Posted on 05/19/2011 8:19:16 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Southwest Airlines has apologized to a mother and daughter who said they got rough treatment at the airport.
Kenlie Tiggeman, a 30-year-old political strategist and weight loss blogger in New York City, said it was humiliating, being told she was too fat to fly, reports CBS 2’s John Slattery.
“It was rude. It was in front of lots of people,” said Tiggeman, who’s originally from New Orleans.
Tiggeman said the incident happened in Dallas over Easter. She and her mother were told by a gate agent they each had to purchase two seats.
“And said that we were, in fact, too fat to fly, without an additional ticket,” Tiggeman said.
She says she can fit in the seat.
Um, K ...
coach seat is 17 INCHES wide per normal.
Was she coach or first class?
Sure she can wedge in, but how much does she overlap into my ‘space’?
The arm rests MUST be down for take off and landing, so the fatties can’t try that angle anymore.
FWIW, I fly pretty much EVERY week. I have seen fat folks wedge themselves in a seat, and the effect is that of squeezing a water balloon — they can’t go bodily wide, so their posterior gets ‘squooze’ UP. They end up sitting really high in the seat, ‘cuz the compression of their posterior lifts their torso up. They sit oddly high in the seat and must one or TWO seat belt extensions.
I don’t mean to pick on them or ridicule them — just point out that their form factor DOES NOT readily conform to the standard coach environment in a SINGLE seat.
I can sympathize because I am tall and broad-shouldered. My knees go up against the seat in front, and my shoulders don’t fit left to right in the allotted 17 or so inches. I sit on the aisle in coach, or first class. (Yes, I am one of THOSE multi-million milers, spoiled, pampered flying snobs ... but I help travel noob on a weekly basis)
Travel tip for the wide — an upgrade to domestic business class on leisure airlines like AirTran costs LESS than buying two seats, is more comfy, better served, and less embarrassing.
It was rude and wrong. Since that airline only flies 737s with 3-3 seating configuration, they should have been allowed to split 3 seats between the two of them instead of being forced to buy 2 seats each.
Muscle weights more than fat.
It’s not about weight, but width. A tall person can weigh 250 but be slim and fit in the seat. (Personal knowledge here!) He’ll have to deal with legroom issues, but that’s not something he can control, unlike obesity.
I’d pay for extra legroom.
See... its not too bad.
Have you ever had the misfortune of sitting next to a tubber? You have to stick your arms straight down at your sides because they need both arm rests. The seats are small to begin with for anyone except kids and midgets.
LOL literally
Do the math....That armrest is gonna disappear!
She’s too fat to fly even with 2 seats!!!
Put on a burka and go hide from public!
save a whale, harpoon a fat chick!
I hate sitting next to obese, super-sized strangers on a flight.
Even if they can “fit” (read: squeeze) into the seat, the spillover means HOURS of constant, miserable contact with their blubbery body and excess body heat. What about my right to protection from the uncomfortable, sweaty, icky intimacy of a complete stranger?
Buy two seats or stay home, I say.
They probably should consider an initial “weight allowance” for each ticket, then charge extra for every pound by which the initial allowance is exceeded.
But that doesn’t help with seating. Need a charge for extra large “butt prints,” too.
Kind of pretty face but you’d have to roll her in flower and look for the wet spot!
I do give her credit for losing nearly 140 lb.
“you’d hit a lubricated oven mitt.”
Actually,Laz would be better off hitting the oven mitt.At least it won’t tell the neighbors.
You’ve got ole Laz pegged, haven’t you? LOL!
Whoa...human airbag
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