Southwest Bumps Thin Woman from Flight to Make Room for Plus-Sized Teen: Was It Fair?

[Liberal_in_LA]

Southwest Bumps Thin Woman from Flight to Make Room for Plus-Sized Teen: Was It Fair?


(CBS) A petite Sacramento woman was bumped from a Southwest Airlines flight to make room for an extra-large 14-year-old who required two seats.

The 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman, who was flying standby from Las Vegas to Sacramento, was buckled up and ready to go when the teen arrived late to the gate, reported the Sacramento Bee. She was surprised when flight attendants said she would have to deplane to make room for the teen.

When the woman - who did not give her name to the paper for fear of being perceived as insensitive - expressed irritation, airline employees began to "berate" her for complaining, she told the newspaper.

"We know this was awkward and we should have handled it better," said Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis, adding that normally the airline would ask for volunteers to give up their seats. In this case, however, flight attendants may have been rushing to make room for the kid in order to save him from embarrassment.

Southwest can't seem to win for losing. This is the same airline that made headlines recently when it booted chubby blogger Kevin Smith, 39, from his seat because he had to squeeze himself into it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20011748-10391704.html?tag=pop

[Bluebear]

'The 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman, who was flying standby' - She was standby, not confirmed

So I would imagine it was fair, since she wasn't booked on the flight to begin with. It was either that or strand the 14 year old.

[Ken Burch]

6. What I don't understand, weight aside, is why the latecomer would be given preference.

n/t.

[Warpy]

11. Uh, because it's a KID?

That skinny broad missed that part.

[Ken Burch]

12. OK

I just thought that, if you were late, you were late.

Not taking the skinny lady's side.

[NeedleCast]

15. Ticketed Passanger vs standby

Confirmed passengers get priority over standby even if the particular flight has boarded standby passengers already. This is not unusual.

[Ken Burch]

17. That made sense.

On balance, the airline was probably right.

[NeedleCast]

21. From what I saw in many years of heavy business travel

As long as the plane has not pushed back and/or closed the aircraft door they'll still let people who are running late board and if you happen to be boarded standby and a confirmed ticket holder shows up, you're shit outta luck.

[xultar]

23. Fuck yeah! You still on the road? I'm usually on the road for 50 weeks

of the year and I've been doing it since 96.


Are you a knitter?

[NeedleCast]

28. I was on the road about 250 days a year for four years

Left it behind in mid-2008. Most of my trips were 2-3 weeks, so generally I was home for a week a month, although between covering for people on vacation, sick, etc, it wasn't uncommon to do back-to-back three week trips.

I had a great time doing it and got paid to see pretty much the entire country but my friendships suffered for it and keeping any sort of relationship was very hard so I traded it in. Now I travel about 10-20% a year which allows me to maintain my relationship with friends and wonderful girlfriend and get my travel fix (and continue to stack up miles and hotel points!)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

106. When I saw this thread, I was 100% sure there was more to it than the headline.

And I was right.

[sandrakae]

127. yes but his confirmed ticket was for only 1 seat.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

142. Exactly.

[CreekDog]

161. confirmed ticket was for 1 passenger

they decide if you need two seats at the gate, not from your computer when ordering the ticket.

[Javaman]

219. Doesn't matter when you are on standby. Your seat and it's use are up to the

discretion of the airline. They want to sit a dog in your spot, it's up to them, not you.

That's the price you pay (or not pay) when you fly standby.

[JerseygirlCT]

133. That's what I thought

the whole weight thing seems to be a red herring in this story.

[Darth_Kitten]

113. God forbid someone should take the side of the innocent woman.

n/t

[Javaman]

220. God forbid someone actually understand how standby works.

:eyes:

[Darth_Kitten]

112. No, it's not the "skinny broad's" fault...maybe the parents of the fatso brat.....

happy, now? :sarcasm:

[Kalyke]

137. Broad???? I just ran and checked my calendar and, yes, it's 2010.

It's not 1930.

How 'bout if we start calling men, "Lazess," (pronounced like a contraction of lazy asses) on a regular basis.

:eyes:

[yella_dawg]

236. The proper term for men in 2010

is "rapist" or "deadbeat". Don't need new ones.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

140. The fatty kid shouldn't be taking up two seats unless he has a ticket for both of them.

I think we're getting to a point where obese people shouldn't be allowed onto the plane without two tickets. People who fit in their seat shouldn't be the one's who are penalized.

[CreekDog]

162. these threads just bring out callousness and stupidity

sheesh.

[Javaman]

221. It's blazingly apparent that you have no idea what standby means or how it works. nt

[Bobbieo]

22. She ws already booked and not on standby = The power of a reservation!!!!

[Javaman]

223. from the second paragraph in the article...

"The 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman, who was flying standby from Las Vegas to Sacramento, was buckled up and ready to go when the teen arrived late to the gate, reported the Sacramento Bee."

[WolverineDG]

76. the kid was ticketed & confirmed on the flight, perhaps?

while the skinny lady was only a stand-by, which means she had her own ticket for a later flight.

dg

[itsrobert]

92. The kid was only confirmed for one ticket and according to SWA's

website:

"Passengers who do not obtain a boarding pass and are not present and available for boarding in the departure gate area at least ten minutes prior to scheduled departure time may have their reserved space cancelled and will not be eligible for denied boarding compensation. "

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

[Gormy Cuss]

117. Key word: "may" have their reserved space cancelled.

That gives room for discretion on the part of the airline staff.

Besides, nothing in the story indicates that the teen didn't have a boarding pass within that window. The woman was assigned an adjacent seat.

[WolverineDG]

118. But the seat was available for him to use so there was no seat for the bigoted standby passenger

There could have been many reasons why the child was not at the gate 10 minutes before. He could have been on an in-bound flight that was late, or delayed because there was no one to walk him from one gate to the next. Or there could have been a delay in security. So, late kid who has a ticket for this flight v. skinny witch who has a ticket for a later flight = skinny witch doesn't get on the flight.

No airline is going to kick a kid off a flight, not since they are 100% liable for anything that happens to them until Mommy or Daddy pick them up.

dg

[Kalyke]

138. How is the thin woman bigoted?

And, you're bigoted toward women. I could say the teen was a lard-ass and I'm a bigot, but you call the woman a witch and it's OK>

I think not.

[Raineyb]

194. Crying to the media about a non issue because you didn't like the size of the person you got

bumped off the plane for would qualify although I wouldn't use the word bigoted. And anyone who makes that kind of complaint about being bumped off for a kid is a witch. Again I would use a different word to describe the woman. It rhymes with witch.

[Javaman]

224. If she was the one complaining, I can guarantee she will lose her standby previlegdes...

Having a sister who worked for the airline for years and also having flown many many times on standby, I can tell you this; if you make any waves when flying standby, YOU WILL get your privileges revoked.

I have seen it twice. One woman was so drunk she made a scene, she had to be escorted off the plane. She was the wife of a pilot. She lost her privileges. I found out later from my sister.

The other was a verbal altercation by some jackass about not having a window seat. Also flying standby, he was also escorted from the plane, lost his standby privileges.

