OskiBear

Awesome ... should step up my SWA flying since it'll be less likely that my personal space will be unfairly encroached upon.

Jaimito Cartero

You've obviously never seen any movie with Jay and Silent Bob. F-Bombs are 100% normal for KS. It's not like he's hamming it up, or anything. If you listen to other podcasts he's done, it's the norm. If you don't like it, don't listen to the podcasts.

dinosims

My mistake, didn't know there wasn't a policy for buying 2 seats for other reasons. Although it appears that he had bought 2 Business Select seats, and wasn't planning on refunding one if the plane was empty.

kennycrudup

... and this is a problem for everyone else how, exactly?!

Go NAAFA!

SpaethCo

I'm a long time lurker here at FT, but finally decided to join today for this thread.

If someone is buying multiple Business Select seats (as KS states is his typical practice), when why the heck would WN care? They're getting guaranteed top revenue, and they're carrying less weight resulting in lower operating costs for those tickets. That 2nd seat isn't coming with double luggage or double carry-on.

I've paid to upgrade to First Class on other airlines (ie, NorthWest's old e-First upgrades) primarily because the bigger seat is more comfortable to sit in. Just because I've flown F a few times doesn't mean that I'm not still capable of fitting into a coach seat.

That said, I've almost considered buying an extra seat on WN for a flight I'm taking next month just because even at Full fare or Business Select rates it's still cheaper than other airlines F tickets. I'm not a CoS, but it sure would be nice to be able to throw my bag on the middle seat and dig my laptop out, use the middle tray to hold my drink while I'm working away on my laptop -- stuff like that.

My understanding of the situation in listening to the podcast is:

1) KS flies WN because they fly direct out of BUR (closer to him than LAX) to SFO and LAS, which most other carriers do not.
2) KS buys multiple seats because they're cheap, and it gives you the "poor man's" first class.
3) It was because KS had multiple tickets purchased and his not being a thin person that someone assumed it was a CoS thing, even though he fit comfortably (as much as anyone can) into a seat without impeding on his seat neighbors.

N965VJ

Actually, I have. If an entertainer can sell that to their audience, more power to them. I’m just not impressed by this acting out in social media. If a non-celebrity had behaved this way, WN would have ignored them, and rightfully so.

Cholula

SpaethCo, a warm welcome to FlyerTalk and thanks for your contribution to the thread.

MiteMom

Wow. Tell me something you love. Now let me tell you can't have that thing for the rest of your life without someone feeling they have the right to criticize you for it.

Why is weight any different than choice of life partner, height, color of skin, mental capacity, age, choice of dress?


This has to change.

Jaimito Cartero

Honestly, how is it really different that what gets posted on FT every single day? He has a wider audience that most. More than half a million more than even LUV has.

If I was in a seat, and was pulled off at the last minute, I'd be pissed too. From his description, his removal was not based on complaints from his seat mates. From one news account I saw, KS offered to show that he fit in the seat with the arm rests down. The last I heard, WN was not interested in doing this for the media circus. (I don't blame them.)

Is KS flogging this for an upcoming movie? Maybe. Do I think he has a valid point about it being badly handled? Ayup.

WN has a very uneven handling of many issues. COS, proof of toddler ages, etc.

In fact, it seems that KS either pissed off the GA or someone else on the ramp ("Are you Rev?"), and that's why he was kicked off. According to KS, the captain could not have seen him in his seat, without coming out of the cockpit.

And it's not that uncommon for celebrities to ride on WN. My uncle rode next to Teller on a SAN-LAS flight and talked with him through the flight. He did weekly runs. Frequent and often cheap flights on the west coast make it an easy selection for some.

LADELTA777

What is so special about him, southwest should do the same with the other customer they done wrong with this policy.

some people do not ask to be over weight they just are.

justhere

Issuing refunds 99% of the time and sending planes out below capacity 99% of the time is not the same thing.

justhere

Welcome to FT and by the way, you won't be able to do that. If you are not a CoS, then you cannot buy a second seat on WN.

Alexisriley

Mr Smith wasn't ejected for being a COS without a second seat. He was ejected for "security reasons". He was also told it was the pilot's decision. This is the problem SW has with this issue - no clear handling of corporate policy. Had the GA said 'you bought two seats because you are a COS and we can not accommodate you on this earlier flight' there wouldn't have been an issue to tweet about. It seems to me that the GAs need to be trained to handle problems before the customers get on the plane. This would keep situations like this from escalating.

SpaethCo

According to WN's website you can buy a 2nd seat for more circumstances than that.

I swear a colleague of mine in the Chicago area said he buys 2 seats all the time (and he's as far away from a CoS as you can get without having a feeding tube); the only deal was he had to call the 800 number to book the tickets since you can't do it online.

I admit I don't have a lot of experience with WN since they just started providing service here at MSP within the last year.

tusphotog

Can you blame the Captain after reading what KS has wrote over the last few days?