You Are Not Free to Move About the Country

Two travelers say they were singled out on Easter Sunday by a Southwest Airlines representative during a layover and told they were “too fat to fly,” according to the blog of one of the aggrieved parties. The airline has a Customers of Size policy that requires passengers who do not fit into a single seat to purchase a second seat.

The passengers, Kenlie Tiggeman and her mother Joan Charpentier, were publicly confronted by the rep in the gate area even though both claim to fit the seats.

The whole story was recounted by Tiggeman on her blog (alltheweigh2009.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-southwest-airlines-turned-my-old.html), so these details are from her perspective and don't reflect Southwest's side.

Nevertheless, there is one valuable customer service tip hiding in Tiggeman's lengthy cri de coeur on her blog: after the incident, a supervisor attempted to placate the two women by offering to bring them soft drinks(!). Hint: after humiliating someone already sensitive about her weight, it is not a good idea to make peace with any sort of food (or drink-) offering. Needless to say, the free pop was not met with appreciation…