Southwest Airlines Replaces Thin Passenger with Overweight Teen
A thin female passenger has claimed that Southwest Airlines kicked her off of a flight in order to accommodate a teenager that was overweight and needed the extra seat. This is alleged to have occurred last week on a flight to Sacramento from Las Vegas.
The woman, who is 5-foot-4, 110lbs. and wants to stay anonymous, has told reports that she paid to upgrade to full airfare so that she would fly standby. However, after she was given the last seat on the flight and got settled in, she was told by airline staff that she would have to leave the plane. She continued that this happened so that an overweight teenager could fly instead, and claims that the carrier’s staff scolded her when she asked for an explanation about their decision.
Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Marilee McInnis admits that the situation could have been handled more carefully, although it was awkward. Paul Flannigan, another spokesperson, said that there were extenuating circumstances surrounding the issue. He explained that the overweight passenger was a 14-year-old girl traveling by herself. If she had been an adult, she would have been made to by a second ticket, he continued, but they couldn’t leave her stranded. McInnis added that the staff were probably trying to avoid making the situation embarrassing for the young lady.
Although the thinner passenger didn’t get to stay on that flight, she was able to board a later service. Officials for Southwest Airlines say that they will give her an apology and offer her a credit that can be used on one of their future services.
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