Southwest Nearly Lets Liver Transplant Patient Die Because He Wouldn't Buy 2nd Ticket
UPDATE: Southwest apologizes and gives a refund.
Richard Brown nearly died on Sunday, January 21st, thanks to reckless indifference by a Southwest Airlines ticket agent.
A dying hep-C patient, Richard, secured an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. After getting turned down, he was referred to the University of San Francisco.
When he went to board in Scottsdale for California, the ticket agent refused to let Richard fly unless he bought another ticket, due to his weight.
The weight gain is due to water retention because of his failing liver. Richard lives on California Disability Pay and had no funds to pay for the extra ticket. The flight was not sold out.
The ticket agent didn't care when shown Richard's medical papers, saying, "each airport has their own rules and these are ours, no extra seat, no boarding."
Family scrounged up what little money they had to help him pay for meals. Call after call to customer service ended in countless transfers and wrong numbers.
Finally, a Southwest Airlines agent in Dallas paid for Richard's ticket herself.
"All the while, Richard sat freezing wrapped in several blankets at the gate. The Southwest agent content to let him die in the boarding area," writes his daughter Brandi.
The rest of her story, inside...
UPDATE: We asked some followup questions of the daughter
Brandi writes:
- "Richard Brown, a disabled Hep-C victim scraping by on the pennies we call "California Disability Pay," secured a last minute appointment and dying hope for a liver transplant at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona only to be refused boarding by Southwest Airlines because of his weight. Richard is suffering from the final stages of Hep-C, which includes grossly excessive water retention due to a failing liver. With an impending death sentence, Richard's only hope is a liver transplant.
Richard Brown and his caretaker, Paul, boarded a Southwest flight in Sacramento to Phoenix on Sunday, January 21, 2007, with the hopes of receiving a life-saving liver transplant from Mayo Clinic.
Booking his flight and accommodations were no ordinary travel arrangement. The liver transplant appointment was granted at the last minute, and Richard, living on State Disability, could not afford the last minute flight fares and Scottsdale hotel accommodations. Richard's mother, Lessie Diffey who is 70 years old and recovering from a recent heart operation, likewise could not afford to save her son's life. Richard's only hope was his daughter Ms. Brown who is currently residing in Japan. Ms. Brown, fighting international time zones and time constraints, arranged for accommodations and airplane fare.
Ms. Brown telephoned Southwest from Japan, informing them of her father's condition. Ms. Brown was reassured that a note had been entered into the computer, notifying the gate agent of Richard's condition. The bookings were made (note without any discount, which is normally afforded to medical emergency passengers), and Richard and his caretaker boarded the flight in Sacramento without occurrence.
Upon arrival in Scottsdale, Mayo Clinic denied Richard the liver, and referred him to the University of San Francisco. Richard changed his return flight to the next available flight from Phoenix to Sacramento in order to get in immediate contact with the University of San Francisco. Again, a race against his death's clock.
Upon arrival at Southwest's gate, the boarding agent refused to allow Richard to fly unless he purchased another ticket, citing Richard's weight as the reason. The flight was not sold out, so an empty seat next to Richard was available and no passengers would be inconvenienced by Richard's size. But seeing an opportunity to make an extra fare, Southwest's agent, having been informed of Richard's flailing medical condition and shown supporting medical documentation, refused to allow Richard to board, stating "each airport has their own rules and these are ours, no extra seat, no boarding." Richard, not having access to readily available funds, could not afford to purchase another seat. Indeed, various family members contributed the only spare change they had to give Richard a mere $300 for meals and incidentals. Again, the plea for help fell on deaf Southwest ears.
Richard contacted his mother via a collect call, who in turn immediately called Southwest's customer service, which turned out to be a myriad of transfers and wrong numbers. Customer service agent after customer service agent, each Southwest agent transferred Mrs. Diffey to a wrong number and refused to help, even once to the baggage department in Texas.
Until finally, an agent in Dallas named Becky offered to pay for the ticket herself. All the while, Richard sat freezing wrapped in several blankets at the gate. The Southwest agent content to let him die in the boarding area.
