Petite Woman Bumped from SWA for a hefty passenger.

[pigletgirl]

Honestly I would of been super upset had I been the one bumped. How terrible.

 

[Rora]

Two things:
1. Once you pay for your ticket, you are no longer a stand-by passenger.

2. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm sure everyone who's responding would feel very differently if they were the ones bumped..

Everyone here is correct- the airline was certainly in the wrong.

 

[DawnCt1]

So, on my flight on Saturday I had an empty seat beside me. Of course I used it to spread out a bit. Should I have paid the airline for the extra seat? The flight was empty so everyone could have had an extra seat (it was a 2x2 plane).

In Canada, by the way, the airlines have to give a free seat to an obese passenger. The courts ruled that obesity was a disability. The passenger does, however, need a formed from they physician stating that they are too big for a single seat (much like a note is needed for a handicapped parking spot).

How is that fair to the airline. They lose a paying passenger on a full flight. Obesity may be a disability but that fact shouldn't put the liability on someone else. Equal access doesn't mean equal cost.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

but as others have said isnt ua kids seated first, up here an an unaccompanied minor we were always seated first.

SWA does not consider 14 year olds to be unaccompanied minors, or at least they didn't a year ago. My 14 year old goddaughter was flying out here to visit, and we wanted her to fly unaccompanied, but they refused saying that at 14 she was too old. We were able to get her some support by saying she was a person needing assistance (e.g. we were able to walk her to her gate) but she didn't get the priority seating, or the flight attendant support that my 7 year old got when he flew unaccompanied.

 

[akhenaten]

Oh please . I think it's sad that you equate compassion for others as something so negative as "politically correctness". If only compassion did ran rampant in our country it would be a much better place.

And what skin off YOUR nose is SWA's POS policy? Why do you care if they don't charge double if the plane is not full?

ITA

Is compassion a negative thing now too?? I swear I think we are in a science fiction novel and I am watching the creation of "newspeak" a new language that twists the meaning of everything!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Over on Flyer Talk Brian Lusk (Manager of Communication, Southwest Airlines) said that the bumped passenger was put on the very next flight out and refunded her fare for the inconvenience of being bumped. Now I think she's an even BIGGER cry-baby.

So, wait. She got to her destination probably only a couple/few hours later than the flight from which she was bumped, and equally if not more definitely sooner than if she'd stayed on her original flight - and there has to have been an original flight, else she couldn't have been a standby passenger, right? - FREE... and THEN she went to the media?????

No sympathy.

 

[redlight]

Over on Flyer Talk Brian Lusk (Manager of Communication, Southwest Airlines) said that the bumped passenger was put on the very next flight out and refunded her fare for the inconvenience of being bumped. Now I think she's an even BIGGER cry-baby.

If that's true, my opinion about her has changed.

 

[gate_pourri]

One thing I don't understand is where were this child's parents? If she was on a connecting flight (IE - in a different city from her parents) she would have had to have already taken a flight and someone should have already realized that she needed a second seat, right? This shouldn't have been a surprise. If she was in her home town, call the parents back and get them to take her/pay for a second seat.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Because that is the airline's policy.

On our recent flight to Europe, my family paid for two seats and used three.

And it is their policy because of the backlash that they would get from people crying foul. Just another example of how political correctness is running rampant in this country. If one needs two seats to fit on an airline, one should be required to pay for both, whether or not the plane is full. People need to take responsibility for themselves.

Oh? If the seat is there, and unoccupied, and the plane has taken off - sbell111 and his travel companion shouldn't take advantage of the extra room?

You'd hate me - and the other 49 passengers on my Christmas night flight a couple of years ago. The plane's capacity was 150, which meant any passenger who wanted could have an entire three seat section to themselves. Given that, you apparently think we should each have remained seated in the one assigned or chosen seat, with the armrests down, for the overnight flight? Would it make the least bit of difference that I fractured a rib IN THE AIRPORT but that the airline wouldn't let me change to a later flight at no charge, so I had to take that flight and NEEDED to lie down?