When flying standby, you are encouraged to help the crew clean up the plane, but are not required, you are to behave yourself and act like an adult. You are to be professional and polite.

That's just the way it works.

And if a paying customer, big, small or medium is late and needs your seat, you give it up with a smile.

That's how standby works.

[Regret My New Name]

231. I think I agree with your sentiment

I don't think bigoted is the right word, but witch fits her since she did take it to the media... I mean, I can see being annoyed, but the kid is a kid and he had a ticket... Oh well, move on.

[Regret My New Name]

228. She's bigoted just because she was annoyed?

[tsuki]

158. Because she had a ticket? nt

[Lance_Boyle]

27. She was confirmed once she was past the boarding-pass check. n/t

[itsrobert]

54. Yes, and isn't there rules for showing up late?

I thought if you didn't show up ontime, you lose the right to your seat.

[NeedleCast]

60. Nope

Most airlines try to get people on board as quickly as possible but as long as the boarding door is open and the plane has not pushed back almost all of them will allow a passenger to board.

That's mainly to the benefit of the airline because if they've got a bunch of full flights stacked up bumping confirmed passengers is a bad idea.

[WolverineDG]

77. not always

if you're on an inbound flight that is slightly delayed, the connecting flight will often wait. All depends on how long your inbound flight was delayed & how many other passengers on the connecting flight are also on delayed inbounds.

dg

[Javaman]

225. With standby there are absolutely no guarantees.

When I would fly, it wouldn't be until we were in the air that I knew I was okay.

Whey you fly standby it's a privilege. Your seat can be taken away at the discretion of the airline.

That's just how it works.

I can give you a list of various ways I have been bumped from flights if you like.

Oh and just because the plane has taxied away from the gate is no guarantee you are in the clear.

[Parche]

31. exactly

standby is standby, she was probably booked on another flight, and was standing by for this one...

:hi:

[itsrobert]

48. Once you get a ticket, you are no longer on stand-by

You already have right to that seat as much as any other passenger on that plane.

[Bluebear]

78. Totally incorrect. Standby means just that.

She already had a ticket, and for a later flight. Maybe she received her boarding pass a little early, but you are standby on the flight and subject to be taken off the flight.

[itsrobert]

93. But according to SWA's you may lose your seat if you are late

"Passengers who do not obtain a boarding pass and are not present and available for boarding in the departure gate area at least ten minutes prior to scheduled departure time may have their reserved space cancelled and will not be eligible for denied boarding compensation. "

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

[Javaman]

226. "May". It's completely up to the discretion of the airline.

with standby there are absolutely no guarantees.

[Mac1949]

102. Hell, I never fly anyway...

Up Amtrak!!!!!!:P :evilgrin:

[proud2BlibKansan]

110. A+

[Ikonoklast]

1. Oh, my.

Does pocorn come in the 'stupendously ginormous' size?

[xultar]

26. I'm gonna get evil. I hope the skinny complainer was flying on a buddy pass and gets

their buddy passes revoked because she made a stink.

[Hawkowl]

108. I think it very likely

It sounds like she probably was on a pass. There aren't any paying "standbys" on Southwest anymore. If you show up early and want an earlier flight, Southwest charges you the difference in fares and voila, you are now confirmed. The only people who go standby are people on passes, aka non-revenue, passengers, meaning employees and family and friends on passes.

[Javaman]

227. My sister worked for SWA for years. I can't recall a time when there

ever were paying standby's but I could be wrong.

The only standbys were buddy passes.

United, Northwest Orient were different.

[Ken Burch]

111. I'll endorse that...especially if she said anything TO the kid as she passed by.

n/t.

[Darth_Kitten]

115. 110 lbs isn't skinny....how come it's okay to insult the wronged person and not the "fat" kid?

What a double standard. :eyes:

[superduperfarleft]

125. Oh, when will the persecution of the Skinny end?

:cry:

[Kalyke]

147. 110 pounds for a 5'4" woman isn't skinny - it's thin, but not skinny.

I weighed 110 pounds at 5'1" and was considered bony (I weighed more than I looked, and still do, because I'm muscular and muscle weighs more than fat, so I go by my clothing size, not my weight and BMI, for muscular people, is a joke).

As proof, I offer up the fact that I'm having to get some reconstructive surgery as a result of being a petite woman who had large children and am suffering from a hernia and severe diastasis reci (look it up). The plastic surgeon who will be doing the reconstruction told me I looked like a tiny waif outside of my now mal-formed stomach - he said other than that, I was nothing but muscle and brain. :hi:

[Darth_Kitten]

207. Some people seem to be more bothered she's "skinny" than she was unfairly treated....

Funny huh? :)

[Regret My New Name]

230. She wasn't unfairly treated though... She was on standby, and that's how it works..

[Darth_Kitten]

206. Oh, why does making a simple point result in such hysterics?

Boo hoo!!! Did I hit a raw nerve?

The double standard continues...... :eyes:

[superduperfarleft]

222. Yes, I'm mocking your overreaction because you hit a "raw nerve."

For the record, I'm male, 5'9, and 130 lbs. So I have first-hand knowledge of the rampant discrimination that skinny people experience day in and day out. It's truly, truly awful. :cry:

[uppityperson]

129. A standby passenger losing seat to a ticketed unaccompanied minor is "wronged"?

How?

[JNelson6563]

204. I believe the minor needed two seats

I know I'd be pissed if I got bumped because a passenger needed two seats, instead of one like everyone else.

Julie

[kiva]

141. Wronged?

Standby means standby - I've seen people removed from planes before when confirmed passengers arrive late.

[blondeatlast]

217. I was thinking the same thing... nt

[WolverineDG]

146. oooo, you are evil

and I like that

dg--who's not gotten upgrades she's entitled (the few times she's been an elite) to because of "buddy pass" abusers

[Raineyb]

149. I'm with you on that one. n/t

[Pithlet]

181. Oh let it be so!

She'd deserve it.

[a la izquierda]

214. My BIL is a pilot and we fly on buddy passes frequently...

the first time we did, BIL's wife said "Whatever you do, don't complain if you think you're getting on a flight and then get bumped. You have to accept that paying customers have priority."
We've never had a problem. Then again, I might realize that the kid, no matter how overweight, is still a child. I've allowed myself to be bumped so an elderly couple could fly together. It's all about being patient and understanding.

[Ken Burch]

2. Somewhere, Kevin Smith is giggling about this...

n/t.

[NeedleCast]

3. If the heavy teen had to buy two tickets (per most airlines rules)

Then she has a right to both seats. Fucking airline industry. Tough luck for the petite woman, but she was flying standby already, so she wasn't "bumped" as the article suggests, as the seat wasn't really avaliable.

[itsrobert]

63. The article says the teen's parents bought only 1 ticket

Where are you getting 2 tickets were purchased?

[Leopolds Ghost]

4. As this article shows, the "Thin women" lifestyle is a problem that is just now coming to light.

I mean, have you ever tried to get a date from one? :P

[joeybee12]

5. Well, the 14-year-old is an uncacompanied minor, and they always get

priority as the airlines are responsible for their care and well-being until the designated adult picks him/her up.

