GeekFit PodcastPodcast hosts: Jason Tucker and Steven Klassen discuss healthy weight loss for geeks.
Too Fat To Fly, Part 2
It had been a week since the debacle with Southwest and it was time for me to fly back home. This time instead of being confronted at the gate I decided to be proactive about being what Southwest considers “[a] customer of size.”
Again I checked my bag, went through security, and arrived at my gate with ~45 minutes to spare. I walked up to the attendant at the booth and smiled.
Me: “Hey there – I’m a customer of size. Do I need a pre-boarding slip?”
Agent: “Do you have [indecipherable]… ?”
Me: “I have nothing but my ticket here – I just know I get singled out and wanted to get ahead of the curve.”
Agent: “Do you think you need a second seat?”
Me: “I don’t think I need one, but there was food in Ohio, so can’t be sure. I didn’t need one coming out here.”
Agent: “Oh okay, then you don’t need a second ticket then.”
She was nice about it, but it looks like there’s nothing I can do to control when and how I get picked out for being overweight short of presenting myself for inspection at the gate every time I fly. Leave it to the airlines to invent a new flavor of profiling.
Too Fat To Fly
about 1 year ago - View Comments
I had heard about the upset airlines were causing by charging their larger passengers for an extra seat, but it hadn’t happened to anyone I knew. That is, until last Sunday morning. My first Southwest flight was a 3.5 hour stretch from Oregon to Chicago. I arrived early as always, checked my bags, went through
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about 11 months ago
Me: “I don’t think I need one, but there was food in Ohio, so can’t be sure.
You slay me, Steve.
about 11 months ago
Snort, food in Ohio. If I get caught giggling at work, it’s your fault
about 6 months ago
I found your post after hearing about the Kevin Smith incident last weekend. It really is sad that the airlines don't have clear guidelines with regards to when a second seat needs to be purchased.
about 6 months ago
Thanks for stopping in Chuck. Yeah, it’s a crazy situation. I sat through Kevin Smith’s “Last Word” video set and it was pretty heavy stuff.
about 6 months ago
Sadly the overweight person is often mistreated. The world is on fair. Diabetes is cuased by the chemicals in the food not by over eating. The average overweight person was a victim of the FDA ..what passes as food today is criminal
about 6 months ago
Wonderful article,thanks for putting this together! “This is obviously one great post. Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here. Keep it up!”
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about 5 months ago
No one is too fat to fly. The discrimination against people who are overweight is horrible. I am not overweight but i do see the unfair treatment they receive. Science has shown that those underweight are in greater health danger than those overweight but the underweight are easily accepted in society. Those overweight are victims of tainted food supplies and chemicals in the food. This is the reason for the increase in obesity in the USA and Europe.
about 4 months ago
It is a shame the treatment that those who are overweight receive. In England a similiar question was asked about flying and the answers were so nasty! People had a deep hatred and used words like “animals,rude,uncomfortable..etc” to describe overweight people. I work with the diabetes foundation in Cananda and I can say that being overweight is not from food but the quality of the food. Also I mentioned to the people in the UK that if this is the way they spoke about overweight people i would hate to see the filth that came out of the mouth of their children. Just Plain nasty people!
about 4 months ago
As a fellow diabetic and person on depression medication we have health issues that cause great weight gain. I agree that the treatment of people who are overweight is horrible. In Europe you get nasty looks and even looks of hatred. Sadly a sick person underweight whho the wind can blow over is just find in out weird and sick society
about 3 months ago
I am overweight and am angry that someone would be considered too fat to fly. If you can pay your money then you should be allowed to fly. I am also proud that I am healthy and refuse to buy into the media obssession with skinny.