I'm sitting in the airport waiting on my flight to Vegas and one of the Frontier workers comes up and asks to speak to me. She proceeded to tell me that if a customer complains about sitting next me, I might have buy another ticket or make other arrangements for my flight. I'm literally sitting here about to burst into tears. This has never happened before. And it's meeting me dread my return flights home and even worry about being able to stay on this flight! I flew from Oklahoma to Denver with no problems so this just hit me like a ton of bricks.

I have found out the counter an gate attendants are the worst! so rude! I would write a complaint ..I sure would. hope your feeing better.

I am so sorry that you had to be spoken to like that but you are a much nicer person than I...I would have flipped my shit and caused an extreme scene. I would have had a slew of free flights and that employee would be worried about losing their job. There is NO reason to talk to anyone like that ESPECIALLY before you've even boarded your flight. What a schmuck and I hope Karma pays them visit real soon!

Edited September 29, 201411 yr by nelle1230

I can understand how this would be a humiliating conversation to have but I am really not seeing cause for all the pitchforks. An airline employee saw someone who they thought might potentially not fit within the restriction of a single seat and called her over to privately discuss that it may be an issue and give a heads up as to what may need to happen. She didn't grab a megaphone and announce it to the entire boarding area or make a scene in front of rows of seated passengers. I really don't see how any of this is fat shaming or should result in money or free trips.

I can understand how this would be a humiliating conversation to have but I am really not seeing cause for all the pitchforks. An airline employee saw someone who they thought might potentially not fit within the restriction of a single seat and called her over to privately discuss that it may be an issue and give a heads up as to what may need to happen. She didn't grab a megaphone and announce it to the entire boarding area or make a scene in front of rows of seated passengers. I really don't see how any of this is fat shaming or should result in money or free trips.

So please explain to me how you would feel if an airline employee came up to you and said the same thing for no reason. She may be a bigger person, but that doesn't give someone the right to tell her she may need to purchase another seat. What would happen if no one complained, and she fit in her seat just fine and had a lovely flight? As the airline employee, you would have just shoved your entire foot in your mouth and put your job on the line if she were to complain and get your superiors involved. Its not just fat shaming, its discrimination because at that point, what was said was unprompted and unnecessary. The airline employee is asking for trouble and she should be pissed off about being spoken to that way.

I can understand how this would be a humiliating conversation to have but I am really not seeing cause for all the pitchforks. An airline employee saw someone who they thought might potentially not fit within the restriction of a single seat and called her over to privately discuss that it may be an issue and give a heads up as to what may need to happen. She didn't grab a megaphone and announce it to the entire boarding area or make a scene in front of rows of seated passengers. I really don't see how any of this is fat shaming or should result in money or free trips.

Agreed. Hurtful and sh!tty? Yup. Should she be reported, absolutely. More than that? Not at all.

So please explain to me how you would feel if an airline employee came up to you and said the same thing for no reason. She may be a bigger person, but that doesn't give someone the right to tell her she may need to purchase another seat. What would happen if no one complained, and she fit in her seat just fine and had a lovely flight? As the airline employee, you would have just shoved your entire foot in your mouth and put your job on the line if she were to complain and get your superiors involved. Its not just fat shaming, its discrimination because at that point, what was said was unprompted and unnecessary. The airline employee is asking for trouble and she should be pissed off about being spoken to that way.

I would feel like "well, I hope I fit in the seat and don't have to buy an extra ticket then." Because the thing is, being a bigger person CAN mean that you need to buy two tickets. Your ticket price entitles you to a (rather small...as a tall AND overweight person, I get it) space and if you happen to need more than that area of space, you have to pay the requisite amount of money. That's just a fact of flying, not a judgment about what someone weighs or should weigh. I guess she could have said nothing (especially in this case since it ended up not being necessary) but then what about the previous poster who had the crew wait until everyone was settled and then made a big deal of making her move in front of everyone? That doesn't seem like a preferable option to me either.

All I am saying Nelle1230, is I hope we never cross travel paths

Oops for my typos. I can spell, but I cannot type.

I can type, but the spelling? Not so much, lol

What if the Frontier Airlines person comes over to an executive who's 6'6" and an ex-football player who's not "fat," but just built big, to say they'll have to buy another ticket if someone sitting next to them feels crowded?

What if the college basketball team that's traveling to an away game (most of them are over 6'6" tall with legs and arms that stick out far in all directions) gets the same treatment from the Frontier Airlines person? How does that play?

What if a mother is traveling with an active one- or two-year-old child who will be sitting in her lap as the plane flies across North America. Should the mother pay extra to get the kid his own seat so he doesn't crawl across the other two passengers in that row or kick the seat of the unfortunate passenger sitting in front of them for six hours?

No?