[xultar]

16. [phone] gazillion brazillion trillion billion million trillion cicillion hillion

[joeybee12]

25. That's a big number! It's making my head spin!!!!n/t

[Warpy]

7. A 14 year old, even an obese one, is still a child

and a kid flying alone would be given priority. They have frantic parents waiting at the other end and the logistics are more difficult when they're the ones bumped since the airline is assuming temporary custody.

The woman was the one who made an issue out of it as size related, only, and she should be ashamed of herself for that.

After all, the way this country is going, she can probably kiss that skinny ass of hers goodbye some day, especially if she gives birth. And if she gives birth, maybe she'll get a glimmer of understanding why a child might be given priority on a crowded flight.

Even an obese child.

[superduperfarleft]

8. It's Southwest. You get what you pay for.

It's like complaining that the bathrooms at McDonalds are filthy.

[NeedleCast]

10. What is it you think Southwest did wrong here?

[superduperfarleft]

14. Where did I say that they did anything wrong?

I simply said that you may have to suffer some inconvenience in order to get an extremely cheap flight.

[NeedleCast]

18. Okay then

Thought the implication in your post was that Southwest had done something wrong here. My bad.

[xultar]

19. Your post makes no sense. Airlines bump standby all the time for ticketed and unaccompanied kids.

How do I know? I fly 50 weeks a year since 1996.

This has nothing to do with low cost airlines.

[superduperfarleft]

50. I don't fly very much (thankfully), so I was unaware of the difference between standby

and a regular ticket-holder. My main concern when flying is ingesting enough alcohol so that I'll sleep throughout the entire miserable experience, not figuring out what kind of ticket I have.

And being that I was unaware of the difference, if I were somehow bumped or otherwise inconvenienced while flying a low-cost airline like Southwest, I'd only complain so much. As I said, you get what you pay for. Skinny chick should've sucked it up and spent a few more hours at the bar instead of complaining to the media about it.

[xultar]

67. But really, it has nothing to do with the airline being low cost. This happens all the time...

they oversell flights, ask for volunteers to go on the next flight standby with a free ticket.

Well you get to the next flight and it is over sold too, now you are on standby and it is a fight to get on.

You get on but a passenger with a confirmed ticket was late due to security. As long as that door is still open that passenger can get on and a standby must come off if the flight is full.

If it is an unaccompanied minor...someone is coming off the plane to make room. Too much of a risk having an unaccompanied child @ the airport.

That scenario I typed above happens at all airlines regardless of how much you paid for your original ticket.

IT is the name of the game. Those poor suckers who go for the free ticket often wish they didn't and almost never do it again. You can wait as much as 4 days if it was a weather problem. Because regardless of your situation once you relinquish your ticket and go standby you can get bumped all day on busy routes.

I hate flying too. But I got to work so I do it and suck it up like a big girl. :(

[NeedleCast]

70. FYI, don't drink before you get on a plane

or keep it to a minimum. Every US airline has rules for banning drunk passengers from planes and they are often VERY draconian about what the definition of drunk is. If a gate or flight attendant can smell it on your breath, you've given them reasonable cause for putting you off a flight.

[rexcat]

136. Actually Southwest Airlines treats its passengers very well...

compared to the likes of Delta. I have flown about 2.5 million miles on Delta since 1990, have lifetime gold status on Delta and another 1/2 million on other airlines. I fly Southwest 4-5 times a year and I get much better service on Southwest than I do with Delta or any of the other majors. My problem with Southwest is I have to drive up to Columbus, OH from the Cincinnati metro area and the Cincinnati airport (in Northern KY) is wholly owned by Delta. The Cincinnati airport used to be the second largest Delta hub in the system until the Delta - Northwest merger. Cincinnati is now a mini-hub and will probably lose hub status by the end of the year.

[Missy Vixen]

9. If she paid for two seats, she paid for two seats

Tough.

And, yeah, the woman who wouldn't give her name is "insensitive" at the least.

How dare those fatties get on a plane in the first place, even if they bought two seats? They're inconveniencing the thin!

:sarcasm:

[TorchTheWitch]

150. The kid had a ticket for ONE seat - that's what's wrong here

"Southwest generally requires large passengers to buy two tickets. But in this case, the child's parents had purchased only one."

The woman bumped off the flight was entitled to the seat she paid for as the overweight kid had only paid for ONE seat but required two seats because of his size. Had the kid not required two seats or had a ticket for two of them there wouldn't be an issue here.

It doesn't matter if the woman was flying standby or not, in this case she was entitled to the seat since the kid's ticket DIDN'T account for him needing two of them. The kid didn't get her seat because he had paid for it and was comfirmed for it... he only had a ticket for the seat NEXT TO hers. If he hadn't required two seats there would have been no issue and nobody would have needed to have been bumped off the plane. The kid DIDN'T have a ticket for her seat.

If you only buy a ticket for one seat, you're only entitled to one seat, and other people who DID buy a seat shouldn't lose it to the person that required two seats but only bought a ticket for one. I understand why the airline didn't want the kid to be the one bumped off the plane seeing that he's a minor and they're responsible for him, but the woman was treated unfairly because standby or not the kid did NOT have a ticket for HER seat.

If you require two seats on a plane because of your size, your luggage, your pet, or whatever, then buy two seat tickets. Nobody should have to lose their paid-for seat to someone whose size or stuff requires them to have two but they only reserve and pay for one.

[LostinVA]

198. That is actually how I see teh situation, too

If the teenager had two tickets, then ut wouldn't ahve been a big deal. The teen's cheapskate parents are to blame, too.

[xultar]

13. First the skinny complainer was flying standby. Second, the CHILD had a confirmed ticket. THIRD---

The airline didn't want the kid hanging around what if something happened to the kid. What if it was the last flight of the day and the kid had no hotel or accommodations.

FOURTH! The airline didn't want to mess up the kid for life they would have had a bigger issue dissing a fat child than dissing a skinny complainer.

The airline did the right thing.

[tammywammy]

20. +1 Agreed n/t

[uppityperson]

24. I agree and unrec'd for a non-story

[Darth_Kitten]

116. Again, not the "skinny complainer's" fault if some "parents" can't accompany their FAT kids......

:sarcasm:

[knitter4democracy]

176. Especially if it's the kid going from one parent's house to the other.

This happens all the time, by the way. Kids fly alone every day in-between homes, and the parents can't afford two tickets every time.

[Darth_Kitten]

205. Still, why should other people be inconvenienced?.....

not the kid's fault's but still......

[knitter4democracy]

246. Because he's a minor.

It's not his fault, but even more, he has no power in the situation. He didn't buy the ticket, he didn't choose the flight, he had no say on where he was sitting or flying stand-by or whatever. Minors, especially in that situation, are little more than baggage to the airline--expensive, highly breakable baggage they are highly liable for.

The other passenger was an adult who had agency and had the power to adjust her life to the change. The minor did not.

[CTyankee]

216. I really don't think it was fair because the kid's parents had paid for only one seat.

However, the airline did what was the least risky option...not the "right" thing. They were looking out for their own self interest.

I would hope that they gave the displaced woman a free ticket to balance the inconvenience of what was done to her.

