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It's Momversation Monday!!
This Momversation got me kind of worried today. Alice Bradley of Finslippy brings up the rather sore question of being too fat fly.
The subject in question is director Kevin Smith who was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for being a "safety risk", a polite way of saying he was deemed too fat to fly.
I would be horrified to have my ticket taken, get on the flight and settled in only to have someone say you need to get off the flight would be THE most embarrassing thing that could ever happen to me. And believe me I've had embarrasing moment happen to me!
Both my parents were flight attendants so I tuned to them with the topic. From our conversation this is what they had to say:
The seats are tight and it's not comfy for either the person "of size" or for the person who is sitting next to them. When you purchased your ticket I don't believe you were expecting to have someone taking up half of your already small seat.
There is also another issue of safety, you have to be able to get out of the plane in case of an emergency.
Now depending on each airline some will give you a discount on the purchase of your second seat if you need one you just need to ask or go on their websites to find out.
My parents both agree that asking him to leave was wrong, there should have been talks about the issue way before he sat on the plane.
HOWEVER!!!
I like to look at both sides of the story and I got Southwest Airlines through their blog.
I personally can't put either Southwest Airline or Kevin Smith in the wrong here after I've read both sides.
First and foremost Kevin Smith was embarrassed by the public walk of shame and the only thing he could do is humiliate the airline for their treatment of people "of size" on Twitter.
But before anyone thinks that Southwest Airlines was totally in the wrong the situation, Mr. Smith HAD purchased two tickets for his flight as he done in the past. However he changed his plans to go on an earlier flight putting him on stand-by. Leaving him with only the one seat, forcing the airline to think of safety first.
This is a case of bad luck for everyone involved.
I'm a person "of size" (not to the point that I need a second seat mind you) and I know how hard it is to have people praying to not have you sit next to them and not being too descreet about it. It's cruel and embarrassing. As a society we've grown, the airlines haven't and our seats are no longer keeping up with that.
What needs to be done is go back to the CEOs of the airlines and find a better way to make everyone feel welcomed to fly on their planes.
Tell me what do you think?
3 witnessing the mayhem:
I'm a big Kevin Smith fan (pun definitely intended) and he did a pod-cast about this ordeal. What a lot of people don't know is the following:
After he was kicked out, and then put on the second flight, he did buy himself a second seat. He was by the window, which meant his second seat, was in the middle. Low and behold, a 'person of size' was seated beside his second seat.
Just before the flight took off, a flight attendant pulled the lady to the side for a few minute talk. She came back after a bit, and the flight went on its way. Half way into the flight, Kevin Smith and her got to talking, and she divulged that the flight attendant told her that she might have to buy a secondary seat.
Let me remind you, Kevin Smith had already purchased the seat between him and her.
I agree that sometimes severely obese people cause un-comfortable flights, or safety risks but a) Kevin Smith is no where's close to 'severely obese' and b)knowing the flight asked the lady to purchase a secondary seat, it seems as tho Southwest Airlines looks for a secondary income from those who are TFTF (too fat to fly).
Just my thoughts.
I have been on a flight next to someone who could easily have taken up two seats. The flight attendent made sure we had a seat in between the two of us...I had a baby with me though so she was probably thinking "oh no" at the same time I was! I think that it's a delicate situation, but that if they are that large then they should get a first class ticket or if that is still too small get two seats. However they should have realized when he was put on standbye about the situation.
I think that if they are going to make a rule they need to make some weight requirements and stick with it. People might be pissed off in the beginning but if it is an airline policy and everyone is treated the same and with respect people will get over it. But that could cause other problems... Like say if you weight more then 275 you have to buy another seat does the airline have a right to weight you?? I dont know I guess there really isnt an easy fix to this. I couldnt imagine someone telling me I was too fat to fly... I would want to jump off a bridge. Weight is a very touchy topic and it is the people who think they have the right to complain about others that have the real problem.
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