Too large to fly???

[mur11]

Somewhat interesting news item caught my eye today

A somewhat well-known writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Zak & Miri Make A Porno, Chasing Amy) was kicked off his Southwest Airline flight a couple days ago for being 'too large to fly'. Apparently Southwest Airlines has a policy called Customer of Size which requires large passengers who cannot fit comfortably in a single seat to purchase a second seat. In this case, Kevin Smith had originally purchased two tickets for a flight, then decided to board an earlier flight, essentially placing him on standby, where the airline had one seat remaining. Mr. Smith was informed by flight crew before the flight took off that he would require more than one seat and since there wasn't more than one seat avaliable, he would have to take a later flight.
Kevin Smith is more a cult filmmaker but has an avid following on Twitter and other social media outlets, and immediately began posting en masse angry tweets (tweeps? twits?) about this policy and Southwest Airlines, resulting in spin control by the airline.

I know his films are probably skewed a little young for the majority of TERBites, but what do you think of this policy and of his reaction to it? He's definitely taking it extremely personal, though I don't know how you could fail to do so. His other point is that if he didn't have a platform and a large following, Southwest wouldn't have taken the steps (personal and public apologies, $100 dollar voucher off a future flight) to correct the issue
Does any other Canadian airline that you know off have a similiar policy?

Here's the link http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ktxl-news-silentbob0214,0,5181078.story

 

[landscaper]

some have a polocy that reqired a second seat, until of course our himan rights commision decided that it was a discriminatory practice, so if you are the one stuck beside a plus size passanger apparantly its your problem

 

[Hammerstein]

Wonders even if a large person did buy and use 2 seats for comfort, would they be able strap in
during an emergency, take off and landing. Me thinks that there are some safety issues.

 

[mandrill]

I don't think it's a legal discrimination issue, unless you classify obesity as a disability. Discrimination is only illegal if done because of 1 of the prohibited grounds - disability, religion, racial origin, etc - or a ground analogous thereto. If someone is massive and heavy in a confined space in a weight-sensitive vehicle, I think there is a logical argument that they should purchase extra room for themselves.

 

[cute-bald]

YAH!!!! & purchase a gym membership & personal trainer to become the size our body was genetically built for. They burden our health care system with ever ballooning costs with ; knee joint, & hip sugery, drugs for blood preasure, colesterol to just name a few costs. Irony is EVEN today with all this known a fat women can go to a fat women party were guys go to date them BUT short guys are distained by women. WE get portrayed in the media as looser whimps & bums!!!

 

[Cycleguy007]

Ya well... at least he's not short...

 

[papasmerf]

Ya well... at least he's not short...

Bite me

 

[dj1470]

Hey I'm 6'3 and 250 lbs - I do not consider my overweight - and I barely fit in those stupid airline seats that seem to be made for dwarfs

 

[papasmerf]

Hey I'm 6'3 and 250 lbs - I do not consider my overweight - and I barely fit in those stupid airline seats that seem to be made for dwarfs

I always try to get the exit row and an aisle seat. And I am not that tall but like the room.

 

[CapitalGuy]

Oh my god what a picture. The icing on the cake is the guy beside him looking up in seeming incredulity.

If I am not mistaken, was there not recently a ruling in Canada (or some equally socialist country) stating that airlines had to provide a free second seat to the obese? I could be wrong.

 

[thompo69]

Wonders even if a large person did buy and use 2 seats for comfort, would they be able strap in
during an emergency, take off and landing. Me thinks that there are some safety issues.

Well, that's what Smith's has been saying through all of this. They can have a policy that says if you can't fit in the seat, you gotta buy a second ticket. His point is that he DID fit in the seat, armrests down, did not encroach on his neighbour's space, and was able to secure the seat belt without an extender. In other words, the policy didn't apply to him and they still kicked him off.

 

[Keebler Elf]

I read recently an airline (can't remember who) has just rescinded their multiple seat purchase policy.

I can understand if the plane is full but IMO there is no justification for making someone pay for an extra seat when an airplane is half empty. Have some humanity for christsakes...

 

[cute-bald]

For all the dating disaster for the short guy , we could ATLEAST get a DISCOUNT since we take up less room & most often are lighter ( less fuel consumption with a plane full of short light guys).

 

[catchin_zzz]

There's more to this story. If you feel like listening to what Kevin Smith has to say, listen to his podcast at smodcast.com.

 

[Cycleguy007]

Hugo Reyes (Hurley) had to pay for an an extra seat on Oceanic Flight 815...

 

[tboy]

this topic was done to death in a previous thread but as much as I love Kevin Smith films, and respect him, there's NO fricken WAY he fit into 1 standard airline seat with no encroachment into the next one over. Unless he's lost 100 lbs since I last saw him on film or during an interview......NO WAY.

 

[Hangman]

YAH!!!! & purchase a gym membership & personal trainer to become the size our body was genetically built for. They burden our health care system with ever ballooning costs with ; knee joint, & hip sugery, drugs for blood preasure, colesterol to just name a few costs. Irony is EVEN today with all this known a fat women can go to a fat women party were guys go to date them BUT short guys are distained by women. WE get portrayed in the media as looser whimps & bums!!!

LOL - I love it - Cute-Bald can make anything into a complaint about his perceptions of women! Learn to spell, dude. Women hate poor spellers.

As for the fat-guy policy, Smith doesn't have much of an argument. 1) He knows he's a fat tub of goo. 2) He actually did buy a second seat origina;;y, indicating that he agrees with said policy.

 

[Hangman]

For all the dating disaster for the short guy , we could ATLEAST get a DISCOUNT since we take up less room & most often are lighter ( less fuel consumption with a plane full of short light guys).

But your incessant complaining takes up too much of the flight attendant's time, as you whine that they discriminate against you. So it evens out. Besides, you still take up a seat. MAybe they should put you next to fat guys, and you two can argue about how to split the costs.

 

[thompo69]

this topic was done to death in a previous thread but as much as I love Kevin Smith films, and respect him, there's NO fricken WAY he fit into 1 standard airline seat with no encroachment into the next one over. Unless he's lost 100 lbs since I last saw him on film or during an interview......NO WAY.

Well, he has challenged SouthWest to produce a row of seats on a TV program (he suggested the Daily Show) where he will publicly prove that he can fit into them.

 

[thompo69]

He actually did buy a second seat origina;;y, indicating that he agrees with said policy.

So what? He likes comfort. I can fit into an airline seat just fine, and if I could afford it, I'd buy the adjacent seat every time just to make sure I didn't have to sit next to someone. Doesn't mean that if I buy a second seat once or twice I should be required to every time I fly...