Once an airline accepts the responsibility of allowing a passenger to travel, it is their responsibility to get the passenger home. Southwest appears not to care whether the passenger be alive or dead during his transit home."
Appalling. — BEN POPKEN
Brandi writes:
- "Hi Ben,
Thank you for your reply, and I appreciate your consideration.
My father is at home literally on his death bed. He has nearly lost all bowel control, is in excruciating pain due to the water pressure on his nerves, most of the time is immobile because it is too painful to stand, and his cognitive abilities come and go. Due to his liver condition, painkillers are not an option....
...Per my last conversation with my father, his water weight was around 125 pounds, with a total weight of around 300 pounds. I am confirming this with him....
...He has an appointment with the University of San Francisco during the first week of February, so hopefully they will take him as a transplant recipient. Fingers are crossed, as we are really down to our last straw.
Sincerely,
Brandi"
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Comments:
Will this be on the next episode of "Airline"?
That is rediculous. This story is almost worse than the $70,000 stolen from that guy from a used car sales people.
Hopefully they fire the Agent, or atleast send her into ethical training.
What the fuck!!!!!
Has Southwest violated any laws? Can they be sued for massive damages?
Please say yes.
And shit, I thought these were the good guys???
Wonder what ol' Herb would say about this? There comes a time when someone has to do the right thing as opposed to doing what the rulebook says is the right thing.
Could you imagine the amount of POSITIVE publicity that SW could have garnered if they'd given the guy a FREE flight?
I recall from watching an episode of "Airline" that a "passenger of large carriage" (depending on whatever guidelines they have come up with at that moment) must pay for an extra seat regardless of whether or not the flight is full. However -- if the flight turns out not to be full, apparently the money remitted for that extra seat can be refunded to the purchaser.
Keep in mind, once again, that my information comes from what I saw on a television show a year or two back; I don't know if this is the case or not. Either way -- kudos to Becky for stepping up (and, most likely, handing in one of her free tickets -- which doesn't make her actions any less charitable).
That being said -- how do you feel other air carriers would react to this? I'm not certain United, AA, USAirways or any of the other large carriers would have reacted much differently.
The Southwest agents I've encountered have generally above-par in terms of customer service, & I know the company takes this very seriously as well. I would be absolutely shocked if the agent in question wasn't subjected to a very public condemnation by the powers that be at the airline, on top of some sort of restitution being made to Richard and his family.
But obviously, if they don't make amends, then this will dramatically alter my belief that Southwest actually cares about its customers, and I can't imagine its sales wouldn't suffer from other people's similar changes of heart.
Indeed, the above case was appalling and should have been handled differently by Southwest and should issue an immediate apology, their policy should be revised and their employee disciplined--assuming the facts turn out to be as described even though it is not Southwest's fault that a deathly ill person was flying a standard flight and it is generally unreasonable to expect an airline to function as an air ambulance. But it is an exceptional case that brings in to question the general principle of charging more for people who take up more than one seat. Is this a reasonable practice?
Large people already have enough issues without having to pay double to fly, but I'm torn on this issue. Larger individuals require more space and fuel to transport. You can fit a lot more supermodels into a plane than sumo-wrestlers. Should supermodels and sumo-wrestlers really pay the same rate?
Once I was the last person on a fully booked Southwest flight. I walked up and down the aisle to find the seat but couldn't see it. Finally a flight attendant pointed it out to me. It was actually half a seat because the 450 pound man sitting next to it had the armrest up and took up fully half of the last remaining seat in addition to his own. He had not booked or paid for the two seats he needed so the seat showed up in the manifest as available. I politely declined the seat. I needed the full seat I'd paid for and the other gentleman had no right to take mine or expect me to sit with his lap on mine. As a result I had to take a later flight.
I'm not sure who should pay when a person needs two seats but I do know I should get the single seat I paid for. When larger people buy clothes they have to pay more. Period. They need larger clothes that use more fabric and they don't get to complain to the store that they shouldn't have pay more than average sized people regardless of the reason for their larger size, be it genetic, medical or otherwise. Why we understand that this should be the case for clothes but not for 2x-sized seats seems inconsistent.
No matter how this is worked out, somebody will lose money. The question is who that will be.
