PLUS-SIZE influencers have shared on social media their appreciation for Southwest Airlines’ inclusive customer policies.
Budget airline carrier Southwest Airlines is being praised on TikTok for its efforts to make plus-size customers feel comfortable and welcome.
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Customers whose bodies surpass the armrests of their airplane seats are entitled to a free extra seat, according to Southwest’s official policy which was shared with Fox Business.
The policy said that plus-size passengers “have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing your seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at the departure gate.”
“If it’s determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, you’ll be accommodated with a complimentary additional seat,” the policy adds.
“Super fat is how we identify,” Jae’lynn Chaney, a plus-size travel influencer, told Fox Business.
“There’s a spectrum of fatness. And as a ‘super fat’ individual, you start needing different accommodations,” Chaney added.
“The Southwest customer size policy helps many travelers offset the disproportionate costs that we incur because of needing extra room,” she said.
“And so, it’s not just about physical accessibility. It’s also about financial accessibility.”
Southwest is one of the few airlines to offer free seats to plus-size passengers.
“I just feel really happy that there was something like this for people,” Chaney added. “I hope to see more airlines implement ‘customer-of-size’ policies.”
Chaney had also started an online petition earlier this year on Change.org demanding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enact accommodation policies for airlines to protect plus-sized customers.
“As plus-size travelers, my partner and I have unfortunately experienced discrimination and discomfort while flying,” Chaney wrote in her petition.
“During a flight from Pasco to Denver, my fiancé was subjected to hateful comments, disapproving looks and even [a] refusal to sit next to them, amounting to discrimination,” she added.
“Similarly, on another flight, I was forced to occupy only one seat with immovable armrests that caused me pain and bruises,” she said.
“The airline industry has a responsibility to provide a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment for all passengers, regardless of their size,” Chaney concluded.
In their policy, Southwest suggests customers purchase extra seats in advance of their flight and then contact the airline “for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel.”
“The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification of a special seating need and allows us to adequately plan for the number of occupied seats on board,” the policy reads.
Another plus-sized influencer Kimmy (@kimmystyled) shared a “how-to” video on TikTok for using Southwest Airlines’ extra-seat policy.
“Southwest is the only airline that allows you a second seat at no extra cost even if the flight is fully booked,” she captioned the video.
She begins the video by approaching the agent at the airline booth and saying, “Hello, I’m hoping to use your customer-of-size policy today.”
“I’ve done this a dozen times, and never had an issue or been denied,” she said in the video.
Under Southwest’s policy, plus-size passengers are allowed to board the flight ahead of other passengers.
“Enter the aircraft, get your seatbelt extender, and grab your seat!”
“I place the ticket in the seat next to me,” Kimmy continued. “If anyone tries to sit in it, I kindly let them know I have two seats booked.”
“To be honest, I almost never get approached because no one wants to sit in the middle seat next to a fat person on a plane,” she said.
“Flying is public transportation and should be more comfortable and accessible for all people, including fat and disabled people,” Kimmy writes in the video.
Kimmy adds that Southwest’s policy should be the “industry norm.”