Plus-size TikTokkers praise Southwest Airlines for its “size customer” policy, which allows overweight passengers to request a complimentary seat and forces flight staff to accommodate larger passengers, even if it means kicking them out. of the flight to others with tickets.
“If you’re fat, you know the anxiety of flying and this relieves it a lot,” Caroline, a travel influencer who said she is a size 20, told her nearly 200,000 followers in a video posted in late October.
“I had a very comfortable flight and felt like I could occupy the space I needed.”
According to the Texas-based airline’s policy, customers whose body “invades” the armrest are entitled to an extra seat at no additional cost.
It says passengers “have the option to purchase just one seat and then discuss their seating needs with the customer service agent at the departure gate.
“If it is determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, you will be assigned an additional complimentary seat,” the policy states.
The flight team will then analyze the seating arrangements, which are not predetermined on Southwest flights, and potentially move other passengers for “unplanned accommodation.”
Southwest Airlines has a “size customer” policy that allows plus size customers to get an extra seat to fit their girth. Courtesy of Jae’lynn Chaney
Southwest, however, suggests customers purchase the additional seats in advance and then contact the airline “for a refund of the cost of the additional seats after travel.
“Customers encroaching on any portion of neighboring seats may proactively purchase the required number of seats prior to travel to ensure additional seats are available,” the policy says.
“The purchase of additional seats serves as notification of a need for special seats and allows us to appropriately plan the number of seats occupied on board. It also helps us ensure that we can accommodate all customers on the flight for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking them to give up their seats for unplanned accommodation.
“Most importantly, it ensures that all our customers on board have access to safe and comfortable seats,” he continues.
“You can contact us for a refund of the cost of the additional seats after the trip.”
Southwest’s policy states it applies to “customers encroaching on any part of neighboring seats.” Parilov – stock.adobe.com
Kimmy, who describes herself as a “fat solo traveler,” showed her followers how to use the program in a video that went viral in October.
He simply walked up to the airline cabin and said, “Hello, I hope to use your size customer policy today.”
“Southwest is the only airline that allows you a second seat at no additional cost even if the flight is full,” he captioned the video.
“I’ve done this a dozen times and never had any problems or been denied,” he said, adding that under policy he is allowed to “pre-board” before other passengers.
“Get on the plane, grab the seat belt extender and take your seat!”
@kimmystyled
How to use the @southwestair customer size policy. Southwest is the only airline that allows you a second seat at no additional cost even if the flight is FULLY booked. You MUST use it at the departure gate when you begin your trip. If you don’t use it to leave, you won’t be able to use it flying back. Go to the gate agent and politely ask them to use the customer size policy. I’ve done this a dozen times and never had a problem or been denied. They will print you a new ticket + a second ticket to deposit in your free seat. You can also board beforehand! Get on the plane, get the seat belt extender and take your seat! I leave the ticket on the seat next to me. I always take the window seat. If anyone tries to sit down, please let them know that I have two seats reserved. To be honest, I almost never get approached because no one wants to sit in the middle seat next to a fat person on a plane 🙃. I’ve heard from other people that sometimes Southwest just puts a size customer on your account so every time you approach the main ticket gate you’ll get both tickets at once, but this hasn’t happened to me yet . I think this has to do with how “visibly fat” you are. Public airplanes are public transportation and should be accessible and comfortable for all of us. I applaud @southwestair for being the only airline with a fair and humane way to transport fat passengers with dignity. We shouldn’t have to pay for two seats. Seats should be larger for everyone, including tall and pregnant passengers. Ever since airlines were deregulated, it’s been an ADA nightmare. Airlines should also allow wheelchairs in the cabin, especially electric wheelchairs. This is an end-of-day access issue and discriminatory for obese and disabled customers. #southwest #southwestairlines #clientedesize #clientedesizepolicy #plussize #plussizetravel #traveltips #plussizetraveltok #traveltok
♬ original sound – Kimmy
“I leave the bill on the seat next to me,” he continued. “If anyone tries to sit on it, I let them know I have two seats reserved.
“To be honest, I almost never get approached because no one wants to sit in the middle seat next to a fat person on a plane.”
Kimmy concluded by saying she “applauds” the airline for making air travel “more comfortable and accessible for everyone, including fat and disabled people.”
Plus-size travel expert Jae’lynn Chaney said the policy is an important step toward including more people in the “super fat” category. Jae’lynn Chaney
Plus-size travel expert Jae’lynn Chaney, who once demanded that the Federal Aviation Administration better accommodate larger passengers, also said it was an important move to include people in the “super fat” category. .
“Super fat is how we identify,” he told Fox Business, explaining: “There is a spectrum of fatness. And as a “super fat” person, you start to need different adaptations.
“I feel very happy that there is something like this for people,” Chaney added. “I hope to see more airlines implement ‘customer size’ policies.
“Southwest’s customer size policy helps many travelers offset the disproportionate costs we incur for needing additional space,” he said.
“And so, it’s not just about physical accessibility. It’s also about financial accessibility.”
But at least one person has expressed opposition to the policy, sharing that she, her teenage daughter and her friend were kicked off a flight in June.
Southwest’s policy offers a refund to those who purchase an additional ticket, or passengers can get a complimentary ticket at the gate. AP
Mother he said in his own TikTok video that she and the two teenagers were on their way home from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and had a layover in Baltimore, Maryland, before they could return to their home in Denver, Colorado.
But during his layover, Southwest Airlines officials informed him that the flight was “overbooked” and they couldn’t board the plane, despite spending $620.72 on tickets.
“Please help me understand why I have to spend the night without accommodation in Baltimore because a large person didn’t buy a second ticket,” the exasperated mother said, claiming that all of her and the teens’ luggage was sent to her final destination. destination in Denver.
He said airline officials told him “they have the right to kick a person off the plane for being a large person” and shared a video of a conversation he had with an airline manager who said “even if there is no enough seats, We have to accommodate that size customer.
“If you need an extra seat, we don’t charge for extra seats,” the manager is heard telling the woman.
The Post has contacted Southwest Airlines for comment.
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