Obese woman pays for two seats on plane

A severely obese Australian woman is reported to be angry with the Jetstar airline. Jetstar made the woman pay for two seats.

The two seats were not next to each other. Samantha Scafe weighs one hundred and sixty kilograms and cannot fit into one airplane seat. Jetstar made her book two seats on a domestic flight but assured her that she did not have to worry about paying double the price. The Cairns Post reports that a few days later it emerged that the woman was charged for the extra seat. To make matters worse the two seats were not next to each other. Jetstar has apologised for the ‘human error’ but will not reconsider the extra charge. Scafe has now lodged a complaint with the anti-discrimination board of Queensland. She believes she has been discriminated against because of her obesity. I think it would be nice if we could go on treating human beings, including obese ones, with a modicum of respect. Just because someone is obese that does not mean they are no longer entitled to be treated decently and fairly. Having said that, I am always glad when I am on a flight when it turns out that the people next to me don’t overspill too much. I suppose if the woman had been asked to book two seats the least they could have done was make sure the seats were next to each other.