http://www.itv.com/news/Front217744.html

'People of size' to sue airline
8.43AM BST, 30 Jun 2002

Two overweight women are set to sue a US airline that made them buy two tickets each, because of their size.

Trina Oliver and Felicia Crawford are outraged that Southwest Airlines forced them to pay for extra seats on a flight from Oakland, California to Las Vegas.

Trina and Felicia tried to negotiate with the airline agent to purchase only one extra seat, so they could sit together and share the space between them.

But the agent refused, so the two women had to stump up $170 (£110) for another set of round-trip tickets.

"I was angry. I was hurt. I was frustrated. I was like, you know, why is this happening to me? It's not right," said Felicia Crawford.

In a statement, Southwest Airlines confirmed that any customer needing to lift the armrest would be required to pay for the additional seat.

The company pointed out that it was only enforcing US policy, which states that larger passengers must buy an extra seat on the plane.

"We sell seats, and if you consume more than one seat, you have to buy more than one seat," said a Southwest spokeswoman.

However, advocates for the obese are outraged.

"It's just discriminatory and it's mean-spirited," said Morgan Downey, executive director of the American Obesity Association. "This is singling out a group that's been very heavily stigmatised rather than making some accommodations in their cabins."

Campaigners acting on behalf of "people of size" believe airlines should introduce wider seats to accommodate the fact that Americans are getting larger - according to some estimates, more than one fourth of Americans are obese.