Cast your minds back to early 2024, and you might remember that a European airline announced that it would start weighing its passengers.
While this sounded like some horrendous materialisation of diet culture, it was actually just a simple process to better balance planes, and only check-in clerks were able to view the scales. However, another weight-related policy has been announced by Southwest Airlines, and it’s proving understandably contentious.
From January 27, travellers who ‘cannot fit within their seats’ armrests’ will be required to book two tickets, and will only be entitled to a refund on the second if their flight isn’t fully booked.
Previously, the rules were that passengers would be guaranteed to receive a refund on the ticket later or be offered an extra seat for free at the airport, according to Fox 2 Detroit. It’s also worth noting that avoiding booking an extra seat online will just mean you’re asked to purchase one at the airport.
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Are there any more specifics on who, exactly, this applies to? Well, no. According to Men’s Journal, the operator said that ‘customers who encroach upon the neighbouring seat(s) should proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel’ and that ‘the armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats’ but that’s as far as the details go.
It all sounds pretty awkward, doesn’t it? Jason Vaughn, who runs Fat Tested Travel (a site aimed at plus-size travellers) told the Associated Press that ‘it’s going to make the flying experience worse for everybody’, with larger passengers more likely to just test their luck with one ticket.
This isn’t the only policy change set to be implemented at the end of next month. Southwest Airlines will start offering red-eye flights, but also add a premium price to seats that come with more legroom. In May 2025, it ended its free checked bag policy and free assigned seating.
On a completely unrelated note, here’s a roundup of all the airlines with the most hidden fees.
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