UCF Student to fat to fly

Smittyinthesun2
Smittyinthesun2 Posts: 161
edited October 4 in Motivation and Support
UCF Student told to buy extra seat on airplane becaue she is too big.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-southwest-customer-of-size-20111020,0,1889189.story


Has this ever happened to you ?

Replies

  • Bellastarflower
    Bellastarflower Posts: 32
    Nope and it's one of the reasons I refuse to fly. I don't need that humiliation. I was told to get off a ride as a kid and that was embarassing enough.
  • Shell_7609
    Shell_7609 Posts: 786 Member
    hasn't happened to me, but I have been unable to ride a rollercoaster because of my weight
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    UCF Student told to buy extra seat on airplane becaue she is too big.

    http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-southwest-customer-of-size-20111020,0,1889189.story


    Has this ever happened to you ?

    Not happened to me, but I can see why. Especially if it's not first class.
  • YukonJoy
    YukonJoy Posts: 1,279 Member
    Not to me but to my friend and she was outraged.

    But I can understand their point.

    Airplane seats are TINY!
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    Not to me but to my friend and she was outraged.

    But I can understand their point.

    Airplane seats are TINY!

    And there's no need to be outraged. It's a matter of costs, fuel & space.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
    Not to me but to my friend and she was outraged.

    But I can understand their point.

    Airplane seats are TINY!

    And there's no need to be outraged. It's a matter of costs, fuel & space.
    Exactly. I can see being embarassed, but I don't see why anyone should be outraged. If you take up more than one seat, you should have to pay for more than one seat. Otherwise they could sell that seat to someone else.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I remember we once went on a works trip to go go-karting. I wasn't allowed as i was too heavy for the car.

    Just use it as extra motivation!
  • YukonJoy
    YukonJoy Posts: 1,279 Member
    Not to me but to my friend and she was outraged.

    But I can understand their point.

    Airplane seats are TINY!

    And there's no need to be outraged. It's a matter of costs, fuel & space.
    Exactly. I can see being embarassed, but I don't see why anyone should be outraged. If you take up more than one seat, you should have to pay for more than one seat. Otherwise they could sell that seat to someone else.

    Yep. And have you ever been seated beside a larger person for an 8 hour flight... you are squished up against them and the window... Now that is what outrages ME!
  • pinstripepirate
    pinstripepirate Posts: 605 Member
    It hasn't happened to me. I don't fly a lot, and before I always managed to squeeze myself into my own seat and be okay. Even after losing so much weight, although I fit in the seat soooo much better, I still feel like I don't have enough room. If I could afford it, I would buy two seats when flying just so I can stretch out a little... but that's never going to happen with the way airfare is.
  • boomboom011
    boomboom011 Posts: 1,459
    nope but a good friend of mine and i were traveling to new york and we planned our trip a year in advance and during this time my GF knew there would be an issue so she lost weight. She didnt have to buy an extra seat and she said she wasnt about to be embarrased.
  • shirerose
    shirerose Posts: 116 Member
    my boyfriend posted a link to a story recently... a girl who was on the standby list for a flight ended up getting a seat... then they had a larger person who had reserved a seat but needed two seats in order to fit... they ended up kicking the standby girl off the plane. terrible! i understand arguments for both sides i guess... but still... a person who is at a healthy weight ends up getting kicked out in order to fit another person that needs more than one seat?
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Southwest just cant seem to get their acts straight company-wide with their policies. This student stated she DID NOT have to pay for two seats to get TO her destination... but yet they were enforcing the two-seat policy on the way BACK. Sorry, you cant do that.... you CANNOT do that... They could have easily looked that information up in their computer to verify what she was saying.

    The fact that her uncle couldnt sit next to her to begin with, and THEN they let him... she should have been REFUNDED her additional money if they allowed him to sit next to her after the fact.

    Im gonna wanna grab my measuring tape to see what 17 inches looks like... I cant imagine that being comfortable for ANYONE. Hell, my husband is almost 6'7" tall with extremely long legs and is about 300# - while that weight is about average for him (even the doctors agree) , he was actually advised by his doctor, that he could be subjected to the 'two seat' policy merely for how big he is, even though HE IS NOT. His belief is, if I can get there by car, at least I can be comfortable knowing my money stays with me, and not a corporation that makes rediculously small seats to make more money...."
  • MamaBear57
    MamaBear57 Posts: 336 Member
    This has never happened to me but airlines have made seating more narrow and to purposely embarress someone is wrong. It sounds as if a customer can get to their destination but then they do this on the return trip so the customer will not have a choice to purchase a second ticket. Also they over sell flights ALL of the time. they should only be allowed to sell the amount of seats on the flights. Also I forget what airline does this but they book flights where their is a high potential that you will NOT be able to make you connector. Airlines are crooks and I fly as little as possible. If I could get away from it all together I would.

