It’s day two of our flying while fat series and today, we’re looking at customer of size policies! Travelling by plane can be incredibly daunting as a plus size person and honestly, we get it. It’s uncomfortable and often dehumanising to feel like you don’t belong.
While airlines have A LOT of work to do when it comes to accommodating their fat customers (and we mean A LOT A LOT), most airlines have a customer of size policy in place to help plus size people determine the best way for them to travel by plane.
Disclaimer: Here at Plus Size Travel Too we believe that air travel should be accessible to all and so in most cases, we do not believe that the customer of size policies airlines have in place are good enough. There’s so much work to be done and we’re fighting for change but for the purpose of this post, we wanted to share that these policies are available and that there are a few good eggs out there.
Airlines have customer of size policies to ensure that all passengers are able to be accommodated on their planes and that everyone has a safe and comfortable flight. These policies vary by airline, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with them before you book your flight.
In this blog post, we will discuss what airlines’ customer of size policies are, why they’re important, and how you can find them. We will also provide a few examples of good passenger of size policies from different airlines.
What Is A Customer of Size Policy?
A customer of size policy is a document that outlines an airline’s procedures for accommodating passengers of size. This policy will usually include the following information:
-A rough guide to the width of their seats depending on what class you’re travelling in
-The minimum amount of space required between seats for a passenger of size
– Whether or not a passenger of size will be required to purchase an additional seat (or in some AMAZING cases whether or not they will be offered one for free)
-If a passenger of size is required to purchase an additional seat, how many seats will need to be purchased
-The best procedure for requesting accommodations for a passenger of size
Why Are Customer Of Size Policies Important?
Customer of size policies are important because they help to ensure that all passengers are able to be accommodated on the plane and that everyone has a safe and comfortable flight. These policies, in some cases, also help to prevent discrimination against passengers of size.
Ones that require you to buy a second seat (AKA most of them) are not doing enough to keep plus size passengers safe, in our opinion.
How Can I Find An Airline’s Customer Of Size Policy?
Most airlines will have their customer of size policy available on their website. If you cannot find the policy on the website, you can contact the airline directly and they will be able to provide you with the information.
We understand that contacting them directly can be daunting and so here are a few tips to help calm your nerves:
- Remember that your comfort and safety are important. You’re advocating for your needs and asking for details on a customer of size policy is doing exactly that!
- Write down what you want to ask beforehand, this will help if you start to get flustered.
- Do not apologise for having to ask! You deserve to be safe too.
Please note: not everyone in the company will know what a customer of size policy is so you may have to explain what it is you’re looking for. We know this is uncomfortable, but we wanted to give you an idea of what could happen.
A Few Good Eggs: Examples Of Good Passenger Of Size Policies
There are a few airlines out there that have good passenger of size policies in place. Below are a few examples:
–Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines does not have a weight limit for passengers. They do, however, require that passengers of size purchase an additional seat if they are unable to fit comfortably in one seat with the armrests down.
To find out more when it comes to the Southwest Airlines Customer of Size policy, you can visit this website here.
-Air Canada: Air Canada has a passenger of size policy that states that passengers who cannot fit in a single seat with the armrests down are entitled to a free seat. This is only for domestic flights within Canada.
-Alaska Airlines: If you are a larger customer and require an extra seat, Alaska Airlines offers a full refund as long as there were still open seats when your journey has departed
As you can see, there are a few good eggs out there when it comes to customer of size policies and we hope that other airlines start to follow suit.
For more information when it comes to customer of size policies in North America and Europe, you can visit the following posts:
A Guide To Northern Airlines Customer of Size Policies
A Guide To European Airlines Customer of Size Policies
We hope that this post has been helpful in understanding what these policies are and why they’re important. Here’s to more inclusivity in the aviation industry soon!