Woman says flying Southwest is now a ‘humiliation ritual.’ Then she reveals how a flight attendant embarrassed her on her trip to Jamaica
A woman on TikTok says a recent experience with Southwest Airlines left her feeling humiliated mid-flight, adding to a growing number of stories from plus-sized passengers sharing similar encounters with the airline.
In her video, which has garnered over 354,200 views, TikToker Jessica (@unphasedblkgirl) says the incident happened while she was flying to Jamaica.
She Calls Flying With Southwest a ‘Humiliation Ritual’
“So at this point, flying Southwest is a humiliation ritual,” she begins. “I’ve seen the videos about other fat people having their own experiences, and I’m ready to share mine.”
She explains that before boarding, she had already taken steps to make herself more comfortable.
“A few weeks ago, I was going to Jamaica, and I purchased an extra row seat,” she says, adding that she also requested a seatbelt extender once on board.
According to her, nothing during booking indicated that those two things would conflict.
“It doesn’t tell you you cannot sit there if you need a seatbelt extender,” she says. “It gives you all the other precautions… but it doesn’t say that.”
At first, she says the first interaction with a flight attendant about this was fine. “She’s like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, you can’t sit there because you need a seatbelt extender and it’s a safety precaution,’” she recalls.
She says she didn’t push back. “I said, ‘Oh my god, OK, no problem. Put me wherever,’” she says, explaining she just wanted to get to her destination without causing issues.
Then the Situation Escalates in Front of Other Passengers
She says another staff member approached and began repeating the issue, this time more loudly and in front of other passengers.
“She’s like, ‘You can’t sit there because you can’t fit,’” she recalls.
Jessica says she continued to cooperate, but the situation became increasingly uncomfortable as staff discussed her seating within earshot of others.
“People have overheard her say that I need to move,” she says. “They’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll switch with her,’ and she’s like, ‘No, she can’t fit there. No, she can’t fit there.’”
She says the repeated comments made her uncomfortable.
“By the fourth time she said it, I’m getting very uncomfortable,” she says. “The whole plane doesn’t need to know that.”
Eventually, she was moved toward the back of the plane. “They ended up moving me to row 29,” she says, noting it was not a seat she would have chosen.
Once seated, she says she tried to address the situation calmly with the flight attendant.
“I go, ‘Hey, there was a better way to handle that. It’s actually really embarrassing for you to walk up and down this plane telling people that I can’t fit,’” she recalls. “There’s a better way.”
According to her, the response didn’t acknowledge that concern.
“She’s like, ‘Well, you couldn’t fit there, so you have to follow the rules,’” Jessica says. “I said, I don’t have a problem following the safety rule.”
At one point, she says the flight attendant handed her a safety pamphlet mid-discussion.
“She picks up the safety pamphlet and puts it in my face. She goes, ‘Do you want to read it?’” she recalls. “And I had to take it out her hand.”
Jessica says that moment pushed her to disengage.
“I said, I will handle this later,” she says, explaining she put her headphones on.
She Says the Situation Left Her in Tears Before Takeoff
After sitting down, she says the emotional impact of the interaction hit her immediately.
“As soon as I sit down, I literally start crying,” she says. “Like, tears.”
She says another flight attendant approached her afterward and apologized for how things were handled.
“She was like, ‘I’m so sorry. That’s not OK. That could have been handled so much better,’” Jessica recalls.
Shortly after, she says another staff member approached her to revisit the situation.
“He’s like, ‘I heard you had a problem,’” she recalls. “I said, I don’t have a problem.”
She says the back-and-forth only added to her frustration. “I have been disrespected on this plane as a paying customer,” she says. “All I did was select the wrong seat.”
At that point, she says she chose to disengage again. “I put my headphones in for him too,” she says. “What you’re not gonna do is make a mockery of me on this plane.”
She says once the flight was underway, the tone from the staff noticeably changed.
“They were all suddenly really, really nice to me,” she says, describing how multiple flight attendants checked in on her.
Jessica says she accepted the gestures but didn’t feel they addressed what had already happened.
Before landing, she says the flight attendant involved in the initial interaction approached her again.
“She goes, ‘I just want to apologize. I’m so sorry for how I handled that,’” Jessica recalls.
Her response was direct. “I said, thank you for apologizing. I do not accept it,” she says. “You made me feel terrible.”
Jessica says she plans to follow up after the experience and does not plan to fly with the airline again.
“I will be getting my money back,” she says. “I’m never flying Southwest ever again.”
What’s Southwest Airlines Policy?
The story comes in the middle of an influx of plus-sized Southwest Airlines passengers sharing stories of what they feel is fat-shaming behavior related to needing an extra seat. It also coincides with a recent update to the airline’s “Customer of Size” policy.
The seatbelt rule for emergency exit rows, however, has been in place for some time. Southwest Airlines states that “all passengers seated in the exit row cannot require a seat belt extension.”
The policy also prohibits passengers with medical portable electronic devices, wheelchairs, or conditions that prevent them from assisting others from sitting in those seats.
However, while Jessica wasn’t aware of the policy, she made it clear it was the way the flight attendants handled it that frustrated her.
Commenters Share Their Reactions
In the comments section, viewers expressed frustration with the situation and support for her.
“All the seats on southwest are the same size. row 1 and row 29 is the same seat size. Im so sorry this happened to you,” one person wrote.
“I need a tiktok lawyer to get all of these customers together and file a class action lawsuit. This is at least the 10th tiktok I’ve seen about this. Absolutely awful,” another said.
“Oh Southwest will NOT be getting my money after this!!! I’m so sorry, this was so frustrating to hear, can’t even imagine how frustrating it was to experience,” a third added.
@unphasedblkgirl I, too, was discriminated by the unfriendly people of @Southwest Airlines for being fat. #southwestairlines #flyingwhilefat #discrimination ♬ original sound – Jessica ?
The Mary Sue has reached out to Southwest Airlines via email and Jessica via TikTok messages for comment.
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