Southwest Declares Kevin Smith Too Fat To Fly 940
theodp writes "Kevin Smith is not a happy Southwest customer. The director was thrown off a flight from Oakland to Burbank, after being deemed too fat to fly. He later wound up on another Southwest flight, but has declared It's On and taken his rants to Twitter. 'Dear @SouthwestAir — I know I'm fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?' he began. He also let the airline know he'd made it to his destination. 'Hey @SouthwestAir! I've landed in Burbank. Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.'"
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:4, Interesting)
If he was really too fat to fly they never should have sold him a ticket.
I understand the sentiment, but how would you implement that? Are you going to make people weigh in before they can buy a ticket? Going to rely on self reporting?
Next flight? They're all the same! (Score:0, Interesting)
Okay, so they put him on the next flight and gave him a $100 voucher. Whatever.
BUT - Southwest prides themselves on only using a single aircraft (the 737), and AFAIK a single configuration. So what would be the point of booting him off one flight and putting him on another? Same airline, same seating configuration. It's not like they're moving him from a 737 to a 747 to handle his additional immense girth.
At best, I'll grant that maybe the subsequent flight had fewer passengers to offset him. That's the only thing that even remotely makes sense about it.
And yes, I'm well aware of the fact that he just ain't big enough to justify this. Unless he's ballooned up a lot recently, of course.
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:3, Interesting)
Average weight is over 190 lbs (http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/healthcare/a/tallbutfat.htm). In places like Mississippi (1/3rd of the population is obese) it is likely near 220.
So throwing him off the plane seems pointed for whatever reason. Were he 350 or 400 then I'd get it.
Yuh Huh (Score:5, Interesting)
If you take up two seats, pay for two seats. And not one here and one 4 aisles back.
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:3, Interesting)
If he was really too fat to fly they never should have sold him a ticket.
And they'd better damn well have given him a full refund or a free transfer or it's fraud.
I understand where you are coming from as I have to fly frequently and am tired of everything that the airlines have taken away from their customers over the years. However I also find it annoying when I'm stuck sitting next to someone who clearly should be forced to purchased two seats for their fat ass. Why should I have to deal with their fat ass spilling over into my already cramped space? If they choose to be the size of two people I nor someone else that is stuck sitting next to them should have to suffer for it.
We also don't know the entire story. There may have been weight or weight balance issues. It's common on smaller planes to have to move people to the back of the plane for balance issues. Perhaps he didn't want to give up his first class seat (not that I fly Southwest so I don't know if they even have it) or just refused to move to the back of the plane. Perhaps the captain chose to boot one fat person rather than two normal sized people. That would make sense to me. This probably happens all of the time to regular people. I get tired of celebrities who get treated like everyone else and then use their status to make a big deal about it.
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:3, Interesting)
BTW! If you need a bigger seat I wouldn't suggest coach, it is meant to be cheap and not comfortable. If you feel your size isn't met then move up a class, I can guarantee you will find a seat that fits you. And YES, this is perfectly fair that you pay more for more space.
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:2, Interesting)
My problem with the size of the seating is the legroom. When I sit in an airline seat, my knees hit the back of the seat in front of me and, at 6'1", I'm not a particularly tall person. I ask every person who sits in front of me not to recline their seat back, but every once in a while I get some asshole who not only reclines it, but slams it back, right on my knees.
Lots of people say "If you need more room, fly first class" but that's not an option on most flights that I take as most regional jets only have coach seating.
have you seen him lately? (Score:4, Interesting)
That pic is from 2007.
Have you seen him lately?
http://cache-03.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/1/2008/11/Rogen_Kevin_Fat_Guys.flv.jpg [gawkerassets.com]
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:3, Interesting)
What about those of us who are tall simply due to genetics? The seats in airplanes don't fit very well when one is 6'7" (2m). Of course, one could say this shouldn't matter, excessive height is not a choice and obesity is often not a choice or a failure of will, and thus both should be considered disabilities. In the US and under the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations MUST be offered at no additional charge for those with disabilities at public facilities. Allowing an airline to charge someone extra because the airline has arranged their seats so that 15% of the population cannot not fit into a seat is something that is the airline's problem, not the passengers. This may explain why individuals who cannot fit in one seat on Delta flights are now able to receive an additional seat at no cost.
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:4, Interesting)
but every once in a while I get some asshole who not only reclines it, but slams it back, right on my knees.
I find pushing it back upright, perhaps with the occasional irritated punch, always works.
Maybe it's the look on my face whenever anybody actually turns around to complain..
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:5, Interesting)
I was flying from Newark to SanFran. And I was in the last row. Ahead of me were three ladies, and these ladies were HUGE! The interesting part was that these three ladies all had to sit in the same row. They complained and said that they would like new seats. The stewardesses in their nicest voice said, "sorry but this flight is full and you will have to sit in your assigned seats."
When the ladies had to sit they moved up all of the armrests and honest to goodness their butts and bodies melted into one another! Needless to say most people around those ladies were relieved that they did not have to endure one those ladies sitting beside them.
