When The Fat Flies

[ihvpave]

I've kinda been following the Kevin Smith thing on Twitter (... and the rest of the world), since I kinda like Smith's movies, and I think he's an interesting personality, and also, 'cos I travel sometimes. If you haven't been following it, the short version is that he had a flight on SouthWest, but wanted to try to leave earlier and went standby

Comments

[scearley]

Southwest is one airline I hate hate hate to fly and refuse them whenever possible.

Which so far has been always for 15+ years, but I fear that some day in the future I might have no choice.

[ihvpave]

Why do you hate them so much historically?

[scearley]

The way they've handled getting people on planes and the way they deal with them on planes. I have never felt like cattle more than on a SW flight.

And then there's the whole Wright Amendment way of flying through Dallas, but that's not their fault. Still an enormous PITA when trying to get to Arkansas though.

[ihvpave]

*nods*

The thing that blew my mind is that he did "fit" based on their guidelines. It boggles my mind that they disclosed - without his consent - that he has on occasion purchased two seats for a flight, and took that as a de facto admission that he is too large for a single seat, instead of considering any of the other reasons one might buy an additional seat. The fact that SWA then shifted the blame to a long-standing customer is the part where my brain fell out of my ear. Following it up with "well, we gave him a voucher..." seems disingenuous at best - especially since a) he didn't take it and b) that hardly would relieve the utter mortification of being told he was a "safety risk" on the flight, in front of the rest of the passengers.

It just... Frankly, it pisses me off, and it didn't even happen to me.

[scearley]

If you listen to his podcast, he says that he was booted off the earlier flight, then on the later flight, the one he was already supposed to be on, they pulled the woman sitting next to him off and told her that she might have to buy an extra seat.

So not only was it his mortifcation, but they just frankly don't care about the humancargo they ship.

[markarsenal]

Only two observations:

1. Southwest is the only airline with a Persons of Size policy. At least they have one, even if they don't know how to tactfully and effectively (and uniformly) enforce it. Other airlines just have to pull one of these every since time they have an obese passenger, so I wonder how much worse it would have been on a stodgier airline has KS flown, say, US?

2. If I was on that plane, I'd offer to let KS site next to me so we could cuddle. I'd even sit in a middle seat for him -- He's hawt :P

[ihvpave]

I don't disagree. However, in this case, Smith met the protocols the airline established, and his seatmates verbally confirmed that he was not an encroachment - all of which indicate he was not invading the personal space of other travelers.

I firmly believe a company has a right to maintain its standards of protocol, as I noted, I think it's also only right that those standards be consistent and routine. In this case, he has flown with them many times, and later that same day flew with them again without issue, and that's where the problem comes in for me.

Having said that, in today's world, I look at a plane in much the same way I look at a bus: it's mass transit. It's not going to be comfortable, or fun, but merely a way to get me from place to place with some efficiency. I don't expect a bus or subway to be particularly lovely, and the same holds true for a plane. It's more expensive, sure, but it's the same basic idea to my mind.

[wikidangl]

Heard that he normally buys two seats so this has never been a problem before. Haven't read a lot about it so not 100% on that though. Yea the whole things is kinda a mess so I haven't read much into it.

How did they handle it? Seems like they should've taken him aside where other people coudln't hear and told him their concerns and what they thought they had to do for the safety of all passengers. If they told him in front of everyone like that sounds kinda shitty.

I duno...

[ihvpave]

That information came from Southwest, without Smith's permission, and is - according to him, so: grain of salt - inaccurate. He says he had bought 2 tickets in this case because his wife was going to travel with him originally, but couldn't go, and he decided to keep the two tickets so he could sit alone without having to talk to people -- he claims that his usual is to buy a single ticket. I feel very discomfited by the idea that Southwest released his purchasing information, regardless, tho.

From his claims, he was advised he would be required to deplane in front of everyone, as he was in his seat.