Southwest Passenger Says She Was Forced To Buy An Extra Seat Because Of Her Weight

The traveler claims that the policies and a lack of concrete assessments led to her paying for the extra seat.

An Atlanta traveler says she was discriminated against when she was forced to pay for an additional seat on a Southwest Airlines flight despite being eligible for one seat.

The incident occurred at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the passenger, Tammy Parker, attempted to board her flight. According to her account, gate agents informed her that she would be required to purchase a second seat to accommodate her physical size. However, when speaking with Fox 5 Atlanta, Parker proved she was able to fit into one seat with the armrest in the downward position. The passenger believes the interaction was handled incorrectly, as gate agents made a “subjective” decision about her size without any actual proof.

The traveler claims that the policy and a lack of concrete assessments led her to pay for the extra seat. She also alleges discrimination against larger people is the root cause of the gate agents’ actions. Parker says staff pressured her to pay for the extra space on the spot. She was grateful she had the financial means to pay for another round-trip ticket; otherwise, she would have been unable to reach her bucket-list destination, a “turn up cruise.” After losing over 100lbs, Parker was on the way to her dream cruise anchored in Los Angeles. It was only luck that she made it.

“Four-hundred forty-three dollars, for another round-trip ticket. Thank God I had it… But what if I didn’t?” she told Fox 5.

Fox 5 reported on Southwest’s response to the incident. “Our goal is to provide a positive experience for everyone onboard…Our care team will work with her directly if she requests a refund.”

Southwest Airlines’ long-standing Customer of Size policy typically allows passengers who require more than a single seat’s width to purchase a second seat. Under the current guidelines, travelers can purchase the extra seat in advance and sometimes request a refund after travel, or they can coordinate with a gate agent to be provided an additional seat at no cost if the flight has availability.

Parker says she will pursue a full refund.