 

[phorsenuf]

My son (17) took a flight to Florida by himself, he was meeting up with me and his father. The plane wasn't full so he went to the back row. After take-off he put up the armrests and laid down across the seats and slept most of the way. When he woke up there was a pack of peanuts next to his head.
Obviously the FA's didn't mind he was taking up 3 seats when only paying for one.

 

[redlight]

Nope, on the rare occasion when I'm not seated to someone, I spread out.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I still don't get why the fact that she was petite was mentioned at all. Either she had a seat, or she didn't. What difference did HER size make to the story? Unless they were trying to create some kind of good versus evil, petite versus large scenario, it made no sense.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I still don't get why the fact that she was petite was mentioned at all. Either she had a seat, or she didn't. What difference did HER size make to the story? Unless they were trying to create some kind of good versus evil, petite versus large scenario, it made no sense.

That part puzzles me as well.

Some ideas--could she have remained on the flight seated next to the 14yo? Did the media play it up?

I don't know. I don't know what motivated he woman to make an issue. But the problem is a valid issue addressing what has been a very--flimsy and inconsistent policy that changes from agent to agent and crew to crew.

I'm not skinny--but I could have just as easily been bumped, standby or not. She wasn't bumped due to her weight. But if that wasn't in the article, we wouldn't all be talking about it.

 

[redlight]

I think her size was mentioned to play up the fear and loathing of fat aspect of this story.

 

[NHdisneylover]

But what would have happened to my daughter if she was not able to get on another flight. SW only had 2 flights later to her destination. She is a minor and therefore cannot check in to a hotel and can easily be taken advantage of. I was comfortably putting her on a flight that was a direct flight with no plane change (what SW calls it) becasue she would not have to be in a strange place by herslf. But I am not comfortable with them having her to get off a plane because their connection time was off when I paid for a flight that had no plane change. Lesson learnt.

Oh and by the way in my state you have to be 16 years and 3 months before you can get your licenses and she is not got hers yet because I do not feel comfortable having her on the road by herself...

I was just saying that they should treat all minors over the age of 12 the same...

How was your daughter treated so differently? In her case she did get on her scheduled flight. There was never any question of that, correct? The only way she would have missed it would be for her to not return to the gate in time. These are COMPLETELY different situations. Honestly if a 16 year old cannot return to the gate at the right time she has no business flying alone.
Southwest did not require a plane change--they did what they said they would--put her on the same plane to continue her journey after a stop. I cannot imagine that anywhere in the literature or website it says no passengers can be asked to deplane. Airlines often deplane passengers to clean, or because they need to move th plane out of the gate for use by another for a bit. I am sorry you were unaware of how these things can work and taken by surprise but I maintain that the situation is entirely different than that in the OP, that a 16 year old is much more likely to be able to handle things in travel than a 14 year old (did you know 16 is the age limit for an ADULT passport in the US?) and that if this was too much for you or your 16 year old to be comfortable with (being asked to wander the airport for 2 hours and then return to her SAME plane with never any possibility of not being rescheduled or bumped from her flight) then she should not have been flying alone.

How is that fair to the airline. They lose a paying passenger on a full flight. Obesity may be a disability but that fact shouldn't put the liability on someone else. Equal access doesn't mean equal cost.

This is one thing I do agree with you on

I think her size was mentioned to play up the fear and loathing of fat aspect of this story.

I agree

 

[Tammi67]

Because that is the airline's policy.

On our recent flight to Europe, my family paid for two seats and used three.

Oh please . I think it's sad that you equate compassion for others as something so negative as "politically correctness". If only compassion did ran rampant in our country it would be a much better place.

And what skin off YOUR nose is SWA's POS policy? Why do you care if they don't charge double if the plane is not full?

So, on my flight on Saturday I had an empty seat beside me. Of course I used it to spread out a bit. Should I have paid the airline for the extra seat? The flight was empty so everyone could have had an extra seat (it was a 2x2 plane).