I really want to believe in karmic retribution, but what will happen is the bitter/evil ticket agent will be very publically terminated and said agent will learn nothing and blame Mr. Brown for her situation.
I'm speechless. Wow.
Skeptic -- remember that what goes around comes around. :o(
I agree that people who choose to be the size of two normal people should have to pay proportionally, but this was not the case in this instance.
I believe Richard encountered a really unfortunate series of errors and one agent who doesn't embody the usual Southwest spirit. They really do try to do right; he ran into someone who had a personality problem. The phone transfer issue looks like a broken process, not malice. It doesn't say what time of day this happened, either; I'm wondering where the supervisors were because there usually are a couple readily available.
Consumerist, I hope you keep us updated on how Southwest responds to this complaint and let us know if Richard gets his liver.
Maybe this agent felt self-righteously justified in her behavior -- a lot of people feel like it's ok to hate on the obese because they figure the obesity is due to lack of self-control or willpower.
I suppose Skeptic has a point -- larger people pay more for clothes. Taller people often pay extra for extra legroom. People who need more space (for themselves, their families, or their stuff) pay more for larger rental cars. Even construction costs are often spoken of in cost per square foot -- more space = more money.
But suddenly demanding that anyone (for any reason) buy an extra seat on a return flight (he'd flown the outbound leg from Sacramento to Scottsdale without incident) reeks of extortion to me.
I'm surprised this hasn't received more play in the media- airlines are an easy target, especially on a slow news day or for a talking head.
A hearty kudos to Becky for stepping up, whether she donated from her own ticket stash or paid out of pocket. I would agree that the Southwest agents I've dealt with have been pretty decent. Calling them the Wal-Mart of airlines is pretty harsh, given that economy flights aren't really that different (other than plane and number of stops) versus other shopping. I'd rather fly a 737 with cattle-call seating with them than a smaller Embraer with assigned seating on Continental.
Keter,
My question is who determines if someone chooses to be the size of 2 normal people? Thyroid issues as well as a myriad of other problems can cause weight problems. From all reports Americans are bigger than ever now and airlines cramming as many seats as possible into a plane doesn't help the issue. I am of a median weight, not a stick and not obese and I've sat in some seats that were uncomfortably small.
At any rate this situation is terrible and I certainly hope Southwest issues a apology and takes care of this gentleman.
Skeptic, I would agree with you, except that most coach airline seats these days aren't even wide enough for an average-size person to sit in comfortably. It's as if a dress shop said, "All we have are size zero, so you'll need to squeeze into one of those. If you can't, then you'll have to pay double so we can sew two dresses together."
Now that's some bad press.
As a counter/gate agent for a major airline I cannot begin to tell you the number of times people try to bypass policies that are 1.) intended for safety 2.) for the comfort of all passengers 3.) conditions that they should advise the airline prior to attempting to obtain a boarding pass.
While every situation is unique you have to be consistent in ensuring compliance in these situations otherwise it would be impossible to set expectations for customers. They are not in place to punish or inconvenience people.
I have sat next to some rather large people on flights and it is downright annoying to be squeezed in, I think the airlines collect the double fares then double book the extra seat so in either case we lose. More to the point of the article is that I am a Southwest frequent flyer with enough points to qualify for a companion ticket for a year, I am ready to turn in my pass, as I always viewed Southwest as the one airline who would go the extra mile for their customers, they have for me in the past and I am shocked that in this case their customer was hung out to dry.
I'm fairly large, and it's due to a medical condition -- I consume more calories than I burn.
But thankfully I can still get the arm rest down and don't need a seat extender. My friends and wife have orders to take me out into a field and shoot me if I ever get that big.
I have had to sit next to some very large people before. I spent one flight with one of my ass cheeks hanging into the aisle. Thankfully that plane had an aisle arm rest that could be moved up (not all of them do). It was still a horrible flight.
Basically, even though I'm somewhat overweight I have little sympathy for other fat people -- unless it truly is an unavoidable medical condition, which sounds like was the case with this gentleman. Normally, fat people should pay for two seats. Hopefully I never fall into that category but if I ever do, I have no one to blame but myself for it.
