Southwest Airlines’ new approach to plus-size seating is leading to awkward encounters at the gate — and backlash from some travelers.
Kenny Slack, a 36-year-old hairstylist based in Houston, was traveling home from Kansas City after a work trip in March. He told Business Insider that he travels multiple times a week for his job and hasn’t needed an extra seat on a flight since last year. He weighed 420 pounds and has since lost significant weight.
When he arrived at the airport in Kansas City for his Southwest flight, he didn’t expect any issues. Then, at the gate, Slack said he was told he’d need to buy an extra seat to board.
“This was all happening with people in line right behind me trying to check their bags,” Slack said. “They didn’t even have the courtesy to pull me to the side; it was just happening in front of everybody.”
Slack said he told the gate agent he didn’t need to purchase an extra seat on his Southwest flight to Kansas City. After speaking with multiple agents, Slack said, he was able to board his flight without paying hundreds of dollars for another ticket.
He shared his story on TikTok, and the video has since reached over 2 million views and thousands of comments.
Southwest changed its “customers of size” policy in January, nixing an earlier one that some plus-size travelers who needed extra accommodations hailed among the best in the industry. The airline made the switch as part of a wave of policy changes, including the introduction of assigned seating and checked-bag fees.
The rollout is bringing the challenges of flying as a plus-sized person back into the spotlight.
Several other travelers have posted on TikTok about experiences similar to Slack’s on Southwest. One said they were told they’d have to exit the plane if they boarded without paying for an extra seat.
Not everyone is upset. One passenger Business Insider spoke with said that following the new guidelines put her mind at ease when she would otherwise be stressed about flying.
The policy, which the airline said it began communicating to customers about on its website last year, tells passengers who may need an extra seat “to let us know in advance of their day of travel so we can do our best to accommodate their needs,” a Southwest spokesperson said.
The airline also said it speaks directly with customers of size in the event that a full flight would result in passengers being rebooked on a later flight. The company did not comment on how it’s training its staff on those communications.
The new policy implemented a ‘fat tax,’ a frequent flyer said
Southwest used to have one of the best policies for plus-size travelers.
Influencer Samyra Miller said Southwest would accommodate her as a customer of size under the previous policy, with an extra seat at no additional cost. Most other airlines required her to pay for an extra seat.
Now, Miller said, Southwest is “basically charging a fat tax.”
The change at Southwest stems from the airline’s recent move to offer assigned seats.
“With assigned seating, adjacent seats may sometimes already be occupied,” the Southwest spokesperson said.
While Southwest doesn’t list size requirements for passengers, it lists the dimensions of its seats in its policy. According to the rule, the armrests on the seat are the boundary markers between seats.
“Southwest may determine, in its sole discretion, that an additional seat is necessary for safety purposes,” the policy states, adding that the decision is up to employees.
If you don’t purchase ahead of time, you’ll be required to pay for an extra seat at the fare available on the day of travel. If your flight isn’t full, you may be eligible for a refund for the seat you purchased.
Some passengers found comfort in the new rules
Southwest’s new rules aren’t far off from what other airlines require for plus-size passengers. Many of them list their seat dimensions on their websites and require passengers who don’t comfortably fit to purchase an extra seat.
For some travelers, the simple solution is to pay for the additional seat in advance and hope for a refund.
Stephanie Massouda, 33, saw the online conversations about Southwest’s new policy and decided to buy her extra seat up front to avoid a public callout during her trip in March. She’d never flown Southwest before the rule changed out of hesitation over the open seating practice.
“It kind of intimidated me,” Massouda told Business Insider. “Flying while fat, there’s already so many considerations that you have to keep in mind.”
With other airlines, Massouda said she keeps an eye on seating arrangements leading up to her trip to ensure there’s an open seat next to her on the plane. Her Southwest experience was the first time she’d ever purchased an extra seat.
“I had seen some of the horror stories coming out, and I did not want to be put in that position at all,” Massouda said.
Under the new policy, Massouda could guarantee comfort by getting a seat in advance. However, she wasn’t sure that she would get her cash back for being on a flight that was 95% full.
Massouda said she was eventually refunded within 30 days after requesting it from Southwest. She avoided an awkward conversation and got her money back.
She told Business Insider that she would fly Southwest again. She said the old open-seating policy felt like a free-for-all “brawl” for seats, which seemed more stressful than other airlines.
“I honestly think that if they hadn’t done this policy change, I wouldn’t have flown with them,” Massouda said.
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