Summary
- Southwest Airlines offers a Customer of Size policy, allowing plus-size passengers to get an additional seat and seatbelt extender.
- The policy has been in place for greater than 30 years and is designed to accommodate the needs of larger passengers.
- Some criticize the policy for rewarding obesity, while others praise it as a humane and fair technique to accommodate passengers of size.
Southwest Airlines’ long-standing Customer of Size policy has dominated headlines this week after a famous plus-size traveler on TikTok filmed her experience of using it to get an additional seat and a seatbelt extension. The airline has probably the most straightforward and more accommodating policies regarding plus-sized passengers, especially in comparison with other airlines in North America and elsewhere.
Southwest Airlines’ plus-size policy has been around for nearly 30 years, and is The policy indicates that plus-size passengers are entitled to an additional seat, provided they meet the conditions laid out by Southwest. The carrier defines customers of size as those that “with the armrests because the perimeter. Southwest Airlines’ policy states:
“Customers who encroach upon any a part of the neighboring seat(s) may proactively purchase the needed variety of seats prior to travel to make sure the extra seat(s) is on the market. The armrest is taken into account to be the definitive boundary between seats; the width of the narrowest and widest passenger seats (in inches) is on the market on our Flying Southwest page. The acquisition of additional seats serves as a notification of a special seating need and allows us to adequately plan for the variety of occupied seats onboard.”
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
The airline argues that the policy has an operational profit, allowing it to plan ahead and accommodate each customers of size and all other passengers:
“It also helps us ensure we will accommodate all Customers on the flight for which they purchased a ticket and avoid asking Customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation. Most significantly, it ensures that every one Customers onboard have access to protected and cozy seating.”
Plus-size travel influencer Kimmy Garis made use of the policy and posted the next video on TikTok:
The airline offers two ways to benefit from the policy. You may decide to purchase a second seat online by following the instructions set out by Southwest Airlines on its website. The airline will refund you for the second seat after the flight, which should be requested via email or phone. The opposite option is to approach a Customer Service Agent directly on the airport to debate “your seating needs,” meaning the potential for a second or third seat.
Reactions to the policy
There have been two significant responses to this policy. Some argue that the policy is glorifying obesity and lack of self-control. Matthew Klint from Live and Lets Fly said:
“I’ll keep it easy: shame on Southwest for rewarding obesity. Passengers who take up less space will not be given a refund and those that require more room resulting from their very own poor decisions should pay for it.”
Others have praised the policy, deeming it “humane,” reminiscent of Ben Schlappig from One Mile At A Time. Plus-sized passengers have also commended the policy.
Airline policy on customers of size
Airlines are typically not excellent at indicating their policies for plus-sized customers, sometimes because they shouldn’t have one. Southwest Airlines is one in every of the only a few airlines in North America to supply an additional seat freed from charge to people of size. Airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines ask passengers to buy a further seat if needed.
Photo: Carlos E. Santa Maria | Shutterstock
Alternatively, Canadian airlines are on par with Southwest Airlines in providing the potential for an additional seat freed from charge. In Canada, a Supreme Court ruling in November 2008 gave customers who’re medically defined as obese the precise to 2 seats for the worth of 1. To acquire a second seat freed from charge is more complicated than with Southwest Airlines. Firstly, customers have to get an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, or a nurse practitioner to fill out a form, including waist measurements and details about their weight, before sending it back to the respective airline for review.
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