Plus-size passengers once raved about Southwest. Now, they say, agents are grilling them about body size in front of other travelers, forcing them to buy extra seats they never needed before or even denying them boarding.
Travelers have flooded social media in recent days to express their frustration with Southwest, which, in January, ended a policy that allowed plus-size passengers either to buy a second seat and later get a refund for it or to be offered a free extra seat at the gate.
Now, they say, employees of what used to be the most accommodating airline are fat shaming.
On Feb. 6, Erika DeBoer, a frequent Southwest traveler, was headed from Omaha to Las Vegas with her best friend. At the gate, an agent asked whether she would need a second seat, suggesting that it was for the “safety and comfort of other passengers,” Ms. DeBoer said in a TikTok video. The agent would not take no for an answer, and Ms. DeBoer had to pay $176 for an extra seat.
“It ruined our trip,” she said in the video. “If I had gotten in the seat and someone had complained and I’m encroaching in the space, I get that. The problem is, what is your process, Southwest? You can’t just look at someone and determine that they can’t fit in the seat.”
Under the new policy, the airline requires passengers who “encroach” on neighbors to buy a second seat in advance. They will get a refund only if the flight is not full. Passengers who purchase a second seat at the airport will pay the fare available on the day of travel, even if it’s more than the cost of their initial ticket.
“The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats,” the airline says on its website. “In addition, Southwest may determine, in its sole discretion, that an additional seat is necessary for safety purposes.”
Tigress Osborn, the executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, an advocacy group, said the new policy was put in place with little notice to travelers, who trusted the airline and selected it for its welcoming reputation.
“People who’ve used the policy for years are showing up at the airport not knowing the policy has changed,” Ms. Osborn said, adding that the airline was also being “much more aggressive at identifying people” as candidates for extra seats.
This year’s change to Southwest’s plus-size policy accompanied other shifts that made the carrier unique: It also replaced open seating with assigned seating and introduced a new boarding system and premium seat options.
An airline spokesperson said in a statement that Southwest’s goal is “always to provide a comfortable experience for everyone on board” but that assigned seating meant adjacent seats might be occupied. The airline has reached out directly to affected customers to “ensure we address any concerns with the appropriate discretion.”
Southwest’s new policy more closely resembles those of most other major U.S. airlines, which do not guarantee a refund for buying an extra seat. In addition, travelers sometimes have difficulty securing an adjacent second seat and have to call airline customer service. Since Southwest’s shift, flying has become more inconvenient and more costly for plus-size travelers, Ms. Osborn said.
Ms. DeBoer and other travelers said they felt a lack of sensitivity and consistency, with enforcement differing by agent and flight.
“They don’t stop tall people, broad-shouldered people, man-spreading,” Ms. DeBoer said, noting that she wasn’t made to buy an additional seat on her return flight. Ms. DeBoer added in the video that on her initial flight, she was supposed to sit next to her best friend, who wouldn’t have cared if she “encroached.”
These experiences have also made larger travelers more anxious about what they’ll face at airports.
Keirstyn Catron, a 24-year-old from Houston, said she was denied boarding on a full Southwest flight at LaGuardia Airport last November because of her size. Two gate agents asked whether she could fit in one seat, rejected her affirmative answer, and said she had to rebook on a later flight because this one did not have two adjacent seats available.
The incident and the embarrassment she felt have stuck with her.
“I travel very frequently and I’ve turned down a lot of trips with friends because of it,” Ms. Catron said in a phone interview. “But I’m hoping to get back out there for my birthday in May.”
As for Southwest, she said, “In the event that every other airline was closed forever, I’d still never fly with them again.”
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Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel.
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