Jakarta, goldensamoyed Indonesia
—
Controversial policies come from
airline
from the United States (US), Southwest Airlines, which announced that it is charging two tickets for passengers whose bodies cannot fit in one airplane seat.
This rule came into effect on January 27, 2026. Previously in early 2024, this European airline announced that they would start weighing passengers before boarding the plane, and the scale numbers would only be seen by check-in staff.
The airline says this is a simple process to balance the plane better.But in the near future, this controversial new policy regarding booking two seats for plus-size passengers will take effect next month.
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As reported
Time Out
, the policy states that passengers whose bodies exceed the armrest limit, in other words they cannot fit in one seat, are asked to proactively book two tickets.
It is not specifically explained what weight limit passengers will be subject to this rule.Regarding this, the operator Southwest explained the rules.
Firstly, customers encroaching on adjacent seats must proactively purchase the required number of seats prior to travel.Then, the armrests were considered the definitive boundary between seats.
This new rule is considered controversial, because it contrasts with the previous rule, as reported by Fox 2 Detroit.The reason is that full and empty seats during a flight will also affect regulations.
In the old rules, when the plane was not full, it meant that the extra seats purchased by ‘plus size’ passengers as additional space were not needed by the passengers.If conditions are like this, passengers will receive a refund or be offered an additional seat for free at the airport.
However, if the plane is full and the extra seats are used, passengers will get one
refund
.
Meanwhile, under the new rules, passengers only get
refund
if the plane seat is empty (the plane is not full).However, if the plane is full and the extra seats are used, passengers will not get any
refund
, aka still bear the costs.
Apart from that, in the airline’s new rules, if passengers avoid or refuse to order tickets for additional seats online, the airline will still ask passengers to buy them at the airport.
“It would make the flying experience worse for everyone, with larger passengers more likely to test their luck on a single ticket,” said one user
Fat Tested Travel
(a site for travelers with plus-size bodies), Jason Vaughn, responded to the policy.
For additional information, this rule is not the only policy change that will be implemented at the end of next month by Southwest Airlines.
The airline will also offer red-eye flights (
red-eye flight
), or flights departing late at night.Additionally, they add a premium to seats with more legroom.
(ana/wiw)
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