[WI_DEM]

29. Well if she was stand-by then yes it was appropriate.

[petronius]

30. 1) A large passenger is entitled to a second seat if one is empty, otherwise

they have to pay, if I understand airline rules correctly.

2) A passenger on standby is entitled to an empty seat if one is available.

On this flight there was one empty seat, so I'd guess the confirmed traveler's claim takes precedence. The 'kid' and 'late' aspects of it are irrelevant as far as I can tell...

(I assume that 'standby' means she had a confirmed spot on a later flight and just wanted to go early - I might feel differently if she'd been bumped or delayed by the airline from a previous flight.)

[NeedleCast]

35. You're incorrectabout the "kid" part

Unaccompanied minors get special treatment. As they should.

[petronius]

46. What I meant is that SW's decision would have been correct for an adult traveler

as well as a juvenile - hence the age issue is irrelevant.

Had there not been an empty seat, I would have a problem with an airline involuntarily bumping a confirmed passenger to provide a second seat for a large child - unaccompanied minors should receive special attention but there are limits to how much that should interfere with other travelers (of course, it sounds as though the airline has a policy for that - asking for volunteers - and I presume they would keep sweetening the deal until someone agreed)...

[NeedleCast]

65. Interfering with other travelers

Being standby means being bumpbed. I've been there enough times to know and expect it. Again, being allowed to fly standby is a courtesy offered by airlines and there's no implied guarantee you're getting on a plane. Heck, these days it should be implied that you aren't.

Plus, I just think it's a little sad that an ADULT on standby is complaining about being bumped out of their seat by a minor, no matter what the cirumstance. That's our society though. Me me me.

[petronius]

73. I agree with all of that. My second paragraph was referring to a hypothetical

situation in which the bumped passenger was on standby. (Personally, unless circumstances absolutely forbade it, I would skip a flight to help a kid of any size - especially if the airline was going to reward me with some freebies...)

[Pithlet]

41. The seat was technically empty. Standby passengers aren't confirmed.

So the kid bumped her. I actually do agree that the fact the passenger was a kid and late is irrelevant. I think they could have done the same thing for a late adult and still been in the right. Reserved passengers take precedence over standby. As far as the airline is concerned, when it comes to seating the confirmed passengers, they are an empty seat.

[petronius]

49. Right, that's what I was trying to say...

:)

[Pithlet]

52. Oops, I'm sorry. I misread.

I thought you were another in the "She should have had to buy another seat" camp. But reading again I don't know why I read it that way :silly: We are on the exact same page on this.

[Mimosa]

241. How fat does a person have to be to require 2 seats?

The kid was too fat. What are his parents feeding him?

[LostinVA]

32. yummmmmmmmmmm

:popcorn:

And, she shouldn't have had to give up her seat. SHE was on time. The teen was late to the gate. And, they should have asked for volunteers.

Q: did the teen pre-buy two seats? If not, then definitely the woman shouldn't have been taken off the plane.

[NeedleCast]

33. Buying two seats

In this case the article said the parents of the teen purchased only one.

HOWEVER, it's a child. They always have priority. Many airlines have a gate-to-pick up policy with children. Which is to say that unaccompanied children are escorted from the gate to the adult responsible for picking them up.

Any airline that bumps an unaccompanied minor in favor of an adult is begging for trouble.

[LostinVA]

38. Then they should have asked for volunteers, imo

The parents should have bought two seats. it WASN'T the teen;s fault, but it wasn't the woman's, either. Someone would have volunteered.

[NeedleCast]

55. Volunteers are a guarantee

and there's nothing in the article to suggest that SW didn't ask for volunteers to give up their seats.

As I said above, I used to be a frequent business traveler and I've seen more than a few flights where there was no one willing to volunteer to give up their seats in over-booked situations.

The smaller woman was flying standby. Understand that. Standby means you can be put off the plane (or not allowed on it) for just about any reason. I've seen standbys bumped for flight attendants doing jumps between airports. Standby is a courtesy offered by airlines. Doesn't mean you get a seat.

[LostinVA]

71. No, the article says the airline says it didn't ask for volunteers

I do understand what standby means, but they should have asked for volunteers, as is their SOP.

[Hippo_Tron]

247. If they offered cash like they used to, people would give up their seats

Start offering $200 and keep going up. Eventually somebody will give up their seat.

[blueamy66]

39. Not fair to the lady at all.

If the teen would have bought the 2 seats, then yes, she should have been bumped.

But, as he only bought one, he should not have been able to board the flight.

He's 14, not 8. He could survive in an airport terminal for another hour or two. Hell, I did it all the time as a young teen. I flew unpaid standby all of my life.

Okay, bash away.

[LostinVA]

40. Right -- no bashing from me

[liberalhistorian]

62. No bashing from me, either,

I totally agree. I would have been mighty pissed had I been that woman.

[LostinVA]

68. They could have kept the boy in the jetway while they got a volunteer

And moved people around.

[NeedleCast]

57. You fail to understand the concept of Standby passenger

the smaller woman was a standby passenger. She gets bumped for any confirmed passenger.

Regardless of the difference between 8 and 14, most airlines have special rules for unaccompanied minors and most of those rules are in place to make the airline less liable in injury situations.

[LostinVA]

72. They they should have asked for volunteers as per their own SOPs

No hard feelings then.

[WolverineDG]

85. why ask for volunteers? That's ridiculous in this instance.

the woman was a stand-by passenger, meaning she had a ticket for another flight already. She was only entitled to a seat *if* there was space available. There wasn't. She just didn't get to where she was going earlier.

And for all those "just leave the kid hanging around the airport by himself for hours/days," an adult (even those who don't act like one) can better fend for themselves in an airport than a minor.

dg

[LostinVA]

121. SWA themselves said they usually ask for volunteers, even in these situations

The thing is, the teenager's parents were cheapskates and only bought one seat.

[WolverineDG]

144. You don't know that

there have been issues with the fatty rule before, where the passenger was only required to buy an extra seat on one segment. So it's really a subjective rule, not an objective one. There were more issues involved than just a poor abused skinny person callously thrown off a flight for a disgusting fat person, namely the "disgusting fat person" was a child & there was no way SWA would kick him off the flight since they are 100% liable for what happens until Mommy or Daddy pick him up.

And you're forgetting that the other passenger was only on stand-by. She did not buy a ticket for that particular flight. Why aren't you jumping up & down for her wanting something she wasn't entitled to in the first place instead of beating up on fat people?

dg

[blueamy66]

126. Yeah, I fail to understand.

I flew for 35 years as a standby passenger. My Dad worked for AA for over 43 years.

You fail to understand that if you buy ONE seat, you only get to sit in ONE seat.

[WolverineDG]

145. but you don't get to change your mind at the last second & pick ANOTHER seat

on ANOTHER flight, unless the airline says "ok." And until the door closes, they can make you get up. Of course, since your daddy worked for AA, I'm sure you always got a first class seat instead of an elite who paid for theirs & should have gotten an upgrade. Talk about getting something you didn't earn or deserve.

dg

[blueamy66]

156. Oh yeah, Daddy made sure I flew First Class...

jealous much?

