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People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

Tkcho2
Explorer C

 Currently on my Southwest flight from LAX to BWI (Maryland) Flight #2219 - This is a non stop 4.5 hour cross country flight. The woman next to me is over 6 inches on my seat. My husband asked the attendant if she could ask the lady if it was possible to move over a little. The flight attendant looked at the woman, looked at my chair (I was halfway in my husband's lap), saw the problem and said "This is a full flight, what do you want me to do?" And walked off. She never came by again the whole flight. 

 

I have nothing against "people of size" I myself was overweight at one point in time. I do however, expect rules to be followed.

 

Southwest has a policy for people of size officially stating they need to purchase 2 seats or more if their body extends past the arm rests "the armrest is considered the definitive boundary"

As a medically retired U.S. Marine Corps military veteran I am very dissatisfied with the conduct of Southwest Airline's flight attendants. They could've moved the person to the flight attendant area as another post under the section of people of size stated.

Rules are meant to be followed especially on something as dangerous as an airplane. What else does Southwest ignore and skip over when making sure everything is ready to go when people are at 3700 + feet?

As this survey asked- I'll be posting this to 2 social media sights of mine. With well over 600+ IG followers and over 8,000k Google reviews, I hope this highlights Southwest's flying dangers.

- Now I know why Southwest had to be ordered by the White House to ground their Boeing 737 Max jets and didn't voluntarily do it like all the other airlines in the interest of passengers safety.

In the end I don't really get it because Southwest gives free seats to people of size. They're supposed to notify the crew at the gate or buy the ticket ahead of time and be refunded if they don't wish to discuss it in person.

6 REPLIES 6

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

SWDigits
Aviator A
You can also get in touch with the Customer Relations Department via Twitter (@Southwestair), or by phone at 1-855-234-4654.

Source:
https://www.southwestaircommunity.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Submitting-a-Suggestion-and-or-Complaint/ta-...

Customer | Home airport DCA

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@Tkcho2 wrote:

I have nothing against "people of size" I myself was overweight at one point in time. I do however, expect rules to be followed.

 

Southwest has a policy for people of size officially stating they need to purchase 2 seats or more if their body extends past the arm rests "the armrest is considered the definitive boundary"


 

There is no "rule" requiring a customer of size to purchase an extra seat. The policy you are referring to mentions customers of size "MAY proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel in order to ensure the additional seat(s) is available."

 

It appears the customer chose not to proactively purchase an additional seat and you indicated the flight was full so the crew was correct in stating there was nothing they could do at that point. It's unfortunate you were uncomfortable and I'm certain the customer of size was also physically and emotionally uncomfortable with the situation as you complained about her while you were sitting next to her. I bet that made her feel really great.

 

You can read more about the customer of size policy here: https://www.southwest.com/html/generated/help/faqs/extra_seat_policy_faq.html

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

SWDigits
Aviator A

Asking because I don't know. How does the following wording apply?

 

"In turn, this helps to ensure we can accommodate all Customers on the flight/aircraft for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking Customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating."

 

Is the "by the book" answer when more than one seat is needed (but not reserved) to "bump" someone from the flight?


Customer | Home airport DCA

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@SWDigits bumping someone does appear to be an option, but no airline is looking to bump people nowadays after the United Airlines fiasco some time ago. I could see it happening in an "extreme" case, however you want to define that.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

dfwskier
Aviator A

@Tkcho2 wrote:

 Currently on my Southwest flight from LAX to BWI (Maryland) Flight #2219 - This is a non stop 4.5 hour cross country flight. The woman next to me is over 6 inches on my seat. My husband asked the attendant if she could ask the lady if it was possible to move over a little. The flight attendant looked at the woman, looked at my chair (I was halfway in my husband's lap), saw the problem and said "This is a full flight, what do you want me to do?" And walked off. She never came by again the whole flight. 

 

Well, it the flight was full, what did you expect the flight attendent to do? Apparently there were no seats to move either you or the large person to. Perhaps the FA could have been a bit more diplomatic.

 

 .....

 

- Now I know why Southwest had to be ordered by the White House to ground their Boeing 737 Max jets and didn't voluntarily do it like all the other airlines in the interest of passengers safety.

 

In the interest of accuracy, I need to correct you. No US airline grounded their MAXs until the FAA ordered the grounding. No US airline did it voluntarily.

Re: People of Size don't matter where else is Southwest cutting corners?

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

@Tkcho2,

 

You were in a difficult situation, and I'm sorry to hear that. It does sound like our Flight Attendant may have missed an opportunity to handle your concerns with more compassion. I'm certain it was equally uncomfortable for the other parties involved, and I regret that proactive measures weren't taken so such circumstances could be avoided.

 

Please reach out to our Customer Relations Department so a Customer Representative can work with you toward a resolution. Oftentimes, we're able to offer a gesture of goodwill and invite you to come back in the future for better experiences.