Overweight Passengers Reject Southwest's Free Seat Offer

Southwest Airlines has made headlines for its unique policy of allowing overweight passengers two seats with no extra charge, but not everyone is in favor of it.

Southwest updated its Customer of Size policy more than 30 years ago, but many customers have just become aware of its existence after experiencing difficulties as overweight passengers on other flights.

Under the policy, overweight or obese customers can get an extra seat free of charge. While some have praised the offering as an inclusive way to accommodate larger passengers, others say it wrongly encourages or rewards obesity.

Southwest said the policy is "designed to meet the seating needs of Customers who require more than one seat and protect the comfort and safety of everyone onboard." It goes on to specify that customers of size are those who "encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s)."

Under the policy, passengers who are overweight can buy a second seat but then ask for the second seat to be refunded after the flight. You also can speak to a customer service agent directly at the airport about your specific seating needs as a larger person.

"This policy is a much-needed step forward, ensuring individuals of every shape and size can travel comfortably without feeling ashamed," David Amron, a board-certified dermatologic surgeon specializing in lipedema, told Newsweek. "Their recurring experience of feeling self-conscious from the moment they board the plane is disheartening. No one should face financial penalties or exclusion due to their body size."

Other airlines, such as American, United and Delta, have no such policy, with plus-sized passengers recommended to buy an extra seat if their size requires it.

Southwest has also differed significantly from its competitors with its open seating policy, allowing passengers to pick their seat in the moment instead of being pre-assigned a spot that may not serve them best.

Criticism of the Policy

Pushback against Southwest's policy, which is far more inclusive than the majority of North American airlines, has been swift and brutal since social media users began to talk about it online.

"Shame on Southwest for rewarding obesity," Matthew Klint wrote on Live and Lets Fly. "Passengers who take up less space are not given a refund and those who require more space due to their own poor choices should pay for it."

However, it's not just anti-social justice writers complaining about the policy.

Melanie Miller, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, frequently travels on planes as a plus-sized person.

She said there are many things she always has to consider while flying. For one, she'll never be able to sit in the first row of coach because the armrests between the seats are thicker than other seats.

"Sometimes it's so tight, I have a large bruise on the side of my hip the next day," Miller told Newsweek. "Depending on the length of the flight and where I'm going, I might bite the bullet and just purchase a first-class seat, which is very comfortable."

Aisle seats and adjustable armrests go a long way in providing more comfort, but Miller said she has still encountered problems when sitting near other larger passengers, including an incident last week.

"The problem was that my seatmate was also a large-size person," Miller said. "His shoulders and chest area were much wider than mine. I spent the entirety of a two-hour-plus flight bent over to my right into the aisle. My back still aches today from sitting like that."

When she sits near someone who is smaller, Miller said she does her best to stay out of their space. But while Miller said she appreciates Southwest's policy, she still doesn't think passengers should be able to get a free seat.

"I think I should be charged a premium for the seat that I have since I would be taking up two seats and that is revenue they cannot recoup," Miller said. "But I don't know, maybe they fly with a lot of empty seats and if so, then, yes, I would appreciate the ability to set a little more freely."

Other large-sized passengers believe the policy could even be taken advantage of, if instituted on a greater scale.

"While it's incredibly generous of Southwest, it also is a bit unfair to people who are not overweight and might also like to have some extra space," comedian Daniel Lobell, who is also an overweight passenger, told Newsweek. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uptick in people wearing fat suits to travel, much like in the way people abuse the emotional support animal rules."

Lobell thinks it would work best to offer wider disabled seating on planes generally and to include obese passengers under that group.

Others say the policy is a game changer when navigating the complex world of flying with a larger body.

"I've only flown Southwest for the last year because I learned that even though they required me to buy two seats for the flight, they quietly reimbursed those of us larger folks after our flight," plus-sized passenger Barb Herrera told Newsweek. "This way, when people wanted to take the seat, we could tell them, in all honesty, that we bought it. Because we did."

Still, Herrera is unsure how Southwest navigates these situations when a flight is fully booked. In these cases, many worry that a passenger could be booted off the flight they booked to accommodate the larger person.

"Flying is one of the most humiliating experiences for people with obesity," Herrera said. "The disdain and even hate coming from other passengers who pray they don't have to sit next to you and get your fat cooties. It's an experience I have had enough of in my life and hope I never experience again."