No Luv for anyone you decide is "too fat to fly" though, huh SW?
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Thanks for the info about the cheesesteaks. Too bad I can't try one, though! You see, I'm on a diet in the hopes that one of your flight crew won't decide I look too fat to fly and then publicly humiliate me or arbitrarily throw me off the plane.
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02-15-2010
07:14 AM
1 Love
Just to add something else:
Look, I understand plenty of people hate fatties and don't want to sit next to them. I am a fatty - and I don't want to sit next to another fatty on the plane. And I definitely understand that others don't want me encroaching onto their space on the plane - NOBODY likes that. I usually go out of my way to get a seat where I'm not sitting next to anyone for my comfort as well as theirs. Of course, I travel a lot and am an elite on another airline so I don't generally pay extra for this "privilege." Nor would I ever choose to fly an airline that would make me do so, or humiliate me into doing so. That's why I haven't flown southwest in a good six years - and avoid them at all costs.
That said - there is no doubt that your policy IS both arbitrary and discriminatory to a specific group of passengers. Your own FAQ states clearly that putting down the armrest is the definitive determination of whether someone needs to buy an extra seat or not. Mr. Smith WAS able to do that - so why was he taken off the plane?
Additionally I would argue your policy quite clearly discriminates women, who are much more likely to carry their weight on their hips, making it more difficult to put the armrest down. Men tend to carry extra weight in their gut, which wouldn't necessarily affect being able to put the armrest down. I would argue that someone who was unable to fasten their safety belt would be a greater safety risk than someone who couldn't put an armrest down but hey, whatever.
Your policy is NOT uniformly enforced and it should be. Quite clearly it comes down to the whims of the passengers, the flight attendants and the pilot. The pilot I will give it to - they should be the final authority regarding safety on the plane - but as it stands now your policy seems to go on the crew and other passengers feelings rather than following your own policy guidelines on this issue.
Finally I would just like to say whether your feel someone is morally inferior because they are fat (as many of you on this forum seem to do regardless of the fact that you have no idea other than your own prejudices as to why an individual is fat or what they eat/how much exercise they do) , kicking someone off a plane because they haven't lived up to your own moral code is pretty ridiculous.
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02-15-2010
07:13 AM
1 Love
Just to add something else:
Look, I understand plenty of people hate fatties and don't want to sit next to them. I am a fatty - and I don't want to sit next to another fatty on the plane. And I definitely understand that others don't want me encroaching onto their space on the plane - NOBODY likes that. I usually go out of my way to get a seat where I'm not sitting next to anyone for my comfort as well as theirs. Of course, I travel a lot and am an elite on another airline so I don't generally pay extra for this "privilege." Nor would I ever choose to fly an airline that would make me do so, or humiliate me into doing so. That's why I haven't flown southwest in a good six years - and avoid them at all costs.
That said - there is no doubt that your policy IS both arbitrary and discriminatory to a specific group of passengers. Your own FAQ states clearly that putting down the armrest is the definitive determination of whether someone needs to buy an extra seat or not. Mr. Smith WAS able to do that - so why was he taken off the plane?
Additionally I would argue your policy quite clearly discriminates women, who are much more likely to carry their weight on their hips, making it more difficult to put the armrest down. Men tend to carry extra weight in their gut, which wouldn't necessarily affect being able to put the armrest down. I would argue that someone who was unable to fasten their safety belt would be a greater safety risk than someone who couldn't put an armrest down but hey, whatever.
Your policy is NOT uniformly enforced and it should be. Quite clearly it comes down to the whims of the passengers, the flight attendants and the pilot. The pilot I will give it to - they should be the final authority regarding safety on the plane - but as it stands now your policy seems to go on the crew and other passengers feelings rather than following your own policy guidelines on this issue.
Finally I would just like to say whether your feel someone is morally inferior because they are fat (as many of you on this forum seem to do regardless of the fact that you have no idea other than your own prejudices as to why an individual is fat or what they eat/how much exercise they do) , kicking someone off a plane because they haven't lived up to your own moral code is pretty ridiculous.
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02-15-2010
06:21 AM
1 Love
I am sick to death of your discriminatory policies. If you really want to ensure the "comfort of ALL of your passengers," how about you start charging extra for whiny children, smelly passengers, drunk seatmates and making tall people pay a surcharge as well?
I grew up on SWA. My Dad and older brother LOVE your service. I liked it. Over the last few years though, I'd read more and more about your arbitrary policies regarding fat people, and had avoided flying SWA whenever I could. This recent incident, and your subsequent disingenous apology, have sealed the deal. You have my weird I will go out of my way to AVOID SWA permanently!!
Why don't you just go ahead and change the slogan to: "SWA: The Skinny People Airline"? Or, "You are now free to move about the country - unless you're a fatty"? I'm sure there's a market there." It just won't include a great many of us, who will choose to fly with and pay more to an airline that treats us with respect and dignity.
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