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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 9:22 am
by Leisher
I can't find the thread, but you all remember how they kicked Kevin Smith off a plane saying he was too fat to fit in the seat and should have bought two?
And just as an FYI, the real story broke that it was someone on the flight crew who started the process of him getting booted and Southwest admits he never should have and fit their criteria for a passenger who only needs one seat.
Point being, they handled it very, very badly.
Well, they're at it again, this time they threw a skinny girl off a plane to make room for a fat one.
I respect, IF true, their goal of not embarrassing the teen, but let's be honest, not explaining to the other girl is bullshit and probably causes more of a scene resulting in all the passengers looking to see who takes the seat of the thrown off woman.
And seriously, a 14 year old girl who needs two seats? WTF? Where the hell are her parents?
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 9:42 am
by GORDON
After having flown from Los Angeles to Detroit in 55% of my seat because of gigantor next to me spilling over the arm rest of his seat, and the flight crew would never make eye contact with me as they slammed into me for 5 hours as I was forced half way into the aisle, I definitely have an opinion about this.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:05 am
by Malcolm
While saying the airline plans to apologize to the bumped passenger, McInnis said Southwest staff may have acted more swiftly than usual in booting her because the overweight passenger in question was only 14 and they were trying to spare the teen embarrassment.
Yeah, because I'm sure the kids at her high school haven't said shit.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:16 pm
by Cakedaddy
Had they seated her, she would have complained that the fat girl was taking up half her seat.
I dunno. I think the airline did what they should have. After all, the real issue is why is the 14 year old so big? If the 14 year old had her shit straight, this wouldn't be an issue.
So, the airline can charge one fat person for two seats, not sell the second seat, or cram some one in next to them. When really, people shouldn't be that big.
Perhaps they should just base all tickets on size and weight. Include luggage in the equation.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:45 pm
by TPRJones
Cakedaddy wrote:When really, people shouldn't be that big.
Some of those seats are absurdly small. They aren't made for people with hips or legs. Or shoulders.
After having flown from Los Angeles to Detroit in 55% of my seat because of gigantor next to me spilling over the arm rest of his seat, and the flight crew would never make eye contact with me as they slammed into me for 5 hours as I was forced half way into the aisle, I definitely have an opinion about this.
I said I was sorry.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:53 pm
by Malcolm
I think the airline did what they should have. After all, the real issue is why is the 14 year old so big?
Uh, sort of. If you're looking at it from the perspective of running an airline, you don't care why people are like that, you care that some of them are & you have to find ways to deal with them, be that refusal of service, complete accommodation, or anywhere in between.
Some of those seats are absurdly small. They aren't made for people with hips or legs. Or shoulders.
Smaller seats = more seats = more people = more tickets (over)sold = more profit. While I can't fault them for trying to maximize their cash flow, airlines get to weigh that maximization versus pissing off customers in these scenarios. Sometimes they piss off customers only peripherally involved. To be honest, air travel in this country is a fucking joke anyway, so what's one more bit of stupidity?
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:59 pm
by Leisher
United steals Southwest's thunder.
Remember Customer Service?
After having flown from Los Angeles to Detroit in 55% of my seat because of gigantor next to me spilling over the arm rest of his seat, and the flight crew would never make eye contact with me as they slammed into me for 5 hours as I was forced half way into the aisle, I definitely have an opinion about this.
I've been there. Nothing worse than sitting next to a fat ass on a flight.
I should add that people with bad hygiene are the worst.
Had they seated her, she would have complained that the fat girl was taking up half her seat.
I dunno. I think the airline did what they should have. After all, the real issue is why is the 14 year old so big? If the 14 year old had her shit straight, this wouldn't be an issue.
I can't agree with your logic there.
The airline was correct in throwing someone off the flight to accommodate someone else's ridiculous needs? No way.
Instead of throwing the innocent woman off the flight, what they should have done is:
1. Pre-sell the larger girl two tickets. Then don't double book those seats.
2. If the girl shows up and sees too big for one seat, kindly and DISCREETLY, ask people in the front of the plane if someone would be willing to give up their seat and fly later. Offer compensation. If you can get someone next to the already open seat to take the offer, great. If not, move someone else around so you get the two empty seats near one another up front. Now seat the girl.
3. Tell the girl she's going to have to wait for the next flight.
All would have been better options than "Fuck over another customer who did nothing wrong except buy a ticket on our airline with the expectation that she would be reserved a seat on that specific flight."
And no, people shouldn't be that big. Apparently, "Big Boned syndrome" is out of control.
Edited By Leisher on 1280250047
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:10 pm
by Malcolm
Leisher wrote:And no, people shouldn't be that big. Apparently, "Big Boned syndrome" is out of control.
Just wait till the universal health care kicks in.
Harte suspects her son may have been intentionally bumped from an overcrowded flight.