I thought it was pretty efficient for Delta to say, "hey you want to be fat, go for it, its a free country. But while we are at it we are going to put you beside each other..."
Safety (Score:2, Interesting)
I was squished against a window by some fat guy on my way into Dallas on southwest
Immediately request an aisle seat, this is a safety issue.
The last thing you need is to be crawling over some fat guy should you be required to deplane quickly.
Re:That's what you get (Score:3, Interesting)
Inside every fat person there is a thin person and a lot of chocolate...
Big boned is just another way of saying 'it isn't my fault I eat too much'. There is no such thing in reality. If you start overeating at an early enough age you will develope a larger frame to suit your fat body.
Most of us have watched the fatty squeezing down the aisle and dreaded the idea of them sitting next to us. Why should I have to put up with someone like him taking up my space on an already cramped airline seat?
Re:Slashdotted - here's the text (Score:5, Interesting)
Boycott? I am more likely to fly with them now I realise that I am less likely to have someone like him squeezed into the seat next to me.
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:5, Interesting)
Numerous airplanes (except the small ones) have varying sized seats (even in coach) - just like many movie theaters.
Huh? What plane and what theater? I've never seen either!
I spent a nice 11 hour flight across the Pacific with a morbidly obese Singaporean guy going home after a comic con (he owned a comic book store). His arm was all the way into the middle of my chest, and his upper fat roll engulfed the arm rest. I couldn't believe that he was allowed on with one seat. I asked a sky waitress if there was anything we could do, but the plane was full and said I'd have to take another flight if I didn't like my seat.
I would have to take another flight because the fatass next to me was taking up half of my seat!
I just pounded Chivas Regal throughout the trip so I wouldn't care so much.
As I did, I started chatting with him. He was a really nice guy, although way too otaku for my tastes. It made it harder for me to wish death upon him, so I've decided to instead wish death upon United Airlines.
This is a serious problem and needs to be addressed as a matter of course. I payed full price for half a seat!
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:5, Interesting)
Yep. I've been known to demand that the person next to me leave the armrest down, and called the flight attendant to enforce it. There is no requirement that passengers be allowed to put armrests up during a flight if the adjacent passenger does not wish to. I find that mentioning "inappropriate physical contact" with a hint of sexual harassment gets the airline's staff's attention.
Re:Slashdotted - here's the text (Score:5, Interesting)
I've seen this policy applied before by Continental. A kid of about 17 years old was forced to buy a 2nd ticket. Or rather was forced to call the mother of his friend who had purchased his tickets for him to make her buy another ticket. He told me this as the 2 of us were sitting in the 3-seat row of the plane as his way of letting me know I wouldn't have to worry about someone taking the middle seat because he paid for it. He was quite embarrassed.
I personally am a bigger dude, but not that big, so I was relieved we were going to have some extra space.
Then Continental seated a deadheading pilot from another airline in that empty seat. For free. And the kid next to him was able, barely, to lower the arm rest.
The kid was too embarrassed to speak up for himself. So I mentioned it to both the pilot as well as the Continental flight attendant for our section. The pilot's reaction? "I dunno, not my call". The stewardess? Pretty much no response at all.
I've seen a similar case as well where the person bought 2 seats and someone on standby was given their seat. In that case the airline refunded their money and let the person on standby take the seat. Which means the airline wasn't caring at all about the safety of anyone, they just wanted their cash.
The airline policies are invoked willy-nilly at THEIR convenience without a care for the injury caused. The policies would be understandable if they were enforced justly and equally, but they do not. If you buy 2 seats then the flight attendants should not be able to reassign you. I could name plenty of other policies that get applied unfairly too, like luggage sizes, after 13 years of business travel ... but they would get so mind-numbing that it's just not worth it.
Re:Welp, that's it (Score:3, Interesting)
American (and possibly others) seem to cram the seats closer depending on the shape of the plane where the seats are.
An example is this link: AA 737-800 [seatguru.com] shows that certain seats (like the back 3 rows) have reduced hip and shoulder room (though the stock chart does not show the seating width difference).
I've seen other charts for other planes (that I cannot find right now... found them when I was booking a flight a couple years back... I think for American) which showed two different sizes in Economy.
I was also on another flight (Delta I think?) where certain rows in Economy had only two seats instead of three so that they fit without a reduction in seat size.
Re:Kevin Smith is not the problem. (Score:2, Interesting)
Hear fricking hear. Thank you for posting this. I am horrified that this thread has turned into a fat-hating fest instead of a reasoned discussion of all the issues here. Leaving aside the really controversial issue of whether most people's weight is genetically determined and thus "their fault", and even whether your size should incur a negative moral judgment from those around you, for some illogical reason (maybe if you guys had universal medicare I would understand, but, you really don't!) , there has been a surprising dearth of critical thought in this threat regarding just how much airlines "policies" are motivated by profit riding on the acceptability of fat phobia than this nebulous "safety" concern. Have people seen the width of an airplane aisle lately?? I'm a 5'8" female of 140 pounds and I can barely pass through those things, let alone when one of the drink/food carts is completely blocking one. I'd just love to see the fricking pandemonium if the shit hit the fan while those carts were blocking both aisles (as they are 50% of the time) and people were trying to get out. Bullshit this policy is motivated by safety concerns! Bullshit! It's motivated by money!! It's just that fat phobia is one of the last remaining "acceptable" discriminations allowed in North America and they want their piece of it.