Read these words carefully...the 14 year old was OBESE and needed 2 seats, which he DIDN'T PAY FOR. The standby passenger HAD PAID FOR ONE SEAT.

What don't you understand?

So, if my fiance and I are skinny enough, we should be able to buy ONE TICKET AND SIT IN THE ONE SEAT?

Jeez....

[WolverineDG]

159. And the skinny lady didn't pay for ANY seat on that flight nt

[blueamy66]

157. And hey, if you want to be upgraded to First Class....

apply for an airline position.

But then there was that time that I was bumped from a flight in Chicago and had to pay for my own hotel room. yin and yang

Don't hate, appreciate.

[WolverineDG]

160. LOL! Appreciate being treated like crap? LOL nt

[blueamy66]

166. I have no idea what you mean.

but hey, keep on posting

[TorchTheWitch]

152. You fail to understand the kid didn't have a ticket for HER seat

He only had a ticket for the seat NEXT TO hers but required the one he paid for AND hers because of his size. Had he been able to fit into the one seat he had a ticket for (which was NOT a ticket for HER seat but the seat NEXT TO hers) both could have stayed on the plane.

Had the kid's parents bought a ticket for the two seats he required and she got bumped, than fine. In that situation he would have been the one entitled to her seat because of her flying standby... but that's not what the situation was here. The kid DIDN'T have a ticket for HER seat.

[WolverineDG]

178. HER seat was on a later flight

SHE didn't have a ticket for that seat either.

dg

[TorchTheWitch]

186. and she was given that seat because NOBODY had it

INCLUDING the kid. Why is the kid entitled to TWO seats when he only paid for ONE? Flying standby she was MORE entitled to the seat the airline gave her than the kid was... she paid for the seat she was given. Since the kid didn't EVER have a ticket for the seat she was given and that she paid for, he was less entitled to it than she was. She PAID for the seat she was in and was bumped out of it for the kid who got it for FREE and was less entitled to than she was. If it wasn't for the kid's size nobody would have gotten bumped off the plane.

Why is it that people who require two seats because of their size, their carry-on luggage, their pet or for whatever reason think that they should only have to buy a ticket for one seat and take up a second one for free even if doing so deprives someone else of that seat that the person paid for especially when they know that space is purchased per seat, not per person or per person and their stuff?

Not only was the woman wronged by the airline by ignoring more than one of their own policies, she was berated for it.

[WolverineDG]

232. Until the confirmed ticketed passenger showed up

She wasn't entitled to the seat then.

Basically, what we have here is a skinny bitch who like all skinny people thinks she's entitled to have everyone bend over & kiss her ass just so she can get her way.

dg

[LostinVA]

119. They could have asked for volunteers

No one would ahve been pissed.

[Ms. Toad]

237. Unaccompanied minor status on Southwest ends at 11.

Most airlines end the gate-to-gate escort service at a ridiculously young age (as a parent who juggled that a few times).

[WolverineDG]

82. she was stand-by, she didn't have a ticket for that flight nt

[Tailormyst]

209. She was on stand-by

There is a good chance she chose to be on standby in return for a free ticket OR is being compensated in some other way unless she missed her original flight. The kid was a confirmed passenger. Doesn't matter if she was on time, she was on standby. When I fly on my fiances buddy pass we are both on standby and that means we can be bumped right up to the last minute. If I want a confirmed seat then I don't fly standby.

Also,, the hold up on the kid might have been contacting the parents to purchase the second seat. Having a child wandering in an airport is a hazzard and a possible liability.

[Evasporque]

34. Do conjoined twins have to buy two tickets?

Talk amongst yourselfs...

[Lance_Boyle]

45. Do they fit in one seat? n/t

[LeftinOH]

36. Minor children are going to get consideration first, no matter now huge they are. n/t

[Pithlet]

43. Yep. And it was totally fair what happened to the lady.

She can get over it. She chose to fly standby.

[xultar]

53. We don't know why she was going stand by but yes, it may have been a choice.

[Warren DeMontague]

37. If you need two seats

you should have to buy 2 seats.

[NeedleCast]

59. The counter to that argument is that people who need two seats

Didn't need two seats 25 years ago because airline seats were of reasonable size and offered reasonable shoulder and leg room.

I am a pretty healthy 240 pound individual who just happens to be built like a college-level linebacker. I am no more than 10 pounds overweight and my body fat percentage is fairly healthy. I just happen to be about 30 inches from shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps if the airline industry wasn't trying to pack mroe and more seats that are 17 inches wide onto their planes, this wouldn't be an issue.

[Warren DeMontague]

61. You'll get no argument from me, there.

Flying is miserable, now. I've said many times I think it would be more humane to sedate the passengers and stack them in the cargo hold like cordwood.

[we can do it]

98. +1 or stay out of mine

[crim son]

42. How is weight even an issue in this story?

In fact, how is this even a story? What a load of baloney.

[flvegan]

47. Finally, someone spots the red herring.

[xultar]

51. The skinny complainer thought she'd get some props but got DENIED instead.

[Leopolds Ghost]

66. RE-JECTED! No play for Ms. Gray - eh?

[Bluebear]

80. lol

[crim son]

81. Well, the heavy guy who was ousted

recently did the same thing and got lots of understanding and support. I sense a double standard here, and not on the part of the airline.

[WolverineDG]

120. He had a ticket. Skinny Witch was stand-by. nt

[TorchTheWitch]

154. No he didn't - he had a ticket for ONLY the seat NEXT TO hers

He required two seats but only had a ticket for the seat next to hers... he DID NOT have a ticket for HER seat.

[Pithlet]

173. It wasn't really her seat either. She didn't have a reservation. That's what standby means.

She only gets to fly if they have the room. And they needed the room in order to accommodate him. He did have reservations, so he took precedence, even more so because he was an unaccompanied minor. That's how it works.

[TorchTheWitch]

188. it was more her seat than the kid's

If the kid had a ticket for the additional seat which the airline requires you'd have no arguement from me. Why is it that people who require more than one seat think they should be entitled to the second seat for free? Especially when that means bumping off a paying passenger? The airlines charge per seat, not per person, and everyone knows it. Why should the airlines allow passengers that only pay for one seat when they require two to not pay for that second seat they occupy because the plane happens to have room? If the plane happened to have extra room they sure as shit wouldn't allow another person to take that seat for free.

I get that the kid was an unnaccompanied minor, but the airline could have handled the situation fairly and in accordance with their own stated policies by asking for a volunteer to give up their seat and not berating the woman who was approved for and paid for the seat she was given so that the large kid could have it for free. That's how it SHOULD work.

[WolverineDG]

177. HER seat was on a later flight

she didn't pay for a seat on that flight, so why the poutrage that Southwest let a teenager take up 2 on the flight HE had a ticket for?

dg

[TorchTheWitch]

187. He had a ticket for ONE seat

Not one seat and someone else's seat. If you require two seats you don't get to buy only one and get the second one for free whether it's because of your size, your carry-on luggage, your pet or whatever reason you require more than one seat.