As far as this situation goes, if the passenger had the documentation, the agent should have let him slide by... let's face it, even if he has insurance, he's still going have some financial issues to deal with after the surgery. I agree with the others that this was a missed PR opportunity -- fly him free & make a media event out of it. Especially when all of the other carriers seem to be experiencing quite a bit of negative press, this could have been a real win for SW.
/soapbox on
I'm skinny and well underweight (BMI of 16.7)... so, when do I get my discount? I don't take up as much space, consume far less oxygen, and don't require anywhere near as much fuel to move (nor food to eat) as those at the larger end of the spectrum.
I'm getting tired of the world catering to the problems created by obesity rather than working to solve it. I can't count how many restaurants I go to now which have oversized chairs/booths where I'm totally uncomfortable. Literally, at Steak N Shake, if I try to sit all the way back in the booth, there's almost 12" between me and the table. In some places, I've resorted to bringing my backpack in with me and use it as a chair back.
Even everyday items are growing in size. It took me forever to find an office chair which actually fit my back. All of the chairs I tried probably would have fit if I was about 2x as wide. Likewise, I had to buy a new blood pressure monitor (hypotension accompanies lower weight, imagine that...) and all of the "standard adult" cuffs are now about 2" larger than the one I had. I ended up having to get a monitor special ordered with a "child / small adult" cuff. WTF?!? My old monitor had a "standard adult" cuff on it and was fine.
I certainly can sympathize with those of larger size. At no other point in humanity has fattening/unhealthy food been cheaper and more available than it is now. I have to keep my weight in a narrow range for cardiac reasons, so I do have to watch my diet... BUT, in many (most?) cases of obesity, it *IS* a case of willpower, or "instant gratification" to be more precise. For many of them, emotional eating is to blame, BUT, unless they're willing to take a good, hard look at themselves and deal with their issues and take accountability for where they're at now, they're destined to remain that way.
/soapbox off
@Kellkell wrote, "My question is who determines if someone chooses to be the size of 2 normal people? Thyroid issues as well as a myriad of other problems can cause weight problems. From all reports Americans are bigger than ever now "
Here you point out two slightly contradictory points, that people don't choose to be morbidly obese and that Americans are larger now than ever--which is part of our national lifestyle choices. One of the issues with whether larger people should pay for two seats or not is the way we subsidize accommodations for the disabled. I think Americans generally support free subsidization of accommodations for the disabled, but people's size is a complex issue sometimes based on a disability and sometimes based on our lifestyle choices and there is no way to tell just by looking at someone. And being larger doesn't necessarily mean you are less heathy than a skinnier person--but it does mean you take up more space than they do.
keter wrote "Skeptic -- remember that what goes around comes around. :o("
I think if you read my original comment you'll find I thought that Southwest should apologize, revise their policies and discipline their employee. I'm not sure what your point is vis-a-vis me.
@Ted: Indeed airline seats keep getting smaller even as Americans keep getting larger. A big part of the problem is that Americans want the cheapest seats more than we want comfort. Every day we vote with our wallets and we consistently buy the lowest possible fares. Our mouths say we want larger seats but our wallets say different. To be sure, some people are willing to pay more--but they only want to pay a little more. They have the option of paying double right now and having two seats.
Please note, I'm not necessarily saying the current practice is fair or desireable.
This is sick! It's literally the "I wouldn't lift a finger to save your life" situation. Thank goodness for people like Becky.
While every situation is unique you have to be consistent in ensuring compliance in these situations otherwise it would be impossible to set expectations for customers.
I doubt other customers would expect special treatment just because of an exception made in an extreme situation like this. At the very least the first agent could have done what Becky did and offer a ticket out of a stash (if she didn't pay out her own pocket).
Although I am not a legal expert (yet), I would suggest that Richard seek out an attorney. He may have a cause of action for extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress (among others) based on SW's knowledge of his medical condition and their active participation in placing him in this situation.
