Airline Asks 300-Pound Woman To Buy Two Seats Woman Headed To Orlando To Visit Dying Brother

Local6.Com ^ | July 3, 2002 | Jackie London

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

A 300-pound woman said that she was discrimated against when a Southwest Airlines counter worker required her to buy two tickets to fly to Orlando because of her weight, according to Local 6 News.

New York resident Maria Corea and her 9-year-old son were scheduled to leave Albany, N.Y., Tuesday to reportedly see their dying brother, according to Local 6 News.

However, when Corea approached the counter, she was told that she needed purchased two tickets.

"So they call me to the counter and tell me that I have (to buy) another ticket because my weight," Corea said. Corea said that she did not have the money to purchase another ticket and canceled the trip, according to the report.

She said that she would rather fly on another airline.

Southwest Airlines reportedly began enforcing the little-known policy June 26 that requires two tickets for what the company calls "people of size."

Company officials said its ticket agents always had the option of charging larger passengers for two seats.

Earlier this month, Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart denied any change in Southwest policy. He said larger passengers have always been charged for two seats if they couldn't fit comfortably in one.

[jimkress]

Good remark! This is a girth and spread problem, not a weight problem.

[jimkress]

BUMP!

[glory]

You know, you make a good point. What if this woman was accompanied by a 4 yr old(which she has to pay full price for--I know I have one!) Or a 2 yr old for that matter(also full price). Would she be charged extra when she will only be sharing the seat with her small child who probably will end up in her lap 1/2 the time anyway? What if her husband accompanied to so they had a row of 3 seats to themselves? Is she still required to buy a 4th ticket that no one else will even sit in? I think in an instance where this person was flying with another and would be spilling into thier relatives seat(who I assume did not mind), that's a rip off.
I'd think even the fat haters on this forum can acknowledge that this instance is ridiculous particularly if the 9 yr old is an average size child and the woman intended to sit the child in the middle seat.

[Godel]

The only problem I have with this is we're just picking which disabilities are politically correct. A person who flies in a wheelchair takes up more space and requires alot more time and manpower with flight attendants assisting him, yet people would scream bloody murder if he was charged extra for that. I think you should have one policy for everyone and stick by it and not decide which disabilities deserve special treatment and which don't. If you want to charge fat people extra fine, but also charge people in wheelchairs, the blind, and anyone else who requires special assistance/measures.

[glory]

I have flown next to drunk people, smelly people, people who will not let you sleep - but the most annoying are the lard-asses that squish you out of your seat

To each his own I guess. I'll take a snug fit to a drunkard, someone who doesn't use deodorant, and/or a busy body anyday. It's amazing how many people hate fat people for being fat to the point where they'd rather sit next to someone who doesn't wipe thier a$$ and you can tell...gross! You can't "catch" fat, but you sure could catch something nasty from someone who has poor personal hygiene, but have at it! If we are ever on a plane together, I'll gladly trade the fat person next to you for the drunk, stink, or loudmouth next to me!

[glory]

Being tall doesn't cause a person to intrude into another passenger's seat so there's no reason to charge them more.


Oh, I don't know, when men choose to spread thier legs for comfort and thier knees and thighs are jutting out in either side of them certainly is an intrusion into my space.

[spanky_mcfarland]

Good post...Makes me wonder if Southwest would still charge for the extra seat if the flight is not completely full?

[glory]

Even if the seat next to you will be filled by your young child who will not be taking up the whole seat? Sorry homeschool mama, but this instance stinks unless the child is seriously overweight as well(and to serve as a clue for the fat haters, not all or even most overweight folks have overweight kids).

[hinckley buzzard]

It isn't the weight it's the two seats she would take up. That means one less paying passenger just to accomodate her. Why is her failure to control her appetite the airlines' problem?

[Great Dane]

You have a point, but I have had a seat next to a 300 pounder going to Europe, and let me tell you it was the worst trip of my life.

[Great Dane]

if they couldn't fit comfortably in one.

Thats hard even for skinny people.

