Southwest Airlines Bumps Thin Woman For Obese Teen

(CBS) A petite Sacramento woman was bumped from a Southwest Airlines flight to make room for an extra-large 14-year-old who required two seats.

The 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman, who was flying standby from Las Vegas to Sacramento, was buckled up and ready to go when the teen arrived late to the gate, reported the Sacramento Bee. She was surprised when flight attendants said she would have to deplane to make room for the teen.

When the woman - who did not give her name to the paper for fear of being perceived as insensitive - expressed irritation, airline employees began to "berate" her for complaining, she told the newspaper.

"We know this was awkward and we should have handled it better," said Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis, adding that normally the airline would ask for volunteers to give up their seats. In this case, however, flight attendants may have been rushing to make room for the kid in order to save him from embarrassment.

Southwest can't seem to win for losing. This is the same airline that made headlines recently when it booted chubby blogger Kevin Smith, 39, from his seat because he had to squeeze himself into it.

After the Smith incident, Southwest said his removal was for the "safety and comfort of all customers," maintaining that a large person could block passengers seated nearby from exiting quickly in the event of an emergency.

Southwest generally requires large passengers to buy two tickets. But in this case, the child's parents had purchased only one.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_1...-10391704.html

Well I would have been really mad if they made me give up a seat. They should have made the kid and his parents get off, not her. I mean, if you know you are not going to fit into one seat buy two tickets! Or lose weight!

That's retarded, on what grounds do they make a passenger give up a seat she rightfully had? Anyway, she shouldn't complain, that case is completely won, if she sues there's no way in hell, if it happened like it's described, that she can lose, and she'd be awarded a good amount o' money.

Good punishment for a retarded airline

zexen wrote:That's retarded, on what grounds do they make a passenger give up a seat she rightfully had? Anyway, she shouldn't complain, that case is completely won, if she sues there's no way in hell, if it happened like it's described, that she can lose, and she'd be awarded a good amount o' money.

Good punishment for a retarded airline

Good point, she has every right to sue them and that is exactly what I would do.

Also, pictures would have made this thread so much better.

She was flying standby, which means she gets bumped first. However, according to tickets, she would have been sold it anyway since I am sure the Airline didn't know the kid would be that fat. Stupid parents got all this wrong. The airline isn't without fault, but the first mistake falls on the stupid parents for not buying 2 tickets.

The stewardesses should have asked for volunteers and made sure the kid got embarrassed so he would lose weight next time.

Mako wrote:

zexen wrote:That's retarded, on what grounds do they make a passenger give up a seat she rightfully had? Anyway, she shouldn't complain, that case is completely won, if she sues there's no way in hell, if it happened like it's described, that she can lose, and she'd be awarded a good amount o' money.

Good punishment for a retarded airline

Good point, she has every right to sue them and that is exactly what I would do.

Sue for what?

Edit: That is for both of you.

dsister wrote:Sue for what?

Edit: That is for both of you.

For being forced off the plane just because of the kid. The airlines can't do that.... But what Luin says does sort of change that, if she was flying standby (never heard of that before).

I fly standby all the time in US. You basically wait and if there are any seats open, you take them.

My mom works for an airline company so thats how I get to fly standby. I almost always get the first class seats, but in small planes for short flights, those don't really make much of a difference.

If the kid had only one seat purchased, then even if she was on standby (something that's not said in the article, but let's assume she was), she should've gotten the seat anyways, it's not like the kid had dibs for that other seat either...in fact he had less, because the woman had paid for one seat, the kid hadn't paid for two

the Article wrote:The 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman, who was flying standby from Las Vegas to Sacramento, ...

it is in the article. that's how i knew about it. What zex says is the only way that she could sue. But the fat kid should have been forced to purchase the second seat, which i don't know if that happened. again the parents screwed up, but that doesn't excuse the airline from this PR mess.

A 14 year old being THAT fat!? 0_o

I was picking up my father to go to lunch a month or so ago (he is a Pediatrician) and in his office is this 180 lb kid. When I asked my dad how old the kid was, he tells me the kid just turned 10! It is just plain disgusting.

As for the situation here. If you are going to take up 2 seats because you are extra large, you should have to pay for those two seats. If this woman was on standby and did end up getting bumped, the extra large child had better have been required to purchase another ticket for that extra seat.

Screw allowing this double child to fly, he needs to run to Sacramento.

I feel sorry for the kid who needed 2 seats, given that obesity is often linked to things like deepression and stuff, I tend not to go for the whole reactionary "OMG teh awful fatties are teh scum, killz them allz"

I know thats the whole popular thing to do, but hey, I just dont work that way, people always have a go at fat people, but few ever stop to ask, why do they eat?

I think the parents of the boy really put the airline in a bad position. Ms. Thin Woman gets booted of the Boeing, and the SWA takes another hit in the PR department. All because mom and dad didn't buy two tickets for their son like they should have.

If nothing else, the lady had a little more time to spend in beautiful Las Vegas.

wait wait.... Since when do parents take their kids to Vegas? Is it a family town now?

Ssenkahdavic wrote:
Screw allowing this double child to fly, he needs to run to Sacramento.

Hahahahaha. That could make a good reality show.

Luinil wrote:wait wait.... Since when do parents take their kids to Vegas? Is it a family town now?

Very good point there.

Luinil wrote:wait wait.... Since when do parents take their kids to Vegas? Is it a family town now?

Hey, now. Vegas actually did make a family-friendly push during the '90s. Some of my fondest childhood/teen memories have come from good ol' Las Vegas, USA. ^_^

Now, however, they've gone back to old fashioned sex, gambling, & rock and roll.

Maybe the kid was there for the buffets. (Sorry, ScifiBoy. I couldn't resist making that crass, tasteless joke.)