Air passenger told: 'you're too fat to fly'

An airline is facing angry complaints after it told a passenger that she was 'too fat to fly.'

US traveller Kenlie Tiggeman was told by a Southwest Airlines employee that she and her mother were 'too fat to fly' when they asked what the weight restrictions were on the flight, according to MSNBC

Southwest's "Customers of Size" policy clearly states passengers who cannot fit between the 17-inch armrests must purchase a second seat.

According to Southwest they are usually discreet with their concerns and take customers into a private area to test out the seating before boarding. But Tiggeman and her mother, Joan Charpentier, said they had the 45-minute confrontation with a Southwest employee in front of a crowd of people.

The unidentified Southwest employee then told the women they could board the flight...if they sat with a third overweight woman in a row.

Tiggeman's mother told MSNBC: 'Of course my daughter was okay with that. But I wasn't because the deal I made with Southwest when I left, I bought a ticket and it's open seating, and you can sit wherever you want.'

After a supervisor intervened, the women were allowed to board the flight without purchasing extra seats, and were given vouchers and an apology, which Tiggeman recorded on her phone for good measure.

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