Southwest Customers of Size

[janette]

NotUrsula makes some excellent points. If a Southwest passenger thinks there's a chance they will be asked to purchase two seats, do that up front. If it turns out the plane isn't full, Southwest WILL refund the second ticket in full. Why subject oneself to potential embarrassment? On the other hand, I know I'm fat. It's not like a Gate Agent is going to surprise me with the news. I DO fit in one seat with the armrests down. Knowing Southwest's policy on Customers of Size, if I choose not to purchase a second ticket, the ONLY person I can blame for any potential awkwardness or embarrassment is ME.
Honestly, if the economy or one's finances are such that purchasing a second airline seat is a hardship, maybe this is the wrong time to be flying anywhere.

My BIL is a large person and he prefers SWA for this reason, he gets more room and they almost always refund him the price of the second ticket. Sometimes even when the plane is full.

 

[DizzKneeLand]

My suggestion is ... and I am person of size and I find - sometimes it is just much more comfortable to have two seats.

So - if you are not sure - or if you know you need two seats - but them BOTH at the initial transaction so you get the best 'discounted' price ... because if you have to buy it when you get to the counter / plane you will pay the price that it is at that time - which is normally quite pricey.

Just my two cents
DizzKnee

 

[luvmarypoppins]

My dh and I are pretty big people. I must admit I usually cant put the arm rest down, o.k. I admit I have a big butt, what I usually do is have ds 13 sit next to me and keep the arm rest up and he usually leans up against me like he is sleeping, this is only on southwest., american is a little better. I honestly dont remember them asking me to put it down and if I do its just for take off. I have never asked for the seat belt extender but feel on southwest I could use it, there belts are definetely much smaller than american and I have a giant piece of plastic sown in my stomach due to a dr. almost killing me, thats another thread in the past. I admit I have been eyed more than once by southwest personnel, also dh and another ds were seating with a huge women in the middle of them, she couldnt even get the seat belt on her and even dh and ds tried to help her., they never said anything to her the whole trip, southwest employees I should add. However, my dh and ds felt like sardines in a can. Good luck and hope all goes well.

 

[jultomzach]

I read in another post that Southwest had a seat discreetly behind the counter where you could see if you made the seat requirements. Are you close enough to an airport to try that out before you purchase the tickets?

 

[seashoreCM]

The one time he flew on SWA, they purchased one extra seat ahead of time. He found that he most definitely needed it, and the plane was oversold. He also found that passengers kept trying to take the seat from him, and when SWA started offering passengers money to give up their seats, he raised his hand immediately, said he had three seats (his, the empty, and my sister's) and had done with it.

They wouldn't give him the "volunteer incentive" on the extra seat, which made him very angry as he had been required to pay the same price for it, and he wasn't eligible for a refund because his flight was 100% full..

He should get to keep one (per capita) volunteer incentive bonus and get two seats on the next available flight, on which the volunteers were booked and for which he would use his ticket(s). And your sister would keep one volunteer incentive bonus and get one seat on said next fllight.

IMHO Southwest should start to offer larger customers a change to a less crowded flight either before or at the original flight departure time, and a refund of the second seat fare.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Princess Patti]

Well I just flew back last night, not on SWA, and observed all of the seats. Keep in mind that I was traveling on a 757 not the 737 that SWA uses. The seats were about two inches larger than SWA seats. I observed that over 80% of the pople were "overflowing" into other seats and I might add that these were not "big" people but average sized people. Also, we all must keep in mind that we share the armrest and there is always some tug of war over who gets it and whos arms are in their laps. Even if you are 100 pounds you still have the boundary between the two seats and your arms overlfow.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But Southwest's issue is not with passengers' arms overflowing or even upper bodies overflowing - it's legitimately with passengers bottoms requiring more than one seat.

Anyone who does not agree with Southwest's policy is free to NOT FLY SOUTHWEST.

 

[Princess Patti]

I agree with the option not to Fly SWA and that is probably the solution to all of this. We all must admit that some part of another person's body comes in contact with all of us, big or small and that contact does cause impingement and in some cases anger.