Only fat passengers should have to pay extra?

Tell them "I can lose weight but you can't change ugly !!

Sorry this happened to you. Frontier is a crap airline, and they are so desperate for money. I honestly believe that they are penalized if they don't generate a certain number of dollars at the gate. The last time I flew them, they were walking around the gate area looking for any carry-on bag that might not fit in their "sizer" and then charging passengers $25 or more to carry on an "oversized bag." There's a little part of me that wonders if it was less about fat shaming and more about trying to make some gate revenue quota.

That said, stop flying Frontier and its best friend Spirit. You're so much better flying Southwest Airlines with its open seating model, if you can. Pay a little extra and board early. I've found that no one wants to fly in the middle seat next to the "big guy," and that usually means more room for me (That's call turning their b.s. into my advantage!). YIPPEE! (If there's one disadvantage to losing a bunch of weight, it will be no more open middle seats next to me on Southwest - LOL!)

I guess my point is that when you fly these nickel and dime airlines, you can't be surprised by much. Pay a little more and fly an airline that treats customers with some dignity.

You ever notice that of all the animals on Frontier's planes, they've never had a hippo or elephant? It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

Wow!!! You are an excellent writer.

I can understand how this would be a humiliating conversation to have but I am really not seeing cause for all the pitchforks. An airline employee saw someone who they thought might potentially not fit within the restriction of a single seat and called her over to privately discuss that it may be an issue and give a heads up as to what may need to happen. She didn't grab a megaphone and announce it to the entire boarding area or make a scene in front of rows of seated passengers. I really don't see how any of this is fat shaming or should result in money or free trips.

I generally agree with Frankie.

I like to fly Southwest and for the past few years I always bought two seats. First, I wanted to avoid this exact situation. Second, I knew I was big and although I could fit between the arm rests I really would encroach upon my neighbor and did not feel this was fair. Unfortunately, I think this second point is largely being ignored here. The "passenger of size" rules are there for a valid reason.

In this case, the airline employee approached the OP before the flight and just warned her it could be an issue. I was going to say that it is better to be warned before than have them wait until you sit down on the plane and then call you out in front of everyone and potentially pull you off the flight, however, this is not quite right. Really, these things should be flagged at the ticket counter or not at all. Once you are on the plane, there is no possible way to address it without huge embarrassment.

I should also mention that Southwest has a great policy on the extra seats. You can call them up after the flight and they will refund the cost of the extra seat. I mean, every time. Even if the flight was completely full. Just buy a second seat with your name but use "XS" as your middle name and no frequent flier number, then tell the ticket agent upon check in that you bought a second seat and they will check you in properly. Then, just call customer service after the flight and they will refund the extra ticket fee. No problem.

Um, no, parents have to pay if kid takes up more than one seat space. If kiddo can't sit still that encroaches upon another. Of course the big guy is going to face the same potential issue of having to buy an extra seat. Not sure that height matters on a plane as much as width, so he tall leggy guy likely does not get a heads up. I am not saying it is right that seats are so small, but, I am in no way allowed to make others uncomfortable because I am plus sized. It is my burden.

Well, I don't think the airline industry caused the entire problem. Airlines didn't cause the flying public to gain weight. For that, we can thank our increasingly sedentary jobs and entertainment options, our older ages and longer lifespans, and our faster, cheaper food. But a lot of other for-profit monster corporations get significant credit for the obesity boom.

Although with their shrinking passenger seats, smaller seat pitches, and less leg room, airlines are definitely contributing to the problem.

What offends me the most is the airlines' industry-wide, coordinated and thus far successful campaign to IGNORE their customers' needs for basic service. It goes against every healthy economic principle. They can do this now ONLY because they can manipulate their monopoly on the fastest way to travel.

I may not live to see it, but one day travel technology will offer human beings better long-distance travel options than the misery of airborne cattle cars.

</rant>

This is true.. but at the same time.. we want cheaper flights! We want to pay $200 round trip.. so I'll take being a little cramped for 3-6ish hours, over having to pay $1,000 for a flight.

I can understand how this would be a humiliating conversation to have but I am really not seeing cause for all the pitchforks. An airline employee saw someone who they thought might potentially not fit within the restriction of a single seat and called her over to privately discuss that it may be an issue and give a heads up as to what may need to happen. She didn't grab a megaphone and announce it to the entire boarding area or make a scene in front of rows of seated passengers. I really don't see how any of this is fat shaming or should result in money or free trips.

I have to agree. I'm really, really sorry you were humiliated, I would have been too, and I'm not saying the person wasn't rude, but how is it easy to approach the subject? Maybe she was trying to save you later embarrassment of someone pitching a fit and saying they are cramped. Its not fun, but hoepfully in the future you will fit with plenty of room! That's what I hope!