300 Pound Woman Loses Lawsuit Over Airline 2-Seat Rule

[matcom]

<snip>

CONCORD, N.H. -- A black woman who lost a discrimination lawsuit against Southwest Airlines said on Monday that she won't appeal.

A jury on Friday said Southwest Airlines did not racially discriminate against 300-pound Nadine Thompson, of Exeter, N.H., when she was asked to buy a second seat on a plane because of her size.

Thompson claimed the airline's "customer of size" policy was unfairly applied to her after she boarded a 2003 flight from Manchester, N.H., to Nashville.

Seeing that her legs and hip protruded onto the next seat, a supervisor told Thompson she'd have to purchase another ticket.

The airline has a standard policy for "customers of size," but Thompson said no one at the ticket counter mentioned it. She said that she showed that she could safely put down the armrest and refused to buy another seat.

While being removed by security, Thompson said that she told other passengers she was being kicked off, "either because I'm too fat or too black or just a woman."

After Thompson was escorted off the Southwest Flight by sheriff's deputies, she went to United Airlines to buy another fare. She said she was only charged for one seat.

Joel Drake, a Southwest employee, had testified that Thompson accused him of being a "racist pig" when he tried to explain the company's policy and swore at him.

He said in 18 years with Southwest, he'd never encountered such horrible accusations and told his boss he couldn't do his job anymore. He took six weeks off and requested a lower position.

Thompson testified that Drake was bullying her and she felt scared, so words were her only way to fight back.

She said no Southwest employees, including Drake, explained to her why she needed to buy a second seat.

Southwest said the only mistake it made was telling Thompson that she needed to pay the extra fare for her outbound flight; since she already had boarded the plane, she wasn't required to do so.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/7049348/detail.html

[REP]

1. Southwest Is Repulsive

I'd chew my own foot off before I'd get on Southwest again. Filthy planes and rude, stupid staff. I hope she sat on a few of them on her way out.

[Nye Bevan]

2. "because I'm too fat or too black or just a woman"

can you say "victim card"?

If she had been able to come up with examples of *skinny* black women being forced by Southwest to buy an extra seat she might have had a good case. I guess she couldn't.