Allow me some cynicism: Richard may be able to find an attorney to work on a contingency basis. There are a lot of attorneys (shiesty ones) who will recognize that while this may be a long shot claim, SW will almost certainly settle (out of a desire to avoid litigation expense and bad PR). The case probably wouldn't be worth all that much, but Richard may be able to find a contingency or pro-bono attorney to get him a few thousand dollars and a well deserved apology letter.
shameful. simply shameful. I hope southwest will do something to make this right and reevauluate their policies... especially since this was not even a sold out flight
I really don't know what to say about this.
Procedures and protocols aside, if someone [with medical documentation] is literally dying in front of you, I don't understand how you could behave like that.
It just goes to show that for every Wesley Autey out there, there is someone else at the other end of the spectrum.
Good stuff, Kester. I'd chalk this up to an isolated case of someone blindly following "procedure." Notice that the "hero" of the story is also a Southwest employee, who reached into her own pocket to make things right.
I had a little trouble following the story, frankly, and the overwrought prose doesn't help matters. Then again, I've (thankfully) no experience with liver failure or the transplant process.
I'm getting tired of the world catering to the problems created by obesity...
*laughing my ass off*
From the SW website: "...the mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit." I'd have to say that they missed the mark in this case.
Also from the SW website:
Customer Relations
Compliments, complaints, questions about service? Please write to us so we can offer a detailed, documented reply. Inquiries about service should include date(s) of travel, flight number(s), city-pair(s), and names of persons traveling. Send your written inquiry to:
Jim Ruppel
Vice President Customer Relations and Rapid Rewards
P.O. Box 36647
Dallas, TX 75235-1647
214-792-4223 during business hours
I searched all over and couldn't locate any customer service oriented email addresses.
jblake1 says:
As a counter/gate agent for a major airline I cannot begin to tell you the number of times people try to bypass policies that are 1.) intended for safety 2.) for the comfort of all passengers 3.) conditions that they should advise the airline prior to attempting to obtain a boarding pass.
But his daughter DID advise the airline of his medical problems when she bought the ticket. AND since he'd flown SW from Sacramento to Scottsdale days earlier, the airline knew about his size.
Again, for the agent to demand extra money from anyone (especially a visibly sick man) on a RETURN trip (that had already been paid for) is tantamount to extortion.
@Skeptic "Here you point out two slightly contradictory points, that people don't choose to be morbidly obese and that Americans are larger now than ever-"
Actually not contradictory, my point was, who can determine if someone CHOOSES to be obese?
If many Americans are now obese, how are the airlines supposed to determine who has chosen to be that way, and charge them more vs someone who is medically that way. The airlines do not see a difference between someone medically obese and someone who is from some of the comments, just lacking willpower or just lazy. There is obviously a difference and so my question was, who can determine that? Are the airlines going to now start requiring doctors notes? And if they do, will they respect them? It's apparent from this situation that the proper documentation didn't matter.
If the person is going to require the space of two seats, then two seats should be purchased. I am a fat ass, but I don't require two seats. I don't want a person that requires two seats being shoehorned in next to me in the little seats.
I feel bad for the guy, but if you are that big, then 2 seats should be purchased.
@pdxguy
You can't email Southwest. That has been the way it is forever.
If this story is accurate, the gate agent was an unbelievable asshole. Presented with evidence and with empty seats on the plane, I fail to understand why she insisted on being inhuman.
That said, if permission were obtained to fly on one ticket only, and there was trouble at the gate, could Richard have not referred the gate agent to the person he talked with? I know this was urgent and probably no one thought to get the contact information, but it just goes to show you -- always get a name and number.
I like Southwest -- certainly as airlines go, it's nicer a company than most. I'm also a fat girl (sorry, FLConsumer, I'm ruining the world for you) -- not extender-fat, but I do live in fear that they're going to ask me to buy an extra seat someday. Why? Because I know about that policy. I understand it, and I'm ready for it. I'm fat because of me, and if there are penalties to be paid, I'm gonna pay 'em. I just hope they don't ask me really loudly in front of everyone.
I'm curious about Southwest corporate has to say about it. Did Brandi attempt to contact them at all with this story before coming here? I really find it hard to believe they would condone the actions of this agent or fail to try and remedy the situation somehow.
Finally, how did the liver transplant go?
