No, Southwest Airlines’ ‘customer of size’ policy isn’t new – Verify
This was a weird one that came out of left field. Why was everyone freaking out over a policy that’s been around for awhile? I have no idea, but there have been some absolutely unhinged comments about this whole thing. Verify tried to set the record straight.
I have some maybe-really-old memory of Southwest having a policy that the extra seat would be bought in advance, and it would then be refunded *unless* the flight was full. Did it used to work this way, or am I imagining it?
I honestly don’t remember how it used to work. All I know is they say their policy hasn’t changed recently.
I also have the same recollection.
That is the way I remember it too.
Same here.
Just wondering Brett: around what date will Airlines We Lost 2023 be out? Will it be a short list like 2021 and 2022 or will it be longer?
That’ll be posted on Thursday.
My opinion is that anyone who takes up one or more spaces for any reason should pay for all of them.
This sports radio guy in Portland, OR who frequently uses Southwest was complaining about this policy on the air. To me, it is above and beyond very generous customer service to not charge for a second seat. But Southwest has a reputation for exceptional customer service anyway (the meltdown last year was a surprise but they sprung back like I knew they would), so maybe this seat policy shouldn’t be a surprise on how generous it is.
Enforcement is an issue here. Seems Southwest takes no role in verifying the claim of largeness. I see nothing stopping people from “identifying as a passenger of size” in spite of reality. The refund happens after the flight, and the phone agent has no clue if you are actually big or not.
The policy is well-intentioned but will have to be changed at some point if people begin exploiting it.