AN airline has been slammed for “rewarding” obesity by giving overweight passengers free extra seats.
Southwest Airlines has put in place a “customers of size” policy that offers additional room at the boarding gate if necessary.
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Fat passengers will be given an extra space and seat belt extenders if they “encroach upon any part of the neighbouring seats”, according to the airline.
But it recommends they book two seats in advance, offering a refund at the end of the journey.
Plus-size influencers have praised the policy for its inclusivity and taken to social media to show off the extra rows they’ve been given.
However, some users claim the “ridiculous” policy unfairly benefits overweight and obese people at the cost of other passengers.
Curtis Westmoreland said: “This is ridiculous. We keep rewarding the problem at the cost of our own comfort.”
One user on X, formerly Twitter, said: “Glamourising obesity is not a good look.”
Another said: “So what happens if the ‘person of size’ requests two additional seats at the gate and takes the seats you and your partner purchased?”
Around 38 per cent of adults in England are overweight, and a further 26 per cent obese.
Worldwide, experts predict one billion people will be obese by the end of the decade.
Research has shown overweight people cost the NHS an extra £13.7billion a year.
Obesity is linked with a range of deadly conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and various forms of cancer.
Southwest’s policy is designed “protect the comfort and safety of everyone onboard”, according to the airline.
It does not focus on body mass index (BMI) — a measure that shows if you’re a healthy weight for your height — but offers an extra ticket if passenger’s body’s extend into neighbouring seats.
A spokesperson said: “The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats.
“If you’re unable to lower both armrests and/or encroach upon any portion of a seat next to you, you need a second seat.
“Our policy does not focus on weight.”
Jae’lynn Chaney, a plus-sized travel TikToker, said the policy is important to people who identify as “super fat”.
She told Fox Business: “There’s a spectrum of fatness. And as a super fat individual, you start needing different accommodation.
“I just felt really happy that there was something like this for people. I hope to see more airlines implement customer-of-size policies.
“The Southwest customer size policy helps many travellers offset the disproportionate costs that we incur because of needing extra room. And so, it’s not just about physical accessibility. It’s also about financial accessibility.”
Kimmy Garris, a TikToker from Nashville who calls herself a “fat solo traveller”, shared a video of herself showing how to use the policy.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
In the clip, she asks a customer service agent for an extra ticket for the seat next to her and then boards the plane, placing it on the seat so no one can sit there.
She said the policy “should be the industry norm” and said travel should “be more comfortable and accessible for all people including fat and disabled people”.
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