soupsoup:

Southwest Airlines measures whether a customers too large to fly based on the passenger’s ability to lower both armrests while sitting on the plane. If the passenger cannot lower one or both armrests, the carrier typically requires the passenger to purchase an additional seat or make arrangements on other flights that may accommodate for extra space.

“Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky?” Smith inquired on his Twitter account. “Totally cool, but fair warning folks: If you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest Air.”

Mikeypizzle links us to Smith’s Podcast where he tells the whole story in his own words.

More discrimination towards fat people, because that’s definitely fair. How can anyone say someone who’s over a certain weight can’t fly? It’s not like he’s 450+ pounds, realistically, he isn’t as large as many people are in the world. Perhaps there should be a different regulation for seating arrangements, like changing the seats themselves, or allowing people to have a better choice over seats. Either way, it’s pretty ridiculous to reject someone from being able to be on an airplane because of their weight. Maybe every first world country shouldn’t hand out unhealthy, fattening foods on a constant basis. As if being treated like a disease isn’t enough, you have to prevent them from being able to take air transport. Next it’s the trains, then cars.. what’s next, fat people can’t eat in restaurants? If you’re going to reject people who are fat, well, good job airlines, you just lost 40% of America’s population. That’s a lot of money you just gave up.