Airline praised for allowing larger passengers to get an extra seat for free

An airline has been praised for offering “customers of size” the opportunity to acquire an extra seat free of charge.

In the past, larger travellers have sometimes had to pay extra or find online hacks about how to get two seats to make for a more comfortable journey.

But, Southwest Airlines has eliminated that need for people to do that with its “customer of size” policy, which allows customers whose bodies “encroach” past the armrest to get an extra seat at no additional cost.

The policy states that passengers can reserve additional seats and be refunded for the cost after travelling. Or, passengers also “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”.

TikToker Kimmy shared in a clip how she used the policy to get an extra seat on a flight by asking at the check-in desk.

In the clip, she approached the desk and said: “Hello, I’m hoping to use your customer of size policy today.”

Explaining further in the video caption, she wrote: “Go to the departing gate agent and kindly ask them to use the customer of size policy. I’ve done this a dozen times and never had an issue or been denied.

“They will print you a new ticket + a second ticket to put down on your free seat. You will also be allowed to pre-board!”

It is an issue that many plus-sized travellers have felt anxiety around. Plus-sized travel blogger Jae’lynn Chaney told Fox Business that it is a positive move in terms of accessibility.

“Super fat is how we identify,” Chaney explained. “There's a spectrum of fatness. And as a super fat individual, you start needing different accommodations… I just felt really happy that there was something like this for people.”

She continued: “I hope to see more airlines implement customer-of-size policies. The Southwest customer size policy helps many travelers offset the disproportionate costs that we incur because of needing extra room. And so, it's not just about physical accessibility. It's also about financial accessibility.”

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