"It's a lot easier to have a kid that's not going to say anything than an adult who has a business meeting that's going to scream at you in front of everybody," his mother told the Ottawa Citizen.
The "bumped" theory is vaguely interesting. The company would be positively crucified in the media if that were found to be true. I always thought overselling flights was a particularly stupid idea anyhow, though.
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy told the Ottawa Citizen that the airline apologized for the inconvenience and planned to offer Harte a refund for the child care fee and an undisclosed goodwill gesture.
Forgetting about someone's luggage is an inconvenience. Good to know you place people on the same level as baggage, assholes.
Edited By Malcolm on 1280250656
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:33 pm
by GORDON
TPRJones wrote:After having flown from Los Angeles to Detroit in 55% of my seat because of gigantor next to me spilling over the arm rest of his seat, and the flight crew would never make eye contact with me as they slammed into me for 5 hours as I was forced half way into the aisle, I definitely have an opinion about this.
I said I was sorry.
If only he had. He was in the middle of 3 seats. I was in the aisle and the little asian chick against the window was smashed up against the bulkhead. The guy folded his arms on his chest and pretended to sleep the entire 5 hours. Never moved. Could have been dead but his fleshed that was smushed against me was still warm.
Edited By GORDON on 1280252140
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:04 pm
by Troy
buy a ticket on our airline with the expectation that she would be reserved a seat on that specific flight
I thought the woman was on stand-by?
I kind of see it as a no-win for the Airline. Either be forced to kick a standby passenger who you have confirmed a seat for, or strand a ridiculously fat 14 year old at the airport.
How the hell does a 14 year old get that big, anyway.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:20 pm
by Leisher
How often does a person big enough that they need two seats fly?
If it's often enough, why not throw in a row in the front of the plane with oversized seats? Sure, you lose out on two seats, but you make the bigger folks and the smaller folks happier. Plus, if no big people have booked those seats smaller people might like those seats for the extra space.
Surely the customer relations win is worth the cost of those two seats.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:34 pm
by Malcolm
Leisher wrote:If it's often enough, why not throw in a row in the front of the plane with oversized seats? Sure, you lose out on two seats, but you make the bigger folks and the smaller folks happier. Plus, if no big people have booked those seats smaller people might like those seats for the extra space.
Surely the customer relations win is worth the cost of those two seats.
Bingo. Make guaranteed big-ass capacity seats. Use if needed. But that'd cut into their profits, which are allegedly down since ... I dunno, forever, I think.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:38 pm
by GORDON
Malcolm wrote:Leisher wrote:If it's often enough, why not throw in a row in the front of the plane with oversized seats? Sure, you lose out on two seats, but you make the bigger folks and the smaller folks happier. Plus, if no big people have booked those seats smaller people might like those seats for the extra space.
Surely the customer relations win is worth the cost of those two seats.
Bingo. Make guaranteed big-ass capacity seats. Use if needed. But that'd cut into their profits, which are allegedly down since ... I dunno, forever, I think.
They already make cargo planes for oversize loads, though.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:49 pm
by TPRJones
While I can't find an airline that publishes an actual weight limit, it looks like the smallest forced two-seated passengers are weighing in in the 220 to 250 range.
If that's the case, they might make me get three seats.
Edited By TPRJones on 1280260219
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:50 pm
by TheCatt
Dude, seriously?
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:55 pm
by Malcolm
GORDON wrote:Malcolm wrote:Leisher wrote:If it's often enough, why not throw in a row in the front of the plane with oversized seats? Sure, you lose out on two seats, but you make the bigger folks and the smaller folks happier. Plus, if no big people have booked those seats smaller people might like those seats for the extra space.
Surely the customer relations win is worth the cost of those two seats.
Bingo. Make guaranteed big-ass capacity seats. Use if needed. But that'd cut into their profits, which are allegedly down since ... I dunno, forever, I think.
They already make cargo planes for oversize loads, though.
Soon as they start flying domestically, everyone's problems will be over. Can't seem to charter a C-130, though.
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:45 pm
by GORDON
TPRJones wrote:While I can't find an airline that publishes an actual weight limit, it looks like the smallest forced two-seated passengers are weighing in in the 220 to 250 range.
If that's the case, they might make me get three seats.
220 isn't big enough for 2 seats. At my biggest I was 217, and the biggest problem was my shoulders... which were still too wide for a standard seat when I weighed 175.
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:51 pm
by DoctorChaos
Leisher wrote:And seriously, a 14 year old girl who needs two seats? WTF? Where the hell are her parents?
She ate them?
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:28 am
by TPRJones
GORDON wrote:220 isn't big enough for 2 seats.
I agree with you. Apparently some airlines don't.
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:03 am
by Malcolm
DoctorChaos wrote:Leisher wrote:And seriously, a 14 year old girl who needs two seats? WTF? Where the hell are her parents?
She ate them?
That'd be some Jerry Springer shit right there.