totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Overweight man says he was humiliated by Spirit Airlines after staff gave away the extra seat he purchased to another pa
Post Info
TOPIC: Overweight man says he was humiliated by Spirit Airlines after staff gave away the extra seat he purchased to another pa
Overweight man says he was humiliated by Spirit Airlines after staff gave away the extra seat he purchased to another passenger because his flight was overbooked
Jose Cordova bought purchased extra seats on his flight due to his size
He and two friends were flying from Colorado to Las Vegas for a getaway trip
The flight to Las Vegas had no problems but the return flight was overbooked
Cordova says Spirit Airlines gave away his extra seat without asking him
The airline said in a statement that it has refunded Cordova for both of his flights
Cordova adds the experience left him feeling 'embarrassed' and 'humiliated'
An overweight man says Spirit Airlines left him feeling 'humiliated' after an extra seat he had bought due to his size was given away on an overbooked flight.
Jose Cordova of Westminster, Colorado, says he purchased two neighboring seats on flights to and from Las Vegas for a getaway trip with two friends.
Cordova said he purchased the extra seat because he knew he wouldn't be comfortable in just one.
+3
Jose Cordova (right) says he was left feeling humiliated after Spirit Airlines gave away the extra seat he had bought because of his size without asking him on an overbooked flight from Las Vegas to Colorado
+3
'I am a big person and I knew one seat wouldn't fit for me and, to be comfortable, I wanted to have two seats (pictured, Cordova's two tickets),' he said
'I am a big person and I knew one seat wouldn't fit for me and, to be comfortable, I wanted to have two seats,' he told Denver 7.
Cordova's friend, Scott Tenorio, says he also called ahead to ask for a seat belt extender for his friend in an attempt to be proactive.
On the flight to Las Vegas, the group of three occupied four seats without issue.
However, on the flight back, Spirit Airlines gave away one of Cordova's seats without asking because the flight was overbooked.
Unwilling to take a voucher and a later flight, Cordova says the airline forced him to move.
'I told them I had bought two seats. [They said] "Well, talk to them when you get off the plane",' he said.
+3
Spirit Airlines (pictured) said in a statement that it's 'looking into the circumstances' and has refunded Cordova for his flights. The airline says it will work with Cordova 'on making this right'
Cordova said he felt 'humiliated' by the situation.
'People were just watching him, and it's almost like they look at, "Oh my God, I've got to sit next to that",' his friend, Tenorio, said.
Spirit Airlines said in a statement that it's 'looking into the circumstances' and that it has refunded Cordova for his flights.
The airline says it will work with Cordova 'on making this right.'
Spirit airlines is a cheap airline. They charge you for everything. And they are not known for their customer service
And the issue is he knows he is large and would need two seats. He was proactive in his planning. For many who are that overweight, that is like taking away a wheelchair from someone who need it. He needed two seats, he bought two seats, they took it away.
How can they sell the same seat to two different people?
It's that kind of thing that makes me wonder why anyone would fly if they had any other way of getting where they're going.
I'd be pissed.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I don't think that having 2 seats would make people look at him less 'weird'. That seems subjective.
That's my point as well. If you're so obese you spill out and take up the space of two seats, you're going to get looks.
I did know a guy who would either buy two seats for himself or try to fly business or first class. I've gone places with him. Believe me, he got weird looks. I feel for those who have medical conditions or are on medications which cause unwanted weight gain. And maybe that was the case for this guy. But my friend, he just loved food and didn't care that he kept having to buy bigger clothes and extra seats. But on the outside, no one knows what demons that man has and people will judge. It's just human nature.
And I do feel that the airline treated him badly by selling his other seat. I just don't think they are responsible for people's reactions when seeing him spilling over.....and I didn't see in the article where it was the person who had to sit next to him that gave him weird looks. He projected that "they" did not want to sit next to him. I think he was quoted as "people", not "the individual who was seated next to me." So the weird looks weren't just from the person who drew the short stick, but from others as well.
The good news is the flight is less than 2 hours. But yeah, it would suck to have been the one to have that seat. Maybe he "demanded" to get on the flight?
Why are the airlines getting away with overbooking in the first place?
__________________
Page 1 of 1 sorted by
totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Overweight man says he was humiliated by Spirit Airlines after staff gave away the extra seat he purchased to another pa