[Name removed]

233. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Raineyb]

151. The heavy guy had a ticket. This skinny chick was flying standby.

Ticketed passengers get first dibs. If you're flying standby you're SOL and you're certainly SOL if said late passenger is an unaccompanied minor. This is not a story. The fact that it is is because the skinny woman was being a wench and instead of accepting that she got bumped off because she was flying standby decided to try to make herself more sympathetic by pointing out the weight of a child. Which just makes that woman look all that much smaller. She needs to STFU and if she was using a buddy pass I hope the airline never lets her use one again.

[petronius]

56. It's a story in the 'odd news' sense - like the guy sawing open the hand grenade

or something. Not particularly important, but curious.

But weight is relevant because that's why the confirmed passenger needed a second seat - none of it would make sense if that was left out...

[xultar]

69. When I saw that grenade story I was like TABAGGER for sure!

[petronius]

86. Me too. It's a good thing this country isn't littered with unexploded ordnance - imagine the carnage

As it is, there's a fair amount of military training material still to be found around where I live, and I know plenty of otherwise intelligent folk who've 'collected' it... :eyes:

[crim son]

83. Then the story should be

that the kids parents got away with only paying for one seat. If the policy is to kick off standby travelers, the policy is also to pay for two seats if the passenger can't fit in just one. There were two insults here, IMHO.

[Romulox]

105. His weight is the reason he needed her seat.

That's the relevance.

[TorchTheWitch]

153. because if it wasn't for the kid's size both could have flown on the plane

She didn't get bumped because the kid had a ticket for her seat, he only had a ticket for the seat NEXT TO hers... but he required his ticketed seat AND hers because of his size.

I can't figure out why so many here are failing to understand that the kid didn't have a ticket for her seat. He's entitled to the ONE seat that was purchased. Since he required two seats, two seats should have been purchased, and if his parents had done so this would never have been an issue and the woman flying standby would rightfully be bumped off.

[scheming daemons]

164. +1000

[petronius]

179. If they'd both been ticketed for that particular flight I'd think it was more of a problem

As it is, there was one empty seat on the flight. The airline policy appears to be that a large passenger can have an extra seat if one was empty. And, a standby passenger can have an empty seat if one is available. In this case, the claim of the passenger with a ticket for that particular flight took precedence, which seems appropriate to me...

[TorchTheWitch]

191. the kid had a ticket for ONE seat

ONE. Not that one plus someone else's. Why in the world does the kid with a ticket for ONE seat get precedence over that someone ELSE's seat? He get's precedence over his ONE seat.

[petronius]

197. It wasn't someone else's seat, it was an empty seat on the flight

Empty seats are allocated according to whatever policy the airline has in place, and apparently in this situation they give preference to passengers who are ticketed for that specific flight over standby passengers. Nobody was bumped; an otherwise empty seat was allocated to one passenger rather than another (and I'm sure the standby passenger traveled just fine on her originally scheduled flight...

[Raineyb]

190. What part of standby are you having a problem understanding?

And what exactly would you have the airline do? The policy says they MAY make you buy another seat. You really think they were going to not let an unaccompanied minor fly because he didn't have money to buy a second seat? They aren't going to want the liability involved in that. And the woman was flying standby so she had no business complaining anyway. She wasn't entitled to a seat on that plane anyway she was on it at the largess of the airline to begin with.

[LostinVA]

200. The airline itself said they should have asked for volunteers

If that is their SOP, then they should have done that.

[Raineyb]

211. Granted. But they didn't and the woman flying standby didn't have a claim to that seat

until the airline determined they didn't have any use for it. They had use for it and the woman flying standby had to wait until the next plane. She didn't lose a thing she was entitled to and she had no business whatsoever making the stink she did. Her bitchiness is only made worse by the fact that she's making a stink at the expense of a kid.

[LostinVA]

199. I figured it out when I first read the OP yesterday

The teenager had one seat because of cheapass parents.

I also don't understand why people think it's okay to call the petite woman a Skinny Bitch and Skinny Witch. No one is calling the teenager a fat-ass teen. :wtf: And, I am neither, I'm average sized.

[WolverineDG]

234. Because she's bitching about not getting something she wasn't entitled to in the first place nt

[NC_Nurse]

44. Sad that someone that young is so overweight that they need 2 seats. In

Your teens, your metabolism is at it's highest. This child is really going to be in trouble if his eating problem isn't dealt with. I hope his parents get him some help.

[liberalhistorian]

64. The parents are likely a large

part of the problem (no pun intended).

[NC_Nurse]

75. I know. I just hope that they do something to turn things around for him.

And themselves, chance are they are obese as well.

[LostinVA]

202. Yes -- my mom is a pediatric nurse

And she is really upset about how the weight of US children and teens has exploded the last 10-20 years.

[LostinVA]

201. Exactly, and should be ashamed of themselves

I wish "The Biggest Loser" would do a teens-only season. This country is literally killing its young people.

[Tailormyst]

213. I would just like to point something out to you

I was a fat from about age 10 on. I spent a lifetime fighting it. I played sports, junk food and TV were very sparingly allowed in my parents home, VERY sparingly. They tried everything to make me thin. My two parents and two brothers were all thin, beautiful and athletic. Growing up was an exercise in hating myself and my appearance. I was obviously a failure and my parents thought I made them look like failures as parents.

Here is the thing my friend:

I was adopted. My brothers were not. I met my birth family at age 33. ALL of them are heavy. ALL of them struggle with weight. My birth mother even had surgery to lose wight.


So cut the parents some slack- there is a component of obesity that is genetic.

[Rabrrrrrr]

91. No shit - if a 14 year old can't fit in the seat, there's something seriously damn wrong.

Granted, he might be on some medication or have some other weird-ass medical condition going on... but chances are his parents aren't feeding him well or he has a psychological issue that could use some attending to.

Sad.

No 14 year old should be allowed to get that big.

[itsrobert]

58. Did the teen end up with 1 or 2 seats?

"Southwest generally requires large passengers to buy two tickets. But in this case, the child's parents had purchased only one."

Maybe I'm having reading comprehension problem, but the article doesn't really explain if the woman was remove to make room for two seats or just the one the child's parents purchased.

[LostinVA]

74. Two seats n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

79. An ethical reporter would have titled this "Standby passenger loses seat to ticketed passenger"

and the article would have said "A passenger on standby, who had been seated, ended up being asked to leave when the passenger with the ticket showed up the last moment."

But, for the totally irrelevant situation that she was skinny and the kid is fat, this is a total non-news event. It happens hundreds of times a day.

It's a kind of ironic silliness because of Southwest's problems with booting people who are too large for their shitty little child-chairs, but it's still a total non-news item.

[Obamanaut]

88. And had the kid not been plus sized, they both could have flown. nt

[Rabrrrrrr]

89. Oh, crap - somehow I missed that she lost her one seat because he needed two,

and had only paid for one.

Ok, that's getting into the realm of bullshit.

Still, she was standby, so she had no real right to a seat.

But this country has agree to three things: 1) we have to get less concerned with ridiculously fucking low airfares (that are in dollars about what they were 20 years ago, even though inflation has gone up a hella lot since then) that require the airlines to squeeze us in beyond our capacity and be willing to pay a bit more to have seats that fit us, 2) airlines need to realize that adults - even normal sized adults - don't fit in their seats very well, and 3) much of America has to lose some fucking weight.

