lakehouse

That case is not that simple, I did a huge case study on it in college. The problem with the Mcdonalds Coffee was they brewed it to some extreme temperature. They did this because commuting people wanted to drive 45 min to work and still have hot coffee. The problem was the general person did not know this, and that old woman got her coffee that was near boiling, and then had it fall on her lap at the drive through window. To make matters worst she was wearing some sort of leggings type pants, and the clothing made the hot coffee literally stick right to her, amplifying the heck out of the burns. Also Mcdonalds knew it was a problem, as the lawsuit showed they had many other reports of employees and customers getting burned by the coffee.

The lady suing SWA is not suing for money, if you read the article, she is suing because she flies SWA and many times they do not tell her to buy a second seat, but occasionally they do ask her. The few times they did ask, they did it in a public manner. She feels that the only times she is made to buy a second seat is when the agent hates fat people. She just wants them to have a standard policy. I am not saying I agree with her, but I can see why she is a bit annoyed with the system.

lakehouse

I personally would never argue once it got to this point, however something along the lines of, I am required for safety and security purposes to sit in the seat I am assigned would sure work.

Timbo

So...I guess South West DOES charge a "Bag Fee"!

But only for... Saddle Bags!

hickspilot

I suppose i could understand her frustration and not wanting to be called out.

lakehouse

I am not saying my opinion on it.

She is just suing asking that they have a flat out fair policy system wide. I know I get frustrated with the TSA because they have ZERO consistency system wide. Heck the rules seem to be different at the same airport the next day.

The lady is mad at Southwest because she thinks the rule is not being enforced and only people who hate fat people use it as a means to avenge their hatred. She is also working very hard to lose the weight, and previously was a larger person. She is not asking for any money, she wants a court to make the company have a standard policy that they actually follow.

Timbo

How about is she instead walks up to the SW counter and says, "Hi, I'm rather large and I won't fit in a single seat, so I'll need to buy two please..."

Oh...but then she wouldn't get the second seat, FREE, would she?

That's what this is really about.

lakehouse

Well if I were a large person and paid for two seats, then saw other people not paying and being large and sitting in one seat I would become frustrated that I paid for two seats. I might try only buying one seat, and might get away with it for some time. Then I might an agent who seems to just not like fat people, and in front of 140 people say oh your too fat you have to buy a second seat. Keep in mind if you did not buy one in advance and the flight is full you can not go.

I am just playing devils advocate, but I am not convinced she had good intent and came into it with a desire to play by the rules, just to get burned by inconsistency.

hickspilot

It seems to me that a gate agent can be just as rude of not even more so when compared to a FA.Do you know how long she was flying with SW? Has she ever been treated this way before and she is finally putting her foot down?

Rolf

This thread is called totd, just sayin'

shoelu

It is called "contract for carriage", the guidelines are in fact well documented, but most folks fail to read them. SWA policy allows you to pay for 2 seats if you are a "customer of size." The policy states you will be refunded the price of the second seat if the flight is not full.

Guidelines for Customers of Size

Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) should proactively book the needed number of seats prior to travel. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats and measures 17 inches in width. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification to Southwest of a special seating need. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. You may contact us for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel, provided the flight does not oversell (which means having more confirmed Customers than seats on the aircraft).