In Canada, by the way, the airlines have to give a free seat to an obese passenger. The courts ruled that obesity was a disability. The passenger does, however, need a formed from they physician stating that they are too big for a single seat (much like a note is needed for a handicapped parking spot).

Oh? If the seat is there, and unoccupied, and the plane has taken off - sbell111 and his travel companion shouldn't take advantage of the extra room?

You'd hate me - and the other 49 passengers on my Christmas night flight a couple of years ago. The plane's capacity was 150, which meant any passenger who wanted could have an entire three seat section to themselves. Given that, you apparently think we should each have remained seated in the one assigned or chosen seat, with the armrests down, for the overnight flight? Would it make the least bit of difference that I fractured a rib IN THE AIRPORT but that the airline wouldn't let me change to a later flight at no charge, so I had to take that flight and NEEDED to lie down?

The difference is that none of you NEEDED to purchase your extra seat that you were able to take advantage of because of the plane not being at capacity. This girl NEEDED the extra seat. I NEED to buy tickets for every person in my family, yet if the plane isn't full, the obese person gets the refund. I don't.

There is compassion, for those that are blind, lost a limb, a loved one, have a debilitating condition, even for those that are overweight because of unforeseen medical issues. One loses my compassion when they just plain won't stop eating, or eat nothing but junk. Just today I was at the grocery store. An exceptionally large woman and her two large young children were in the cereal aisle. The children were going on and on about what they wanted.....Capn Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Pop-Tarts. You should have seen what was in that cart! Nothing that showed any concern about what they were eating. Obesity can be overcome. One just has to be willing to alter their lifestyle. It's a choice.

 

[kaytieeldr]

There is compassion, for those that are blind, lost a limb, a loved one, have a debilitating condition, even for those that are overweight because of unforeseen medical issues. One loses my compassion when they just plain won't stop eating, or eat nothing but junk.

Interesting. We don't have the slightest idea why the teen was of a size to need two seats, yet MANY people are making negative judgments about her and Southwest based on the complaints of a passenger who flew FREE on the very next flight after the standby flight from which she was bumped, and in all likelihood a lot sooner than her original flight.

She got: her flight; her money back; and her fifteen minutes of [anonymous] "fame". Now can she please go away?

 

[DawnCt1]

I still don't get why the fact that she was petite was mentioned at all. Either she had a seat, or she didn't. What difference did HER size make to the story? Unless they were trying to create some kind of good versus evil, petite versus large scenario, it made no sense.

Because the reporter who interviewed her thought that it would gleam attention and his article would be read and that is what happened.

 

[LBIJim]

No one was forced to give up a seat for which they paid. A standby passenger was removed from the flight.

Of course someone was forced to give up a seat for which they paid!! Southwest didn't let the petite standby passenger on the plane for free. She paid the full fare (no discounts) for the flight before she was even put on the standby list.

Southwest screwed up by clearing her to board the plane. But she was definitely "forced to give up a seat for which (she) paid."

It appears Southwest acknowlwdges their mistake and more than fairly compenstated the bumped passenger who was forced to give up a seat for which she paid.

Jim

 

[LBIJim]

Two things:
1. Once you pay for your ticket, you are no longer a stand-by passenger.

Everyone here is correct- the airline was certainly in the wrong.

No, the petite woman was still a standby passenger even after she paid for her ticket. No guarantee that she would fly that flight, even after payment. She had to wait until maybe 10-15 minutes before departure time to see if she could be accommodated. Once she was cleared to board, however, in most cases it would have been too bad, so sad SOL for the late arriving passenger. The problem was that the latecomer is a minor more so than her being obese. An adult person of size probably would not have been able to board if she had been late.

Yes, Southwest was certainly in the wrong on just about every aspect of this incident. But they quickly compensated the involuntarily bumped passenger. More than adequatedly, I'd say.

Jim

P.S. One internet headline about this was along the lines of "Woman Bumped From Flight For Being Too Thin."