We're too fat AND too cheap, and it's fucking everything up.

[LostinVA]

122. Or teh parents hadn't been cheapskates and bought two seats

They had to know their teenager needed two seats, and placed him in a situation that could potentially emvbarrass him.

[Pithlet]

172. No, not necessarily. They might not have realized it. n/t

[ThomasQED]

182. Bingo

This is not news.

[JI7]

84. what are the rules of being on standbye ?

the headline seems to be leaving a lot ofstuff out. like the woman was on standbye. and the kid was already booked ?

as for being late, aren't rules a little different now because of the long times required to do all the security check stuff ?

[itsrobert]

90. From SWA website:

"Passengers who do not obtain a boarding pass and are not present and available for boarding in the departure gate area at least ten minutes prior to scheduled departure time may have their reserved space cancelled and will not be eligible for denied boarding compensation. "

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

[JI7]

94. "may"

[itsrobert]

97. Because they MAY have another passenger ready fly n/t

n/t

[JI7]

100. if the person who is booked doesn't show up

it also looks like something to warn people they will not get refunds or another flight.

but if the flight has not taken off already and they are still able to board someone there is nothing that says they wont do that. and in this case it was a kid .

[JI7]

101. if the person who is booked doesn't show up

it also looks like something to warn people they will not get refunds or another flight.

but if the flight has not taken off already and they are still able to board someone there is nothing that says they wont do that. and in this case it was a kid .

[Nye Bevan]

87. Standby or not, once you're on the plane the airline should not be able to kick you off.

They should have offered however much money was necessary for someone to *volunteer* to give up their seat.

[itsrobert]

95. That's why SWA has a policy for late passengers

"Passengers who do not obtain a boarding pass and are not present and available for boarding in the departure gate area at least ten minutes prior to scheduled departure time may have their reserved space cancelled and will not be eligible for denied boarding compensation. "

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

[Bluebear]

103. The airline had every right to serve the teen whose seat was reserved, even though she was "late"

Standby Passengers means Passengers who will be enplaned on a flight subject to availability of space at departure time and only after all Passengers having reservations for such flight have been enplaned on such flight. Standby status applies to all scheduled stops at any intermediate points on the flight.

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/coc.pdf

[rucky]

96. Were any of them circumcised?

That could make a difference.

[opihimoimoi]

99. The WORLD i8s melting before our eyes and we squabble over moot minutiae

God Help Us in our need for better vision

[jah the baptist]

104. the problem isnt the fat skinny thing but ratherhow airlines are allowed to sell

more tickets than there are seats on any given flight

it would be called fraud if anyone else did it

thank you ronald reagan

edited to say:

just read the standby/ticketed thingy

and it WAS a kid

airlines still suck though, generally

[LostinVA]

124. That's not what happened n/t

[SheilaT]

107. Speaking as a former airline

ticket counter and gate agent, unaccompanied minors are always supposed to be treated very carefully. And they'll get on a flight sometimes if we have to bump a full-fare paying passenger.

There are rules about who gets bumped, somewhat informal rules, and they've probably changed over the years, but they're predicated on notions of who can best fend for him or herself if bumped.

Families are kept together. Unaccompanied minors are not bumped. Elderly people are not bumped.

Edited to add the following:
Back in the day, when I worked at National Airport in Washington DC, the essential reason airlines overbooked flights was because passengers were apt to (far more often than you might imagine) book a seat that they didn't use. And didn't get around to letting the airline know that they weren't going to use the seat prior to departure time. Those passengers are called "no-shows". On some flights, as many as 30% of booked passengers were no-shows. We couldn't always be certain of filling seats with standbys. And there was no way to penalize the no-shows, to charge them for making the reservation they didn't use.
These days, so many tickets are purchased in advance, so many fares have a penalty attached to changing reservations, and so many flights are booked completely full, you'd think things would be different. But the goal of the people in Revenue Control (as it was called by my airline back when) was to book enough passengers so that with the no-shows we'd send out the plane perfectly full. Rev Control didn't care about standbys. They didn't count. All they cared about was sending out a full plane.

It's not really the best system in the world, but I'm not sure what could be better. There's always going to be passengers who don't show up at all, and those who are on stand-by for some reason or another. I can tell you that I hated denied boardings -- involuntarily bumped paying passengers -- more than anything in the world. Even though I perfectly well understood the logic behind the overbookings, the people who set the policies NEVER worked the airport to see how awful it was.

[dana_b]

189. it is the worst

dealing with unacs was actually not a big deal. Dealing with the business person who just wanted to go home but showed up to the gate 10 minutes too late (and their seat was given away) was terrible. I wasn't a gate agent - I was a flight attendant but I always felt horrible for the gate agents. Of course it was no picnic in flight either.

[Ms. Toad]

239. For Southwest, unaccompanied minor status ends

at age 11. This child was three years past that.

Not that I don't think that anyone who is 14 shouldn't be given priority - but "unaccompanied minor" has a special meaning within the airline industry and it ends long before the age of majority for every airline my daughter ever flew on unaccompanied.

[Pithlet]

243. Things must have changed because I was allowed that at 14 on every airline I flew on

and it should be. Kids don't have the same resources that adults do. And even if she technically didn't have that status it seems in the story that Southwest at least gives some sort of preferential consideration to them in these situations when they're unaccompanied anyway, which makes sense. And I think it's different. ETA It's not unaccompanied minor the same as young children, where they're monitored by a flight attendant. I think the term is youth fare. We were allowed to preboard, but didn't have to be introduced to the flight attendant and all that stuff. That might be what was going on with this kid.

[Ms. Toad]

244. It varies from airline to airline

Some make it mandatory through a certain age - with a paid escort.
Some make it optional beyond a fairly young cutoff. Some prohibit it beyond the fairly young cutoff.

What was really a pain was that the escort fee was per leg. My daughter was ready to fly gate to gate on her own before she was ready to manage a transfer. That meant if it was a straight shot we got away without flying as an unaccompanied minor (depending on the airline), but if there was a transfer, we got hit for each leg. They really need to charge per transfer.

Kids flying on a youth fare aren't monitored by the airlines. TSA will generally allow a parent to accompany the child through security, but otherwise generally all it gets you is a cheaper ticket. One time my daughter flew that way - not by choice - she had aged out on that particular airline (so between 11 and 14) - got stranded somewhere by delayed flights and the airlines couldn't even tell me where she was since she was treated just like any other adult passage. She turned 20 yesterday - so it was probably 6-8 years ago.

[Name removed]

109. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Donnachaidh]

114. people flying standby can be bumped up until the plane door closes

And she would have been told that in advance by the airlines. Non-starter. :shrug:

[political_Dem]

123. Maybe she should pay for two seats. She was invading the kid's space.

:sarcasm:

People who are not size zero suffer enough in this society-- from eating disorders to outright discrimination.

[sandrakae]

128. I really tired of reading about this kind of crap. Why do airplanes not have large seats?.

Seems to me they can put maybe 4 larger seats on an airplain.

