Petite passenger booted from Southwest flight

[Imprl59]

The lady who got booted from the plane was standby as others have stated. I used to fly SouthWest every week and came home on standby every week as I would book the last flight out on Friday to be prepared for worst case scenario but sometimes I was flying out on standby on Wednesday afternoon. I was booted off the plane twice when the seats rightful owner showed up. Sucked to be me...

The rub in this one is that the girl had bought one seat. She arrived and needed two. I think it would be a realistic assumption that neither she nor the adult paying for the flight realized she was going to need two seats.

So what's SouthWest to do.... either
A) Leave the standby passenger on and not let the 14 year old girl on. I can just imagine the press having a field day with them leaving a child stranded because the kid was fat or

B) bump someone off the flight and get the young lady where she was going even though she only had a reservation for one of her two seats.

'course they could also look for volunteers to take the next flight. I've done that a few times as well as at that time they would guarantee you a seat on the next flight and had some good perks to go with it up to a free flight if nobody took them up on the earlier offers. That may not have been a realistic option either though since we already know the girl was a late arrival. If that plane misses its departure window then everyone on the plane is stuck. They may not have had time to play the volunteer game.

In this case were I the SouthWest employee making the decision i would have booted the standby and gotten the young lady on the plane. The last think I want on my mind is worrying about some freak getting ahold of her in the airport because of my decision.

[draggar]

The article linked in the OP says the teen only paid for one seat.

The rub in this one is that the girl had bought one seat. She arrived and needed two. I think it would be a realistic assumption that neither she nor the adult paying for the flight realized she was going to need two seats.

No where did Southwest say that the teen had purchased one seat - that was the woman who got booted's words.

The Sacramento woman, a frequent-flying sales rep, was stunned.

"It didn't seem right that I should have to leave to accommodate someone who had only paid for one seat," she tells us. (She has asked to remain anonymous for fear some may regard her as insensitive.)

Those are her words, not Southwest's. I'd like to hear Southwest's side to this.

[Peppergirl]

Was just watching a clip of this on headline news. Unfortunately, the volume was down, so all I could catch were the viewer comments that blip across the screen at the bottom. One of them said:

"I'd have refused to get off the plane!"

Really???? I can't even TELL you guys how many travelers I have dealt with who have gotten bodily removed from planes and and detained and/or arrested for making scenes.

They don't play around anymore at airports. Seriously.

[Red Panda]

The lady who got booted from the plane was standby as others have stated. I used to fly SouthWest every week and came home on standby every week as I would book the last flight out on Friday to be prepared for worst case scenario but sometimes I was flying out on standby on Wednesday afternoon. I was booted off the plane twice when the seats rightful owner showed up. Sucked to be me...

The rub in this one is that the girl had bought one seat. She arrived and needed two. I think it would be a realistic assumption that neither she nor the adult paying for the flight realized she was going to need two seats.

So what's SouthWest to do.... either
A) Leave the standby passenger on and not let the 14 year old girl on. I can just imagine the press having a field day with them leaving a child stranded because the kid was fat or

B) bump someone off the flight and get the young lady where she was going even though she only had a reservation for one of her two seats.

'course they could also look for volunteers to take the next flight. I've done that a few times as well as at that time they would guarantee you a seat on the next flight and had some good perks to go with it up to a free flight if nobody took them up on the earlier offers. That may not have been a realistic option either though since we already know the girl was a late arrival. If that plane misses its departure window then everyone on the plane is stuck. They may not have had time to play the volunteer game.

In this case were I the SouthWest employee making the decision i would have booted the standby and gotten the young lady on the plane. The last think I want on my mind is worrying about some freak getting ahold of her in the airport because of my decision.

Fair is fair. If you buy one seat you get one seat. If the girl was forced to pay for the second seat then this would be less unfair but if they didn't make her pay then there is no excuse. If you pay for one you should get one and if you can't fit then too bad.

If anybody is to blame its the parents, for not raising a fit child and for not making sure there were accomidations for her when she flew alone.

[HYHYBT]

The problem here is that there was an available seat for her, so they let her on the plane only to give that seat to the overweight teen that needed the second seat to fit properly. Then, to make matters worse, they ordered her to deplane without asking for her consideration first. The article linked in the OP says the teen only paid for one seat.

