Kevin Smith Kicked Off Southwest Flight for Being Too Fat

By PopEater Staff Posted Feb 14th 2010 09:22AM

Kevin Smith is not a happy Southwest customer.

The director was thrown off a flight from Oakland to Burbank, after being deemed too fat to fly. He would later end up on another Southwest flight and now he's expressing his anger on Twitter.

"Dear @SouthwestAir - I know I'm fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?" her began.

"Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn't give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a "safety risk". Again: I'm way fat... But I'm not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I'm seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who'd already I.d.ed me as 'Silent Bob,'" Smith continued in a succession of several tweets.

Smith even posted a photo of himself on the plane.

Then he got a little angrier. "So, @SouthwestAir, go f--- yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no "safety risk" (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And f--- your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don't embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don't sulk off either: so everyday, some new f----you Tweets for @SouthwestAir."

Southwest issued a response on Twitter. "I've read the tweets all night from @thatkevinsmith - He'll be getting a call at home from our Customer Relations VP tonight."

"@ThatKevinSmith Again, I'm very sorry for the experience you had tonight. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do," the Southwest twitterer added.

But Smith didn't stop. "The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you're publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!"

And he wanted to let the airline know he had made it to his destination. "Hey @SouthwestAir! I've landed in Burbank. Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."

Tags: kevin smith, KevinSmith

Comments

(275)

Sunday 14 February

By Penn

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The solution is have them step up onto the baggage scale at the ticket counter and charge them by weight.

By art

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hes a safty risk because in the event of a emergency his fat ass will slo everyones escape down

By rmachayes

Eat now, pay later.

By rox

HBOW FAT IS TOOOOOOO FAT!!!!!?????????? SW should inform all passengers if they are a certain weight they will not be allowed to fly with them.

By crabby

For all of you small minded posters who are slamming "fat" airline passengers and feeling all slender and smug all I can say is that you know if you had been unfairly humiliated in front of other consumers like he was YOU would Twitter your stupid shallow asses off and CRY & WHINE non stop about it. Kevin is hilarious and yes he is large in fact he appears to be gaining even more weight.But there is never a need to humiliate any individual about their physical stature.I personally love that airline.Never any problems BUT who knows? Maybe the staff was inexperienced.KEEP TWITTERING about it Kevin!!!!!

By imajeeplover33

Just because the armrest is down means nothing. Just yesterday on a 2-1/2 hour flight from Reno to Dallas this very large, but friendly, woman sat next to me. Since her huge thighs and arms were spilling over onto my space I put the armrest down, and the blubber still was in my seat. So I ended up squished next to the window the entire flight and was not able to even use the armrest. This almost bothers me as much as those who bring on more than two correctly sized carryons. Whatever happened to consideration of others? Baffles the mind . . .

By Jane Bishoff

I think he was not treated well because they waited until he was seated to tell him he had to get off because the captain said he was dangerous. How embarassing is that. Do you think he was as dangerous as the shoe bomber or the guy with the fire in his lap?The weight issue should have been handled before boarding. I hate to fly- you can't bring water, you get sick from recirculated air, you can't waitin line to go to the bathroom, on and on. It's just a nightmare. You can't eat, you don't get a blanket, you can't move around. It's time we do what Irael does to deter terrorists. They don't fool around. They profile .

By Jill

If you would have read the article, it said he was "a safety risk". How the hell can 1 person be a safety risk on an airplane? Nothing mentioned that he was taking up more than 1 seat, so why did anyone here bring it up? Just the facts people! Stop all the hate!

By mike

I'm over weight so how much do you weigh? I don't want that embarassment, Thats why I ask.
BTW... They shouldn't have treated you that way and I will never fly with them.

By kimberley

lose the weight or dont fly...you make it hard for the rest of us..or upgrade to a larger seat like first class. everytime your elbow bends it doesnt mean you have to open your mouth.

By skin&bones

Hey Kevin can't you take a hint?? lose some weight ya fat bastard,,,lol,,

By Fstriptych

If you can sit in the seat without lapping over into another there shouldn't be a problem. That's the policy of other airlines. Southwest has carried their policy on overweight flyers to an extreme.

I'd rather be next to a nice fat person, than a rude skinny one.

What's next? Banning snorers?

By northpdx

Kevin Smith is a big guy, but he is not so big he should have been asked to leave the plane or pay for another seat. For those who make excuses for the airline for there behavior, you are as sickening as the airline themselves. Participating in any type of discrimination should not be tolerated period. I agree at some point a passenger may need to aquire a second seat, there are some who can not deny that they take up more than the provided space for a passenger. The space that is allowed to us is getting smaller and smaller year by year, pretty soon we will all be too fat to fly. I will not fly southwest again.

By JSmith

People carry excess weight in different parts of their bodies. Just because someone can squeeze themselves into a seat doesn't mean they don't encroach on other passengers. The bottom might be little but the top can be twice as large. Those of you lashing out at those of us who have been made miserable by someone's big a## squashing us out of our seats need to drink a nice tall glass of shut the f### up. I don't have issues with different body sizes but when you take up 25% of the seat I paid for, I have an issue.

Dont forget the old or the hadicapped!! If fat people are a safety risk. If you are going to discriminate dont forget the rest!!

By linilla

The airlines have shrunk the seats so small that passengers are crammed in and can barely move. They really should make the seats larger. Yes, large people could buy an extra ticket, but Smith flew standby and no extra seat would have been available next to his.

Airlines have managed to make flying a crowded unpleasant experience. Then they wonder why people are flying less. Duh!

By derrick

Throw all fatties off all planes--they hog your seat and usually smell

Monday 15 February

By RSF41

I agree 100%. While were at it lets kick Indian people, Gay people, Black people, and retarded people off. They all disgust me.

By Angiebaby

I support Kevin Smith 100%! Southwest Airlines should have refused to sell the fat bastard a ticket from the get-go....

By elena

i hope he goes on t.v. and tells all about this...it's about time someone spoke up about the awful way "total bastard airlines" treats people

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