I vaguely recall a thread on Slashdot the other day where we discussed the pricing of eBooks. A lot of grief was being aired regarding the "unfair" $15 price point for eBooks. A lot of people thought it was B.S. that despite lower production costs for an eBook version, the print version and the eBook version were similarly priced. A few industry insiders had to remind us of the cardinal rule of capitalism: Everything is worth what its buyer will pay. So, if we force fat people to pay double for an airline seat, and give them no other choice, they're going to pay it, aren't they? The airlines may couch this policy in "safety" or what-not, but that is crap. Must we be reminded yet again that this is really about money?
If it's really about fuel costs, then every passenger would pay for their tickets BY WEIGHT. Including baggage. Airlines could easily provide a fixed # of smaller seats per plane for children, and larger seats for fat people. Airlines are very, very good at knowing the average demographics of their passengers. They could easily, easily do this, and in fact provide *added* safety for children and fat people by doing so. But they don't. Why would they, after all, when parents will pay full price for their half-sized children, and fat people will pay double? If you owned the airlines, would you change such a profitable policy? No way.
Re:Kevin Smith is not the problem. (Score:3, Interesting)
Swedish Body Builders Suck! (Score:3, Interesting)
I asked the two gentlemen if they'd be kind enough to sit beside one another so I could either have the aisle or the window, using the excuse that "I don't like flying much and would appreciate sleeping as much of the flight as possible, and their conversation would hinder that." They told me, "Well, you see, we don't fit too well sitting side by side in coach."
So they intentionally sat with a seat in-between them knowing perfectly well that they were almost guaranteed to have someone smaller in-between them who's seat they can overflow into. And yet, this didn't appear to matter.
Well, I survived barely... however on the way back, there was an old Dutch married couple who apparently had the same idea... and they were fat. Their excuse was "Well dear, we've been married so long and it's nice to meet new people to talk to". I nearly died, not only did they want to have their fat asses overflowing into my seat, but they wanted to keep me awake too!
This has become such a problem that now, when I'm traveling on a family trip and my sister is going too, I actually wait to find out which plane she's flying on so I can book another flight. She's 5' tall and weighs in a little over 300lbs (by a little, I mean she's not 400lbs yet). I feel sorry for her kids who are also becoming "shapely" as they are growing up because noone should be forced to sit still in one place with their seats overflowed on by another person.
I think airlines should start advertising comfort features in their coach class like "We have arm rests on EVERY seat so noone else's ass can be in yours!", or "We have seats which are REALLY REALLY uncomfortable for large people", or "We only serve vegetables and water on our flights". I would actually fly more often then.
Re:Obesity is not always a choice. (Score:3, Interesting)
Cool anecdote. Guess what - I've got one too.
My mom had Graves as well. They completely killed her thyroid. And you know what? She's in better physical shape than I am. Since that's happened to her, she's been at most 30 pounds overweight, before she decides she wants to get it back where it needs to be. Right now, she's maybe 5 over her minimum healthy weight.
End result - your weight is ALWAYS a choice. You can blame it on medical problems, genetics, or anything else you want. But in the end, it still boils down to a personal lack of discipline.
Re:That's what you get (Score:2, Interesting)
You seem to want First Class elbow room at steerage prices.
No, fatso. I want to fly without your flab invading my seat - thank you very much.
Re:He buys two tickets to not sit next to people (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I have sat next to these guys. (Score:3, Interesting)
This shouldn't be modded troll because he's spot on. Obesity is one of the few diseases that is self inflicted and especially for a rich celebrity who will have access to the finest health care, there really isn't much excuse. If he's happy with it then fine but like all freedoms there are responsibilities. It really hacks me off when people cry for their freedoms but once the responsibilities come up they want nothing to do with those.
Obesity is also the last physical characteristic where discrimination is socially acceptable. I agree that many people are overweight because they choose to eat and not exercise. And everyone brings up the fact that some people have physical problems that make it impossible to lose weight. But I frequently see this minimized so that people can continue to not feel bad about making fun of fat people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pcos
As an example, 5% to 10% of all women of child-bearing years (not just obese women) have PCOS. And I know from the experience of my family members that the weight problems don't go away after menopause. Imagine being a 5'6" woman, 100lbs overweight, and eating only 800 calories a day with a brutal exercise campaign (2-3 hours every day at the gym), but still unable to lose weight. Then you go out in public and get made fun of... I mean, people laugh and point. People make fat jokes loud enough for you to hear. Imagine a mom going to the grocery store (alone) to shop for the entire family and having someone look at the full grocery cart and say that if you wouldn't eat all that, maybe you wouldn't be fat.
Sitting next to a huge person on an airplane sucks. But I assure you being fat sucks more. And every one of them, if they could overcome whatever problems they're dealing with, would choose to be thin. The next time you want to make fun of a fat person, why not tell a nigger joke instead?