News/Commentary

Southwest airlines giving free seats to overweight people

December 15, 2023 | | Print Article

A new “customer of size” policy from Southwest Airlines offers a glimpse of how cowardly American corporations were so easily shaken down for more than $100 million by the radical Black Lives Matter movement — many of these being companies you do business with today.

Southwest Airlines allows morbidly obese passengers to request a complimentary seat and requires that these plus-size passengers be accommodated by the flight staff, according to the New York Post, which said that means booting other passengers off of the flight if necessary.

The policy, seen below, entitles customers whose bodies “encroach” past the armrest to an extra seat at no additional cost:

Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) may proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel to ensure the additional seat(s) is available. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats; the width of the narrowest and widest passenger seats (in inches) is available on our Flying Southwest page. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification of a special seating need and allows us to adequately plan for the number of occupied seats onboard. It also helps us ensure we can 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 importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. You may contact us for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel. If you prefer not to purchase an additional seat in advance, you have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing your seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at the departure gate. If it’s determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, you’ll be accommodated with a complimentary additional seat. 

 

As seen above, Southwest tip-toes around the issue with a soft ask to “proactively purchase” the extra seat to ensure it’s available but makes it clear that morbidly obese people will otherwise be gifted a “complimentary” seat — which prompts the question of why pay for something that will be given to you free.

Over the summer, plus-size “travel influencer” Jae’lynn Chaney advocated for airlines being forced to accommodate her massive size when flying.

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Chaney started a Change.org petition demanding a change to “discriminatory” policies requiring plus-size travelers to buy two seats, claiming they have to pay “twice for the same experience.”

“People with smaller bodies get to pay one fare to get to their destination,” Chaney told CNN Travel. “We have to pay two fares, even though we’re getting the same experience. If anything, our experiences are a little bit more challenging.”

In October, Caroline, a size 20 travel influencer posted a video on TikTok praising Southwest’s new policy.

“If you’re fat, you know the anxiety of flying and this alleviates it a lot,” Caroline said. “I had a very comfortable flight just feeling like I was allowed to take up the space I needed.”

She did not mention whether the extra seat was bought or whether another passenger was kicked off the flight to accommodate her.

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A social media user offered his take on why Southwest would go down this path, suggesting the Texas-based airline is “pandering to increase that ESG/DEI standard set forth.”

Here’s a sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

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Tom Tillison
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