It seems to me that the whole thing, then, *might* have been avoided. One passenger is oversized, but the other is described as "petite." And one has paid for a seat on *this* flight, while the other, though she's paid her fare, is not specifically assigned. So had it been up to me, I'd have offered them a choice: if they would agree to sit together as-is, with one overflowing a little but the other not really needing the full width anyway, then the fat one gets to pay for only one ticket and the thin one gets to stay on this flight; they might be a little crowded, but everybody wins. If either objects, then the fat one has to pay for a second ticket and the thin one has to wait for the next plane. The downside, of course, is that the most likely outcome is that the airline doesn't get the extra fare for a passenger they're not carrying anyway.

[LewisLegion]

Hypothyroidism aside, there's all sorts of medical conditions and medications that can cause weight gain, even SERIOUS weight gain.

My BF is bipolar and is on both depakote and lamictal...both of which cause weight gain. She excercises and eats healthy and moderately yet has still gained fifty pounds of weight simply because of her medication.

I have hypothyroidism...I also take four different medications and have a severe, chronic pain condition that makes regular excercise almost impossible. I eat healthy and moderately, but I've fluctuated in my weight and now stand at about forty pounds more than I should, simply because I take medications that increase weight gain, and because I physically cannot move more than the minimum on most days.

If someone told me or my BF to put down the food and step away, I'd beat them senseless with my cane.

[Red Panda]

Unless you already weigh 350 pounds, and extra 50 won't make you not able to fit in a seat or do anything else a normal person can.

[Greenday]

Hypothyroidism aside, there's all sorts of medical conditions and medications that can cause weight gain, even SERIOUS weight gain.

I'm curious as to how often that's the REAL reason behind people's massive weight. I always here this excuse. Oh, it's the medicine. Oh, it's my thyroids. While there are people who do have those problems, I'm pretty sure a good portion are just using it as an excuse.

[LewisLegion]

While there are people who do have those problems, I'm pretty sure a good portion are just using it as an excuse.

Of course there are. But why jump immediately into the assumption that someone is overweight because they're lazy pigs, and not because they may have a medical problem? Yeah, the person may be lying about it...but they may not be. Telling someone to 'put down the fork' is extremely rude no matter the cause of the weight problem...but to someone who is already struggling with health problems, especially 'invisible' problems that already get them reamed that they are just 'lazy' or 'making it up'...the last thing that is needed is someone scorning them for a weight problem when they are doing all they can just to remain mobile, and when they're so frustrated that simple tasks have become all but impossible.

So whether it's an excuse on their end or a legitamate reason...it doesn't excuse rude comments and bullying on the part of someone else.

[Red Panda]

If there is a 99.999999999999999999999999999999% chance that a person is grossly overweight due to their poor habits and not because of a health problem that makes them gain 300 pounds then I am fine with taking the risk of assuming they do not have that health problem.

[Plaidman]

Indeed. I put on alot of weight when I got on an antidepressent. People noticed. I wasn't even close to 200 lbs, but it alot noticeable on me from being like, 120 to my 160now. Everyone noticed. Lots made fun. "Getting fat there!" "hey chubby!" "put down that candybar!"

So I decided to stop taking the antidepressents. My depression came back far worst then ever, but my weight went away, and people stop making fun of me that way.

[Peppergirl]

If there is a 99.999999999999999999999999999999% chance that a person is grossly overweight due to their poor habits and not because of a health problem that makes them gain 300 pounds then I am fine with taking the risk of assuming they do not have that health problem.

Wow. Interesting percentage. Where did you find this information? I'd love to see a link.

[Greenday]

If there is a 99.999999999999999999999999999999% chance that a person is grossly overweight due to their poor habits and not because of a health problem that makes them gain 300 pounds then I am fine with taking the risk of assuming they do not have that health problem.

So you are saying only 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 people are overweight because of medical problems? Do me a favor and never argue on the same side of me. You aren't helping.

[fireheart17]

Two seat issue aside, Red Panda, funnily enough I fall into the category of overweight, yet every blood test, blood pressure check, urine test etc. have all come back saying that I'm as healthy as a freaking horse. The ONLY times that my blood pressure has been high or low, were when I was admitted to hospital the second time around in a case of severe distress and very suicidal (that was high) and on the morning of the day I was discharged from hospital the first time (that was low). Can you explain that one to me?

[Red Panda]

You are probably slightly overweight, not one of these 400 pound monsters who have a mysterious medical condition that causes them to put five pounds on mayo on everything they eat. I know medications and diseases can make you fat, but it doesn't make you gain 300 pounds. Eating Cadberry Eggs instead of cereal for breakfast does that.