Southwest Airlines Community

Johny Watt: You say you support Southwest following their written policies. I do too. However, in this case, it appears they did not. Kevin Smith fit between the lowered armrests. According to Southwest's written policy, he didn't need another seat. ... View more

This *apology* seems very insincere. Apologies don't come with excuses -- especially ones that demonstrate a lack of understanding of what the customer claimed happened. If Kevin fits in the seat with the armrests down, there was no need to remove him from the plane. It doesn't matter how many seats he has purchased in the past. If it was believed Kevin was too large to fit in the seat, he should not have been boarded on the plane. Furthermore, taking the woman next to him on the later flight aside to tell her she may need to purchase two seats was wrong. Even if she may need two seats there was no need to embarrass her in that way. If it is really necessary, how about finding a discrete way to talk to passengers about their size? I am a large man - both heavy and tall. I find airplane seats to be one of the most uncomfortable places I can be. I buy only one seat when I fly. I fit between the armrests. I don't need a seatbelt extender. When an option is available (on other airlines that offer it), I will upgrade to get more leg room. When I have options, the leg and head room on specific airlines and airplanes are things I consider when purchasing tickets. My point? I can fit in one seat but am close enough in size that I fear Southwest might decide to boot me from a plane. Based on this so-called *apology*, it seems that the way Kevin Smith was treated is standard operating procedure for Southwest. That being the case, I will not risk flying Southwest again. I do not care for Kevin Smith's foul language but believe he is more in the right here than Southwest Airlines. Look beyond the language and attitude to realize that Southwest handled this very poorly. The true measure of customer service is how a company handles things when mistakes are made. Southwest has failed. ... View more

This *apology* seems very insincere. Apologies don't come with excuses -- especially ones that demonstrate a lack of understanding of what the customer claimed happened. If Kevin fits in the seat with the armrests down, there was no need to remove him from the plane. It doesn't matter how many seats he has purchased in the past. If it was believed Kevin was too large to fit in the seat, he should not have been boarded on the plane. Furthermore, taking the woman next to him on the later flight aside to tell her she may need to purchase two seats was wrong. Even if she may need two seats there was no need to embarrass her in that way. If it is really necessary, how about finding a discrete way to talk to passengers about their size? I am a large man - both heavy and tall. I find airplane seats to be one of the most uncomfortable places I can be. I buy only one seat when I fly. I fit between the armrests. I don't need a seatbelt extender. When an option is available (on other airlines that offer it), I will upgrade to get more leg room. When I have options, the leg and head room on specific airlines and airplanes are things I consider when purchasing tickets. My point? I can fit in one seat but am close enough in size that I fear Southwest might decide to boot me from a plane. Based on this so-called *apology*, it seems that the way Kevin Smith was treated is standard operating procedure for Southwest. That being the case, I will not risk flying Southwest again. I do not care for Kevin Smith's foul language but believe he is more in the right here than Southwest Airlines. Look beyond the language and attitude to realize that Southwest handled this very poorly. The true measure of customer service is how a company handles things when mistakes are made. Southwest has failed. ... View more