Plus Sized...Concerns about Southwest...help!

[LibrarianBecky]

Hi all,

I hoping there are some plus sized people out there who could help calm some concerns I have. We have booked out flight to WDW on Southwest. Was super happy, good price, direct flight, great times. Wonderful, right? Well, now that I've looked at their policies more closely, I have two concerns.

1. I'm worried that my family won't be able to sit together. It will be myself, DH, and DS 5. I"m not a great flyer (I get nervous at takeoff and landing). DS has never flown before. I'm counting on all of us being together to make the flight bearable. I've paid $10 per ticket for Early Bird Check In. Is there anything else I can do to insure that we sit together?

2. My husband and I are both large people. I don't know if we will be able to pass Southwest's armrest rule (apparently, if the armrest isn't able to be put down, they don't have to let you fly????). My thinking is that if we are sitting all together in one row, it shouldn't be a problem, because if my husband and I take up a bit of the space in my son's seat, it isn't a problem. He'll be five when we fly, and is probably average size for his age.

However, according to SW's website FAQ:
Can a large Customer sit with a family member or a small person who doesn't take a full seat?
No. Open seating cannot guarantee that two people will be able to sit together. In addition, we must treat the smaller person (despite willingness or personal relationship) as a valued Customer who deserves the use of a full seat. Most importantly, we have to consider the safety aspect of the family member whose movement (especially in the event of an emergency) could be compromised if encroached on by a large seatmate.


So, maybe I"m making too much of this because I've never flown SW before....can someone who has flown on SW comment?

Thank you!

 

[goofy4tink]

DId you have any issues when you flew before? SW isn't going to be any different than other airlines as far as seat sizing goes..well, pretty much the same. If you didn't have any issues then, you should be fine now. I have no idea how large your dh is, but I've seen some pretty large people flying and they had no issues.
SW will have *** (customers of size) purchase an addlt seat, just in case. Then, if the flight isn't full, or it isn't needed, they refund the addtl seat price...or something like that.

Since you have already purchased EBCI, you are going to find three seats together. As to whether or not those seats are going to be enough room for all three of you, in SWs opinion is a whole different thing. But....I can only imagine that you will be fine. Perhaps others,who have had first hand experience, will have better advice.

 

[LibrarianBecky]

DH and I have both flown before...usually one or two times a year. Neither of us has had any problems on any other airlines. The last time I flew, I did have to get a seatbelt extension, but that wasn't a problem, really. I guess I"m just worried because I've heard more about Southwest's policy. I would be mortified (not to mention ticked) if SW decided I was encrouching too much on my five year old's seat and didn't let us fly.

 

[rwdavis2]

I used to be 310, 6'1" and fit in SW OK. The early check in will guarantee that you should be able to sit together. But if you are getting on a connecting flight then getting there late could cause a problem.
BD

 

[pearlieq]

Southwest's policy is that even if your traveling companion is small or states that they don't mind you taking up a portion of their seat they will still enforce their *** policy.

The good news is that you found that information on their website so you know what their policy is and their reasoning behind it, so there shouldn't be any confusion.

Whether the policy is enforced strictly will be up to the personnel at the airport. There will literally be no way to know until you get there. I know that's frustrating, but that's the way it is. Their policy is clear.

So far my experience has been that SW doesn't strictly enforce the policy when it comes to two larger people "sharing" an extra seat. I don't pass the armrest test. When I've flown with DH (who does pass the armrest test, but would probably look to an agent like he might not) and with my mother (who definitely doesn't pass the armrest test) I have never been questioned about only booking one extra seat between us. I've flown on SW's *** policy dozens of times.

I know it's not exactly the same as your situation, but I'm trying to illustrate that they don't always go for strict interpretation of the rule, especially when there isn't really a "problem" with the arrangements (i.e. no one's complaining and everyone's happy).

As to whether you'll actually pass "the armrest test" the general advice I give people is that if you're a woman, it starts to become an issue if your pant size is above 24. For men, it seems to come around pant size 52-54. Everyone carries their weight a little differently, but I've found this to be a pretty accurate general rule.

 

[LibrarianBecky]

Thanks for the reply. I am glad that I've had a chance to review their policy. I"m hoping that it won't even be an issue, and it sounds like from your experience, this will be the case. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.

Our flight is direct, but I didn't think about it connecting from somewhere else in our airport, and then on to Orlando. I kind of doubt it is, though. It's an 8:30 a.m. flight from Columbus, Ohio. I wouldn't think it would be typical to route through Columbus....just not that big of a place. Is there a way to check if it is a connecting flight?

I do understand SW's reasoning behind their policy. I've flown by myself before, in the middle seat, and tried to make myself as small as possible (to no avail) so as to not bother the people on either side of me.

 

[DebbieB]

I checked SW's website, their 8:30am is non-stop (I used 9/3). What time is your return? Depending on the date, they have returns non-stop, some with 1 stop, some with connections.

 

[LibrarianBecky]

We're actually flying back on Airtran---they had a better time for us. Thank you for checking their website! I"m just not going to worry about it....there isn't anything I can do about it until the day of our flight, so I'm going to try to put it out of my head. (Or use it as motivation to make myself a wee bit smaller before vacation....