"Extra Seats Offered to Overweight Passengers" US 'Kind Airline' Gains Attention

Southwest Airlines' 30-Year Tradition
Free Extra Seat for Overweight Passengers

Southwest Airlines in the United States has been continuing the 'tradition' of providing an extra seat free of charge to overweight passengers for over 30 years, which has become a hot topic on social media.

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Photo by Daily Mail

According to major foreign media reports on the 17th (local time), it has become widely known on social media that Southwest Airlines has maintained this tradition for more than 30 years. This policy is referred to as a 'precedent' among overweight passengers.

According to the reports, the low-cost carrier Southwest offers a service that allows overweight passengers who encroach on the adjacent seat based on the armrest to use an additional seat without extra charge.

Overweight passengers can purchase an extra seat before the flight and then get a refund for the additional seat cost after the flight, or they can request an extra seat from staff at the departure gate before takeoff.

Jareen Chae-ni, who has 140,000 followers on TikTok, described herself as 'super obese' and shared various inconveniences she experiences when boarding a plane. She cited, among others, ▲having to pass through narrow aisles between seats ▲seat belts not being long enough ▲the narrow spacing between seats causing her to be conscious of neighboring passengers.

Recently, Jareen publicly praised Southwest Airlines' policy through her TikTok account and expressed hope that more airlines would follow suit. She said, "Southwest's policy offsets the disproportionate costs incurred by overweight passengers who need more space," adding, "Both physical accessibility and financial accessibility are important."

Southwest Airlines explained, "Flight attendants may move other passengers to provide unplanned space, which is intended to ensure the comfort and safety of all passengers on board."

Model Olivia walking through the interior of a US airline cabin.
[Photo by TikTok 'Big Curvy Olivia']

Meanwhile, in May, Olivia, who works as a 'plus-size model,' sparked global controversy by publicizing that narrow airplane aisles discriminate against 'obese' people like herself.

Olivia posted a video on her TikTok account showing herself barely squeezing through the narrow airplane aisle to get to the economy class seat. She claimed, "Not being able to make wider aisles on planes is discrimination," and stated that she was discriminated against by airlines because she is 'obese.'

The video became a hot topic on social media, garnering 1.4 million views.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.