Southwest Airlines is introducing extra legroom seats while shaving legroom from regular coach and will offer assigned seats. They can’t keep their open seating policy, where passengers pick their seats when they board, if they want to make money selling these seats. (This at least requires reserving extra legroom seats for those who pay and get them assigned in advance.)
The move is controversial. It’s what other airlines do, but Southwest Airlines has bucked the industry since it was a maverick upstart more than 50 years ago. And while the airline says the overwhelming majority of its customers support the change, loyalists are loyal to the airline because of its product so many are saddened by the change.
No one seems more concerned, though, than the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
- Southwest has the friendliest policy in the industry for passengers of size. You buy an extra seat if you need the space, but if the flight isn’t sold out, Southwest will actually refund it to you.
- But they haven’t commented on how this policy might change with assigned seating.
According to the organization’s Executive Director,
Southwest made a public commitment to ensuring that bags continue to fly free. We are calling on them to make a public commitment to ensuring that accessibility for Customers of Size and disabled passengers will not be undermined by upcoming changes to their planes and procedures. Southwest currently has the best policy in the country for plus size passengers. As they work toward a better customer service experience for everyone, that has to include us. Now is the time to make flying even friendlier for fat people, not to regress to the difficulties larger people have with Southwest’s competitors.
It seems to me that there’s no reason why this policy would have to change just because of assigned seating.
- Other airlines let you buy yourself an extra seat (and you don’t need to be especially large to do it).
- Some airlines with assigned seating even offer this as an option during the booking process
- And it’s easier to get two boarding passes, with two seat assignments, than to explain to passengers gunning for that extra seat that it’s actually reserved.
Of course Southwest is making a lot of changes to improve revenue, pushed by activist investor Elliott Management. They might choose to revise their policy of refunding extra seat purchases on flights that aren’t sold out. And they haven’t said they won’t do it!
I, like every other overweight person I’ve ever known, would give anything to be thin – and have tried everything to achieve a normal weight. Every diet you can name, personal trainers, gym nemberships, medication, nutritionists, an eating disorder, inpatient treatment for the eating disorder, 4 different kinds of therapy, hypnosis, weight loss surgery. But, as another poster said, it’s not as simple as it may seem.
That said, lumping all overweight people together and labeling us as entitled is completely inaccurate. Personally, I never fly Southwest because I only fly first or business class, as those the seats that comfortably accommodate me. And I certainly never call the airline to ask for a discount or refund.