    Everyone should be outraged by the way they treat customers.
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
    I can't believe that student is going to these lengths to start a campaign against Southwest...she should use that passion to lose weight.

    I think people who can't fit into one seat should definitely have to pay for another seat. To me, it's a no-brainer.
  • jgilhen
    jgilhen Posts: 31
    It hasn't happened to me. I don't fly a lot, and before I always managed to squeeze myself into my own seat and be okay. Even after losing so much weight, although I fit in the seat soooo much better, I still feel like I don't have enough room. If I could afford it, I would buy two seats when flying just so I can stretch out a little... but that's never going to happen with the way airfare is.

    This is really off topic but great job on the weight loss!! You look fabulous!!
  • pinstripepirate
    pinstripepirate Posts: 605 Member
    It hasn't happened to me. I don't fly a lot, and before I always managed to squeeze myself into my own seat and be okay. Even after losing so much weight, although I fit in the seat soooo much better, I still feel like I don't have enough room. If I could afford it, I would buy two seats when flying just so I can stretch out a little... but that's never going to happen with the way airfare is.

    This is really off topic but great job on the weight loss!! You look fabulous!!

    Aw, thank you so much <3
  • Smittyinthesun2
    Smittyinthesun2 Posts: 161
    Speaking as a 45 year old large size man who a year ago weighed 430 pounds at 5'10 and I'm now 335 pounds.

    That being said, I have flown Southwest (Airtran, Jet Blue, US Air) plenty of times and never have been asked to purchase an extra seat, despite my request to the flight attendant at 430 pounds for a seat belt extender.

    On my flight last month (September 2011) from Buffalo to Orlando, I sat down in the seat and low an behold the seat belt clicked and I didn't need the seat belt extender. It was a good feeling.

    Personally, I think there needs to be an Airline industry standard , maybe we all need to be weighed in before we board, like when we check our luggage, they weigh our bags, maybe they should weigh us too. Yes, I know the ladies will hate that idea, and I'm sure the men wont be thrilled with it either. A weigh in doesnt really sound so bad maybe it will encouarge people to lose weight and lead a healthier life.

    There should also be a airplane seat nearby where larger folks could check and see if they fit into it.
  • Smittyinthesun2
    Smittyinthesun2 Posts: 161
    A poster above said : I can't believe that student is going to these lengths to start a campaign against Southwest...she should use that passion to lose weight. - I totally Agree !

    She certainly didn't take any personal responsibility for her size, in the video it was all about what Southwest did wrong, not that she needed to change anything.
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,211 Member
    Just throwing this out there. Try putting yourself in her shoes.

    What if it were you and what if you knew you were overweight and not ready to lose weight. Or maybe you were just happy with yourself the way you are. (You are not hurting anyone but yourself by being overweight) How would you feel if someone came to you and in a round about way told you that you were too fat? I imagine it would not do much for your self esteem.

    From her video she clearly stated that she didn't need to get an additional seat when she flew to her first destination on the same airline. She also asked if she could have her Uncle sit next to her. (This way her "largeness" would not bother anyone else.) She was told no and was forced to purchase another seat. Then once on the plane there was a family of 3 only had 2 seats. She was asked by the flight attendants if she had purchased the additional seat, she replied yes. Shortly after the money was returned to her and they asked her uncle to sit next to her. This was the exact thing she had asked to do without having to purchase an additional seat. I think Southwest did cause her unnecessary embarrassment through their actions to try to enforce a policy. Especially after forcing her to purchase the additional seat they revoked it and gave her back her money. After the initial confrontation in the airport other passengers began to make hand gestures and making rude comments about her. Seriously think about it. If you were in her same situation how would YOU feel? I doubt you would sit and feel good about yourself.

    As far as people saying she should use that incident as motivation to lose weight....WHY? Why lose weight because society says you are too big. Or because other people make fun of you. Shouldn't she lose weight for herself? Because she wants to? Because she is concerned about her own health?

    IMO, you cannot make someone lose weight if they have not come to terms with it yet. (Being an obese person I can honestly say this from my own personal experiences) A person has to want to do it for themselves not for anyone else. I disagree with many of you. While I understand Southwest's policy and agree with it to an extent with it, I think the entire situation could have been handled a lot better.

    I feel sorry for this young woman that she had to deal with that. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment. :ohwell:
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