PLANE AND SIMPLE

Major Airline Changes Rule for Overweight Passengers

“Thank you for listening to us,” a plus-size influencer said about the decision.

Southwest Airlines has changed its controversial policy for plus-size passengers, saying they are no longer required to buy an extra seat. “In cases where adjacent seats are available, our airport agents are empowered to provide an additional seat at no extra cost to customers who require one,” the airline said in a statement to Newsweek, adding that if a seat is not available, passengers will be accommodated on a later flight. The policy came into effect late last week, according to ABC News. On Tuesday, the airline received positive feedback from a plus-size TikToker, who said in a video that she had received the “best news ever” and that passengers “no longer have to pre-purchase the seat.” The influencer thanked the airline for “listening to us” in the caption. Southwest faced criticism over a January policy change that required plus-size passengers who could not fit comfortably in a single seat, with both armrests lowered, to purchase an additional adjacent seat before flying or face consequences at the airport, including paying the day-of rate, which is often very high. The old policy has not been updated on the airline’s website. The Daily Beast has reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment.