Plus-size travelers ask Southwest Airlines to not abandon them

For years, Southwest Airlines has endeared itself to plus-size travelers with a rare benefit: the opportunity to reserve a free extra seat for people who need more space. But now that the airline has announced the end of its signature open-seating policy, advocates are worried the carrier’s “customer-of-size” policy could go away.

Southwest said it will continue to offer this service in the near term but has not provided any details about its future, telling The Washington Post it will reveal more in September.

Concerned advocates are not taking any chances. They are letting the airline know how much a complimentary second seat means to them — that for some of them, traveling wouldn’t be possible without it. They are already circulating petitions and voicing their worries directly to Southwest on social media.

“They’ve been the best in the industry for so long. It just makes us nervous when they make an announcement and we know they haven’t talked to us or any of our allies, and they don’t mention anything about this policy,” said Amanda Cooper, board chair for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). “We decided that we wanted to insert ourselves into the conversation.”

Last week, NAAFA released a statement to Southwest. In the message, the organization emphasizes the importance of the policy, which provides plus-size passengers with the opportunity to fly comfortably and safely and without breaking the bank. The statement said the program owes its success to the open-seating arrangement.

“The Southwest Customer of Size policy is the most clear and affordable procedure in the air travel industry for those who need more space than a standard economy seat,” NAAFA’s statement read. “Allowing Customers of Size to pre-board and select two adjoining seats ensures that passengers are able to choose seating in a part of the plane that is safer and more accessible.”

The group also urges Southwest to take several actions when deciding the fate of the policy, such as to assess how the new seating and boarding procedures will affect fat and disabled passengers and to “publicly address” its plans to reduce the impact on these populations. It also requests the carrier partner with its organization and other similar advocates when drawing up a new policy.

At the same time NAAFA released the statement, it kicked off a petition campaign that has garnered more than 500 signatures. Tigress Osborn, the group’s chief executive, said she anticipates a bump in the number of supporters during Fat Liberation Month, which started on Aug. 1.

“The goal is to make sure they are listening to passengers who have experience with these systems, so that they are being responsive to our needs and are committed to us,” Osborn said.

Southwest has been accommodating plus-size passengers for more than 30 years, according to the carrier. Passengers can reserve a second seat at the time of booking and receive a full refund for that reservation. Or they can request a second seat at the gate, based on availability.

Henry Harteveldt, president of the Atmosphere Research Group, an airline consulting firm, said Southwest might retain some aspects of the policy, but the experience will be different, such as selecting the two adjacent seats.

“I don’t think Southwest wants to alienate any passenger with this change, but they need to figure out what will serve the shared interests of this community, the airline and the other travelers who will have the opportunity to choose their seats,” Harteveldt said.

Osborn said one of the advantages of open seating is that it gives passengers more autonomy. Having this power to choose the location of their seats is critical for people who struggle in constricted spaces.

“For supersized passengers or passengers who are fat and disabled, getting to the back of the plane for two seats together is a whole different experience and sometimes an impossibility,” Osborn said.

Osborn used herself as example. On a connecting Southwest flight this spring, the gate agent held two seats for Osborn, who was delayed because of confusion over her boarding passes. The seats were in the last row. Osborn, who uses a cane, shudders at the memory of walking to the back of the plane, bumping other passengers, all eyes on her.

“That is causing me pain, that is causing me inconvenience, that is having a plane full of people looking at the fat lady,” Osborn said during a Zoom call from her home in Arizona.

Beside Southwest, only a few airlines cater to larger passengers. Alaska Air will reimburse a traveler for a second seat if their flights were not sold out. In Canada, the “one-person-one-fare” law requires carriers on domestic routes to provide a free adjacent seat to people with a disability. For larger travelers to qualify, they must be “functionally disabled by obesity.”

Annette Richmond, founder of Fat Girls Traveling, said she is a Southwest loyalist and often shares the carrier’s sales on her social media platforms. Though she does not always need a second seat — she prefers two on longer flights, for instance — she is grateful for the option.

In addition to signing the petition, Richmond said she plans to become more involved in the cause and even floated a few ideas. She suggested creating an accessibility area on the plane similar to those on buses and trains. She also recommended charging a small fee for keeping the middle seat open, a practice a few airlines, such as Qantas and Frontier, have adopted. Passengers could provide a note from a physician explaining the passenger’s medical need for extra space.

“We feel like so many fashion brands are abandoning us by no longer offering plus sizes, and now our mode of transportation?” Richmond said.

If Southwest ignores the needs of travelers of size, Richmond said she will take action, ending her support of the carrier.

“The airlines need to understand that there is purchase power, and we are aware of this,” she said. “If they don’t care about us, then I’m going to remind my community of that.”