"I agree that people who choose to be the size of two normal people should have to pay proportionally, but this was not the case in this instance."
--
I agree with the above comment. This man was deathly ill and this should have been handled differently. However, if I board a plane and find someone taking up 1.5 seats-- including half of mine-- and he/she appears perfectly healthy, I'd be pretty d*mn pissed off. Sans deathly illess, bigger person = bigger price. It's not abot your size, it's about how much space you'd consume. And, I don't like someone's absurdly large thigh imposing on the seat that *I* paid for. Obviously, if the person was deathly ill.. I'd be more understanding.
"If the person is going to require the space of two seats, then two seats should be purchased. I am a fat ass, but I don't require two seats. I don't want a person that requires two seats being shoehorned in next to me in the little seats."
Same here. Ok, I'm going on a diet NOW. I'm not that big, obviously, but boy..
"If many Americans are now obese, how are the airlines supposed to determine who has chosen to be that way, and charge them more vs someone who is medically that way."
Medical or by choice, I don't give a frickin' d*mn. You can get medical assistance, diet, exercise, etc. and be *less* fat. You might not ever be thin, but you won't be 2 seats wide fat.
The ONLY absurdly fat people who should NOT have to pay for 2 seats are deathly ill patients like this on their way to get a life-extending and life altering treatment.
Otherwise, diet, exercise, get surgury-- whatever-- or buy 2 frickin' seats.
"Every day we vote with our wallets and we consistently buy the lowest possible fares."
Excellent point.
On an aside to another poster: Sue, snew. I'm sick of the legit-happy society. Accept a frickin' apology, free ticket(s), and call it a day.. move on with life.
@katana Not sure if you're directing this to me as I was just asking someone else because they were making a distinction.
At any rate I don't think you need to be 2 seats wide fat to have Southwest require you purchase a second seat.
As I said in a previous post, I am an average sized person, 5'8" and about 130 pounds and even I find issue with seat sizes at times.
But this isn't the issue here, and I am going to bow out of an argument that seems to be turning into a rather nasty judgment-fest.
I thought Southwest's policy was if you are fat you have to buy an extra seat but you don't actually get an extra seat. So Southwest gets an extra fare, the person of a larger size still squeezes into one seat, and the people around this gravitationally challenged person are still 'inconvienced' but yet get no discount or extra money. Am I wrong? If I'm correct, the more pay for more space arguement has no business being used here.
A big part of the problem is that Americans want the cheapest seats more than we want comfort.
No, corporations want to maximize profit potential and willingly sacrifice quality in doing so. Recent Wal-Mart and Gap stories highlight this.
From the SW website: "...the mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit." I'd have to say that they missed the mark in this case.
It's hard to provide the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, etc when the first thing they do when you walk up is play the guess your weight carny game.
Have no fear, Southwest WILL make restitution, most likely to the nth degree. The first agent may get canned, but the second will get promoted. Don't forget, this is the airline that rewarded the pilot who came back to the gate to pick up a late passenger, after they had pushed back. No other airline will ever do that.
Well if the warrant for charging more porportionately is because fat people take up more space/use more fuel, then it seems like we should take luggage into account.
If someone weights 90 pounds more than you but you bring 90 pounds more in luggage, then you have the same fuel costs. So airlines should just weight every person and every bag (including carryons) and then divide it up.
As for space, if your bags are bigger (both in luggage and/or in the limited overhead compartment), should you not be charged more? After all, if someone has no carryons and you bring on a turbo sized suitcase, you are taking up more space. Plus, this justifies charging people who are really tall since they take up more space.
Pragmatically, charging more can't work since most booking is done over the intranets. Do you have to check a box that says "I may or may not be able to fit in your seats depending on their demensions. By booking this flight, I acknowledge that I have actually reserved nothing, until you determine whether or not I have to buy another seat when I get there (depending on availability)." Perhaps they will start have sample seats at check-in, like they do at roller coaster rides.
another reason why privatizing healthcare in canada would be a grave mistake. when people are so in debt due to their medical conditions that they can't afford to make those medical conditions right, something needs to be changed.
the US needs a Tommy Douglas.