[xultar]

130. That's called first class.

[Mz Pip]

168. +1

[SmileyRose]

131. Well the skinny bitch is right

it's much better to humiliate a 14 yr old fat kid in front of a whole plane full of people. Because clearly being a 14 yr old fat kid flying alone isn't hard enough.


:eyes:

[Pithlet]

180. Oh no, not enough to humiliate on the plane.

She runs and cries to the media about it. Because had she merely been bumped by a skinny person, which is what she expected I guess, we wouldn't have hear a word, But to be bumped by a fat kid! The nerve!. The media had to be alerted, of course.

[Raineyb]

192. That about mirrors my thoughts to how this non-story became a story. n/t

[Name removed]

132. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Obamanaut]

135. Size has to do with the line in the OP and the article that states

"A petite Sacramento woman was bumped from a Southwest Airlines flight to make room for an extra-large 14-year-old who required two seats."

If the 14-year-old had not been so large, the petite Sacramento woman could have stayed on the plane.

One might consider telling the cheap parents of the two-seater kid to buy two seats.

[Doeed]

143. My apologies

Somehow I looked right over that.

[TorchTheWitch]

155. The kid DID need two seats!

That's the whole issue here. Damn, can people not read??? The kid needed two seats but only had a ticket for the seat NEXT TO hers. He wasn't entitled to her seat because he didn't have a ticket for itm, but because he required two seats due to his size she was bumped off the plane even though the kid DID NOT have a ticket for HER seat.

Tell the cheap parents of the kid that when their kid is so large that he requires two seats on an airplane to purchase tickets for the two seats he requires so he doesn't get someone else bumped off the plane and the second seat he requires for free.

[Raineyb]

196. The woman is on standby! What part of that do you not understand means that she's

subject to being bumped off the plane and she has NO RIGHT to fucking complain.

What the hell would you do strand the unaccompanied minor?

[pitohui]

134. she was on standby, so, yeah, she knows the score

we all know we're gambling when we decide to fly standby -- sometimes the original seat holder shows up and that's that

i don't know why the weight & age of either party should be relevant to the discussion at all

[Obamanaut]

185. Weight and age of the kid had to do with the discussion because if

the kid had not needed two seats, the standby passenger would have kept one of them.

The kid used two seats.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

139. Funny that two people weren't bumped...

There must have been an open seat on the plane or else two standby fliers would have been bumped, right?

Doesn't mean anything. Just nothing the wrinkle--had they bumped two seated standby fliers for the one two-seat passenger they would have made less money on the deal.

The standby passenger should expect to be bumped at whim... it's standby. The standby passenger was bumped for a ticketed passenger because the airline decided, for whatever reason, that a passenger with one ticket is entitled to two seats. Their call to make, I guess. Or maybe there's a law saying that some people with one ticket are entitled to more than one seat... that would be pretty weird, since the commodity being old is space in seats. If you show up with one ticket requiring two seats that's the same as a couple showing up with one ticket and demanding two seats because they always travel together.

[Raineyb]

148. What part of flying standby do you think makes this unfair?

If the girl had a ticket they ought to bump off the woman flying standby to make room for the person with the actual ticket. I don't see why this is newsworthy.

[scheming daemons]

165. Because he paid for ONE seat, but took up TWO seats

He took up the ONE seat he paid for PLUS the seat next to it... which bumped her off the flight.

[depakid]

174. See- you and I can agree on some things!

[WolverineDG]

175. She didn't pay for a seat on that flight at all

why aren't you pissed off at HER for wanting something she wasn't entitled to, unless the airline wanted to give it to her?

dg

[Name removed]

195. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Binka]

203. You Have A Lot Of Hate Toward Thin Folks

Wish you were one?

[Raineyb]

212. Excuse me? n/t

[proteus_lives]

229. She's made of hate in general.

[LostinVA]

235. I'm actually really offended by the use of "bitch" and "witch" in this thread

As well as "skinny." She is petite, first of all, which doesn't mean skinny, and even if she is, so frigging what???

[scheming daemons]

163. If you take up two seats, you should pay for two seats. You're buying SPACE on a plane.

This boy should have had to purchase TWO tickets.

The fact that he bought ONE ticket, but used TWO seats is an issue here.

She got kicked off the flight because he took up TWO seats....one of which, he didn't pay for.

[blueamy66]

167. Exactly.

Why is this sooo hard for people to understand?

[Pithlet]

170. This was a kid, not an adult. You think it likely he had money on him to buy another one?

Maybe the airline can charge his parents for the other seat now if they want to. But they had to get the kid to his destination. He's an unaccompanied minor.

[Pithlet]

171. This was a kid, not an adult. You think it likely he had money on him to buy another one?

Maybe the airline can charge his parents for the other seat now if they want to. But they had to get the kid to his destination. He's an unaccompanied minor.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

169. There were two asses and two seats

If one of the said asses doesn't fit that isn't the other asses problem.

[ZenKitty]

183. Unaccompanied minor...

trumps Miss Skinny.

Signed,

Skinny Mom who has had a couple of her (ticketed) kiddos fly solo back in the day.

Standby needs to do just that....

Seriously..common sense please. :)

[Darth_Kitten]

208. No, paying adult trumps Chunky.......

:sarcasm:

[Ross K]

184. Whose Senator is the kid's father?

[Vickers]

193. Once she was issued a boarding pass she was no longer on standby.

I can empathize with the concerns about unaccompanied minors (all of my kids have done multiple transatlantic flights unaccompanied), but the airline should have asked for a volunteer and reimbursed them accordingly.

[Tailormyst]

210. Untrue

And she was probably already being compensated for being on standby

[Vickers]

215. True. Maybe you are thinking of a ticket, which is not the same thing.

A boarding pass means you are cleared for that flight, with a specific seat. A ticket ***these days*** means you've basically entered the "flight lottery."

:P

She was not compensated for this flight: she went on standby to get an earlier flight, and UP TO THE MOMENT SHE WAS ISSUED A BOARDING PASS she was not a confirmed passenger, but was in a sort of flight limbo, meaning she could have been bumped from BOTH flights during that time (i.e., she had to give up the boarding pass on her later flight to be considered for standby on the earlier flight).

This is not to say that the airline wouldn't tell her otherwise, BTW, or that they wouldn't force her to give up her seat.

[Javaman]

218. Yes, it was fair. She was flying standby. This is such a non-story. Actually it's BS.

Having a sister who worked for an airline, I used to get standby tix all the time.

As one of the stipulations, paying customers come first, whether they are first in line, last in line or late.

This is a "controversy" made out of whole fabric.

And the issue has absolutely nothing to do with a persons size.

Christ, I hate really shoddy poor bullshit reporting to exact emotional response for nothing more than to get eyeballs to their website.

[LostinVA]

238. I love airline threads

:thumbsup:

[Dorian Gray]

240. If the kid purchased two tickets

and she was flying standby, it's probably fair.

If not, then it isn't.

[LostinVA]

245. It appears the kid had one purchased seat.

[Mimosa]

242. NO recs? LOL

I recced. I think this is an interesting issue.