 

[inkkognito]

While I agree that people who take up more than one seat should be required to buy two, it seems odd that SW only institutes this policy for "butts." Other parts of the body can intrude just as much. Not long ago, I was seated next to a man who wasn't particularly huge (although he wasn't small either) but who had a massive barrel chest. It was just the way he was built. He boarded late, so he was stuck in the middle seat. I could tell that he was trying his best not to encroach on myself or the person on the other side, but it was nearly impossible (it's only a two hour flight, so it wasn't a big deal for me anyway). The poor guy sat there with his arms crossed the entire flight...it couldn't have been very comfortable for him.
Barb

 

[Princess Patti]

That is my point exactly. No matter what size we are there is always one part of someone that touches you. Even is first class on some of the smaller planes you have the chance of some parts coming near you or into your area.
It is not just the 17" for the butt area but the tightness across the chest and shoulder spans.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But Southwest addresses these (upper body, other parts of body) issues in its Customer of Size Q & A http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/cos_qa.html "If a Customer has broad shoulders, will he/she have to buy a second seat?
Again, if a Customer cannot lower the armrests, the additional purchase is necessary. Simply having broad shoulders would not necessarily prevent another Customer from occupying adjoining seat. The upper body can be adjusted, but the portion of the body in the actual seating and armrest area doesn’t have this flexibility. "

 

[seashoreCM]

also dh and another ds were seating with a huge women in the middle of them, she couldnt even get the seat belt on her and even dh and ds tried to help her., they never said anything to her the whole trip, southwest employees I should add. However, my dh and ds felt like sardines in a can. .

You didn't stick up for them?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm


***********

Ryan: Watch what you say, I don't need my kid brother sticking up for me
(much later in the Disney movie produced in Canada which I won't name)
Sullivan: I don't need my big brother sticking up for me neither

 

[Princess Patti]

The upper body can be adjusted


I disagree with the upper body adjustment. I just had a man with hugh shoulders nect to me and there is no place to put your shoulders. The space cannot be adjusted without an intrusion.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A passenger with large shoulders can twist his or her upper body, or, if in the aisle seat lean outward.

Besides, the issue isn't one part of a passenger's body touching a part of another passenger's body. The issue is any passenger who cannot fit in a SINGLE SEAT with the armrests DOWN. This passenger is occupying more than one SEAT and is rightfully both expected and, in accordance with Soutwest's published policy, to PAY for the number of seats said passenger wholly or partly occupies. Period.

 

[inkkognito]

Twisting the shoulders is not practical for a multi-hour flight. The broad-chested man I sat next to was in the middle seat, and he tried to make himself less instrusive by crossing his arms over his chest. That helped a little, but when he was doing it he was unable to do anything else like read a book, play a handheld game, or even drink a beverage, He would have been very uncomfortable if expected to sit with a twisted torso for two hours!
"Seat" can be defined as the place where you put your butt, but in reality another person can intrude on your upper space too.
Barb

 

[sln88]

If I have not had problems on any other airlines(I have flown Ted, Midwest supersaver, and AA to Orlando), do I need to worry about things on Southwest? Are their seats smaller? We always had reserved seats on other airlines so I sat with my family. I can definitely get the armrest down.
I would totally embarrass myself and my family if they called me on this.
I got my tix a long time ago and never thought about this being an issue and we leave next week- there are not many tix left.
Do they make you buy a ticket at the same price you paid or the current price(much higher now)?
For those of you ladies that have had problems, what size pants do you wear? You can PM me if you don't want to post.

 

[seashoreCM]

Twisting the shoulders is not practical for a multi-hour flight. The broad-chested man I sat next to was in the middle seat, and he tried to make himself less instrusive by ... it he was unable to do anything else like read a book, play a handheld game, or even drink a beverage, He would have been very uncomfortable if expected to sit with a twisted torso for two hours!

The airline cannot expect you to twist or reposition your shoulders so the person next to you can protrude into your seat but the airline can insist that you move including switch places with the broad-chested man in order to correct the problem.

 

[Princess Patti]

I guess in that case, we can just switch people around so that everyone fits properly. My point in and has been that everyone has some type of problem that protrudes into others space. aw:

 

[Sollenberger]

I was on a flight (long) from BWI to Corpus Christie and had a large woman sit in the aisle seat (I was in the middle, my husband by the window) - she did not want the armrest down because she extended well into my seat - I was leaning on one side the whole way - even her thighs and legs were in my space so that I could not reach down to get my reading material out of my backpack under the seat in front of me. She got up to use the restroom (not sure how she managed in that tiny space) and while she was gone I put the armrest down, she did not say anything when she returned, but it made no difference, she extended above and below the armrest - the worst flight of my life - I did not complain (I guess I should have), but when I was leaving the attendants all made an effort to say thank you to me and could "feel my pain".....please dont flame me, I am overweight myself, but I understand what they mean when they say the armrest should keep the distance.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Twisting the shoulders is not practical for a multi-hour flight. The broad-chested man I sat next to was in the middle seat, and he tried to make himself less instrusive by crossing his arms over his chest. That helped a little, but when he was doing it he was unable to do anything else like read a book, play a handheld game, or even drink a beverage, He would have been very uncomfortable if expected to sit with a twisted torso for two hours!
"Seat" can be defined as the place where you put your butt, but in reality another person can intrude on your upper space too.
Barb

They're not MY regulations and explanations, they're Southwest's. Please argue with them.