As someone who used to travel for business, I never flew SW because it lacked the necessary accommodations I need to work in-route. Add the fact that I am 5'10" - many Airline seats don't have the length I need to sit comfortably - esp. SW. Everyone is packed in like sardines.
I don't fault people dealing with weight issues. SW is trying to pack in as many seats as they can to maximum capacity for the bottom line.
However, William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics in the department of internal medicine and professor of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, speculates that people gain fat to increase the amount of leptin needed to push through the communications bottleneck. "The research is significant as it suggests a new way that the brain and the body communicate about body weight. Obesity is the result when that communication falters," he says. Banks, who is also a staff physician at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis, says problems with transporting leptin to the brain lead to a vicious cycle. There are now more than 1 billion overweight people. It is a pretty sizable demographic (no pun intended) to treat poorly...
C
They are not 'large' or 'obese'.
They are fat, very very fat.
PC gone wrong, people are so afraid of hurting other peoples opinions, that they end up using polite terms for a wasteful, greedy lifestyle that impacts the entire planet and imposes a reduction of quality on those around you.
The airline was wrong in its treatment of him, as they were informed ahead of time and they had all the documentation.
For everyone else that ways more than an actual cow, part of which is going to be sitting on my dinner plate tonight, loose some (a lot) of weight, lower your impact on the environment, stop imposing on others, and if your going to fly, pay for two seats and make sure you distribute yourselves equally on the left and right hand sides of the plane.
I have a hypothetical question for the audience... What would you say to a new airline that said, essentially, "Look, we move poundage from Point X to Point Y. We charge $X/lb, whether the pounds are IN you, ON you, or owned BY you. You weigh 100 lbs. and have a 100 lb. suitcase? You pay 200 times $X. You weigh 200 pounds and have no luggage? 200 times $X."
It's what we do with poundage at a UPS or FedEx place; could an airline do the same thing? I ask in all sincerity - no setup, no agenda, no malice, etc.
"I'm getting tired of the world catering to the problems created by obesity" says FLConsumer at 1:56.
EDUCATE YOURSELF PLEASE! Hep C is NOT a cause of obesity. It is a bloode borne virus that more than 3.9 million people in this country have.
As the article says, his weight gain is because of liver failure.
Check out hepcfight.com website and learn a little bit before you minimize the risk that Richard was in. And realize you probably already know something with the disease!
Pound for $ airline?
Sign me up!
Not only are some of these people very, very fat, but when the airlines got deregulated, they started making the seats smaller and smaller, so they could pack more people on, so they could cut the fares, and... they've failed to compete. They're bankrupt. They went for the lowest common denominator and STILL failed to be profitable.
So.. screw 'em, seriously. They knew along with everyone else in this country that we are getting fatter, and they decided to make their chairs smaller. It was a ridiculous business decision, and I would not take my cash to someone who would insult me in such a way.
And that all of this has happened in a thread where the man is only so large BECAUSE of his medical condition, and it is causing him to retain water and swell up..
There's no excuse on the part of the airline, no matter how oppressed you feel by all the blubber around you, pal.
All that said, I wouldn't mind the pay-by-the-pound idea, even though I'm a pretty big guy myself. It'd have to be part of a package that makes their entire pricing scheme make some degree of sense, though. Like, for example, no reselling my seat on the flight I couldn't make unless I'm getting my money back, less a set reservation fee.
And once a year, the CEO of each airline will be stripped to their underwear, bound to a chair, and gagged. Then they will be shot with a one paintball for every seat they overbooked on a flight that year.
And all the stewardesses should be topless.
Okay, maybe not the last one.
(Seriously, I'd even let 'em wear safety goggles.)
You know, we're all assuming his claim was legitimate. But, the Mayo clinic felt he was healthy enough to deny him a liver and send him to San Francisco...
My point is that perhaps the gate guy, who represents Southwest, not the customer, was doing what he thought was right. Perhaps he didn't trust that just because some guy shows up with papers that may or may not be legitimate (I'm not saying they weren't) doesn't mean you trust him. If I were large and faced with the prospect of paying double fares every time I flew, I might get a set of papers like that.
I'm not surprised. Southwest is the Wal Mart of airlines.