gu]

First it was ridiculous to kick him off the flight. Second, how clueless are the people that work there that they didn't realize they were kicking a famous guy off the flight? You would think that would give them pause long enough to realize that they shouldn't be kicking anyone off the flight let alone a guy who makes movies and has a cult following. What's next, kick Howard Stern off a flight because he's too tall?

[Anonymous905]

How about you listen before you speak: http://www.smodcast.com/

[Anonymous3068]

I find this explanation lacking. Mr. Smith asserts that he PASSED the test to fly in one seat. Can it be so random that any larger person must hold his or her breath until after pushback because they just never know when they'll be booted? And does Southwest deny that Smith should have been allowed to fly on the original flight? Either they back up their pilot and say that he was right to be kicked off or they toss their pilot under the bus and say they made an error. Furthermore, what of the other passenger whom Smith continues to speak out about? You know, the one chastised by SWA employees for being too fat? What did the airline do for her? Like I said... Lacking.

[Anonymous3687]

First of all, sitting next to a gross, overweight person on any flight, on any airline is a miserable experience. I don't care if it's kevin smith or "john" smith... Loose some damn weight and get healthy already!! Second, people fail to realize this is one of the main reasons healthcare cost so much in this country, because fat people wo'nt loose weight, change their eating habits and expect modern medicine to save them everytime they have a heartattack and get type two diabetes. Like I said, loose some damn weight already!!