Another Too-Fat-To-Fly Controversy Hits Southwest Airlines

CBSNew York.com ^ | 05/18/11 | CBSNew York Staff

[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.

[BubbaJunebug]

[monkeyshine]

Southwest now owns AirTran. They might do away with the biz class seats. I travel a lot too, am pampered by the airlines, 150,000 miles a year in the air, yet, at 6 ft tall 230 (a little overweight at the belly but by no means obese) some of the biz class seats are a bit narrow for me. I fit, but I can sometimes feel the sides. They are made like car racing seats, unlike the bench seating in coach.

There is no way that gal in the pictures above will fit in a CRJ even in biz class. She would be more comfy buying 2 seats in coach. I was just on a 767-300 in biz class and she would not have fit because of the built in tray table and audio-visual units (newer planes have the AV on the seatback but many pop up from the center console between the two seats). I have more sympathy for the genetically large (eg tall people, Samoans, etc) but life isn’t fair. Some airlines like Jet Blue have extra legroom seats and they cost more, but tall people almost have to buy them or suffer quietly. Fat people, unfortunately, cause other people to suffer and that is why they should be required to buy 2 seats, unlike tall people who can choose to torture themselves.

[Lazamataz]

HEY!

Stop telling the truth about me!

[basil]

LOL!

Whatcha doin’ these days, big guy?

[Lazamataz]

I’d pay for extra legroom.

Is that a high-class way of saying you favor prostitution?

[Major Matt Mason]

I'd hit it.

With what, a foot-long sub?

[Lazamataz]

Working to prevent the Zombie Apocalypse, of course! Down here in Hotlanta GA.....How’re you, sweety?

[Lazamataz]

I don’t think it’s quite a foot long, but sure.

[monkeyshine]

It is funny how that joke got so butchered over the years. No offense to you, I've heard that joke told that way many many times. But just to set the record straight, the punchline is "roll her in flour and "go for the dough."

[Blueflag]

Worst seat in the air is a 737-200, coach, configured for short haul, with fixed arm rests.

Next is the 757 short haul.

The CRJs can be punishing, but they also add the insult of a HARD seat bottom.

I can schedule around the smallest CRJs, and usually find at least a Mad Dog 88. Some of the newer RJs flown by Pinnacle and ASA are pretty roomy - at least in the exit aisle.

I am a touch over 6’4” and on the high side of 235. I feel your pain.

The biz class seats with the seat-fitted entertainment units are kinda narrow, I agree. 777 biz class is my fave for cross country flights.

p.s. I don’t fly Air Tran ‘cuz I am pampered by Delta and American. No need to get on a leisure airline ;-)

[JRios1968]

[al_c]

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.

Almost every time!

[SIDENET]

I'd hit it.

Ugh. No fatties.

(shudder)

[SIDENET]

Use the old Andrew Dice Clay pickup line:

"I've. Got. Fudge."

[Yo-Yo]

Worst seat in the air is a 737-200, coach, configured for short haul, with fixed arm rests.

Next is the 757 short haul.

The CRJs can be punishing, but they also add the insult of a HARD seat bottom.

You can't make blanket assertions about aircraft types. All interiors are specified by the airline buying the aircraft, not by the aircraft manufacturer. So one airline's 737-200 can be very different from another arline's 737-200.

You gotta name names!

[sockmonkey]

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

No disagreement on that from me. Even when their butt's in the seat, every other part of their fatousity is squeezing over into the person next to them..I hate it when I am forced to try to squinch over in my paid for seat by the upper arm flab, and lardy hips that are oozing onto me for several hours. Ugh.

[Lazamataz]

Better, is when the fat person has open and bleeding sores, that drip blood and pus as they ooze over the armrests and slowly rub their body fluids onto your skin, then they start trying to lick into your ear canal with their scratchy tongues and their breath that smells like 3 day old dead cougar.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Window seat anyone?....

[Hat-Trick]

I'm on SWA for around 40 round trips per year, so trust me when I tell you that I've sat next to someone like Kenlie many times, and part of her is also sitting in my seat.

Part of the problem that I see with this is the inconsistent enforcement or application of this policy by the SWA gate agents. I'm guessing that Kenlie has flown SWA before this incident, but this was the first time she was told to purchase another seat.

[joe fonebone]

yes it is a legitimate issue...I am not a small person, but not anywhere near obese (6’, 230#) I got seated next to a person, about 6’8”, had to be pushing 450 pounds...my shoulder was stuck in his armpit, and I only was able to sit on half my seat...I talked to the stewardess, and got to sit in the jump seat in back ( 4 hour flight ) If you are too big, buy 2 damn seats...