[TheBattman]

I take offense at your statement....

I am over 300lbs (6'2") and can fit in a single seat on every airline I have flown on. I will admit that the smaller seats on ComAir regional jets are uncomfortable, but I don't "overflow" into the seat next to me. I have more difficulty with leg room than butt room - and this is a very common problem for lots of passengers.

Now, I will admit that there are some folks that do overflow into more than one seat - especially those who are shorter - they spread out more than I do.

[Enlightiator]

Hmm, some interesting replies here, in fact it appears this thread has brought out some first class, no make that coach class, insensitive Clymers.

Heres my take. The airline should have given her two seats, charged her for one under the "courtesy" flight policy for funerals and other "emergency" type flights. Had these been just a normal booking, she should have been charged for two seats IF thats how may seats she would have taken up on the plane. Thats the policy I have seen used by some other airlines for some of my coworkers on business flights. Fair enough?

[Great Dane]

without spilling over into a third.

Trust me, if you weigh 300 pounds..... you spill over, speaking from experience.

[glory]

So by your own admission, you don't even fit and you are practically underweight! So you are admitting thier seating is inadequate for even an average, scratch that underweight, person. I think capitalism should rule this, but more average people who are uncomfortable on thier flights should be walking away with thier wallets as well. This type of pressure will demand more appropriate sized seating which will not only benefit the heavy person, but you as well.

I was just watching the episode of twilight zone where William Shatner played the man scared out of his wits by the gremlin on the wing(probably early 60's) and the average size seat looked better than first class now! But, we have such a fat hate in this country that people close off all rationality on this issue because they sit thier stuck in thier high school mentality of "hee hee, let's pick on the fat person". Damn, it's threads like these that make me ALMOST want to admit that the left have a point when they call conservatives mean spirited bigots..ALMOST.

[homeschool mama]

The airlines sells tickets to folks purchasing a seat for a particular destination. If a person requires more than ample seating then an add'l seat is in order and the patron should be charged thus. I'm not a hater of larger individuals...not in any way. I see this as a wise business decision.

[hinckley buzzard]

100 pounds and coach seats barely fit you? You must be built funny! I weigh about 240 and fit in a coach seat just fine (and no all my weight is not in my head...)

[Ditter]

How is this simple solution? If you require a seatbelt extention, you buy an extra seat. No tape measure, no scale, no guessing. Simple?

[glory]

The woman CLEARLY takes up two seats so she should buy two tickets. That is fair. Have you ever had to sit next to someone 300 pounds on an airplane? It's miserable. They overflow into your seat


umm, hello?? She already bought two seats, her NINE year old son was going with her. Or do we charge people even if it's ok with thier relatives that they sit next to them? Or even if the relative is smaller, like a child, and that extra space will accomadate them. Can any of you take the fat phobic blinders off for a second and read the story completely? geez. I might actually agree with you if she was flying alone and IF she needed an extender belt, but we don't even know how tall this lady was--5'2" and 300 lbs probably would spill into another seat...5'10 and 300 lbs may not. Someone with more bust and belly may not spill, where someone with a large a$$ and thighs might. So who determines this? Does southwest have a seat where "questionable" people can sit? Is thier an a$$ vs belly rule? Is height a consideration? See how ridiculous and intrusive this gets?

IMO, they had no right to ask this woman to pay a THIRD time assuming her child was of an average weight. If the TWO people traveling fit fine into those two seats, even if one is heavy and spills and the other is average and doesn't mind sharing a little, why is there a need for the THIRD seat? Again, I ask, if an overweight person was flying with thier 4 yr old, should they also have to pay for a THIRD seat even though the two of them fit comfortably in the two seats they paid for? I think the fact that some of you didn't read the whole story and jumped to finger point at the fat lady is very telling. I can't think how anyone can defend Southwest actions IN THIS CASE where her child is taking up the second seat and they fit fine in thier two seats. Again, the fact that people would defend thier actions is telling of the sheer bigotry of some people on this forum, even in an instance where the airline was blantantly wrong in this circumstance.