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Kevin Smith Wages War Against "Fattist" Airline

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

Silent Bob is mad. Really, really, mad.

Actor and director, Kevin Smith, has waged a social-networking war on Southwest Airlines and he's currently tweeting fresh insults at the airline every day. The reason for all of this? Smith claims Southwest is 'fattist' because they booted him from a flight for being a health and safety risk.

 The whole thing kicked off with a single tweet:

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?

Next came a three-parter, which I'll consolidate for your benefit:

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."

Shortly after, Smith tweeted again:

So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck 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 fuck 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 fuck-you Tweets for @SouthwestAir.

Smith goes on to say that he saw someone larger than himself on the plane but did not point this out as he, "wasn't about to throw a fellow fatty under the plane."

Southwest has issued an apology to Smith, blogging that he had purchased two seats on a Southwest flight (something he regularly does, apparently) but then asked to be accommodated on an early flight. The airline detailed that flying standby means everyone else gets to board the plane first and standby passengers board once everyone else is seated. Smith boarded the plane and was given a single seat.

SWA writes that it is company policy for passengers who do not fit safely and comfortably in one seat to purchase an additional seat while traveling. and goes on to say that they feel "the definitive boundary between seats is the armrest." If another customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and "infringes on a portion of another seat, the passenger seated adjacent to him or her would be very uncomfortable." However, Smith did say he was seated with the armrests down and seat belt buckled when he was told to disembark.

Smith seems determined to have people sit up and take notice. Many of his followers on Twitter have told him that he is not alone and that SWA are only paying attention because of who he is. Indeed SWA said many of Smith's followers "reached out to SWA" after he was booted from the flight and said it's because of the reaction on Twitter that they felt the need to address the issue with a blog post.

Read the full post from SWA here. Read more of Smith's tweets here.

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tramit 02/15/2010 8:17 PM
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I hate fat people on planes, the seats are getting smaller but fat people keep getting wider... They should pay for multiple seats if they take that much room. I want my arm rest damn it!

JohnnyLucky 02/15/2010 8:17 PM
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Hmmmm....he pruchased two tickets on a regularly schedule flight, changed his mind, and wound up on another flight in a single seat.
I wonder what the fine print says.

deadlockedworld 02/15/2010 8:17 PM
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Good for Southwest. You should fly by the pound. Luggage, person, and everything.

formin 02/15/2010 8:19 PM
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zak_mckraken 02/15/2010 8:19 PM
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Never thought Kevin Smith was fat. A little stout maybe? How is that tech-related anyway? Oh yeah, Twitter...

djcoolmasterx 02/15/2010 8:19 PM
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mayne92 02/15/2010 8:27 PM
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You got to be kidding me! Airlines are crowded even for skinny people

Daggs 02/15/2010 8:28 PM
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djcoolmasterx :
A picture of the rest of him:http://poponthepop.com/wp-content/ [...] mith-b.jpg


crap, he is a big one...

hellwig 02/15/2010 8:32 PM
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If the news is to be believed, there are more fat people in the U.S. than thin people ("average people" still have a hard time fitting in those cramped little seats too). But I guess that the airlines can survive with only 40% of the population flying, so no need to cater to fat people by, say, making the seats a little bigger.

Oh wait, the airlines can't survive anything, and only live on thanks to multiple government bailouts. Of course, that's their whole reasoning for their anti-customer rules and regulations anyway. They know if they go bankrupt again thanks to their ridiculous policies, the government will just bail them out again. I think there was a whole Southpark episode dedicated to the ineptitude of airline management.

Anyway, I never fly southwest in the first place. Like hell if I'm going to fight against other passengers to get a damn seat on the airplane. Assign me a seat so I can get to the airport when I damn well feel like it (a no first class? thats a fat guys last refuge).

mayne92 02/15/2010 8:36 PM
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"The airline detailed that flying standby means everyone else gets to board the plane first and standby passengers board once everyone else is seated. Smith boarded the plane and was given a single seat."
I'm sure this IS detailed in their policy that this is how it works if you wish to change your flight. But seems like Kevin wanted special treatment...got none...so played the discriminated-against-card...I think THIS IDEA has already become a standard in our American culture?!? HAHA!!

daft 02/15/2010 8:43 PM
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i don't properly fit in an airline seat because im to tall. does that mean im a safety hazard as well?

Anonymous 02/15/2010 8:44 PM
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Sorry Kevin, it's fat asses like you that make the average majority (such as myself) uncomfortable for any length of flights. If you hate it so much then buy your own private jet or learn to fly a Cessna. It gives me great honor to say this next bit- you probably won't even fit in the pilot's seat. Shouldn't that be a wake up call to hire a personal trainer instead of taking offense? You asked for an early flight; people who have ever traveled early departures should all know that seats are limited.

ducttape ego 02/15/2010 8:47 PM
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Airplanes, movie theaters, amusement park rides: all things large people can't do (but should be allowed to try)

I have a fat friend (not as large as Mr. Smith, though) who will never go to a movie theater again after being asked to leave because he was 'too large to comfortably fit in a single seat'. wat?

ducttape ego 02/15/2010 8:47 PM
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Anonymous 02/15/2010 8:57 PM
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What's the appeal of this guy? I don't get it. Is there more to it than just a vulgar little troll. He gets invited to a Macintosh show and he talks about his genitals for most of the speech. Wow, Kevin, I really was interested in the sweaty junk of some obese f-bomb machine. It's like he's the king of the emotionally malfunctioning who worship him because he made one nearly adequate independent film years ago.

zoemayne 02/15/2010 9:03 PM
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lolololo @ fellow fattie

bennyt 02/15/2010 9:15 PM
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greenspoon 02/15/2010 9:19 PM
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I do not get the hate against fat people. It is not like the airlines are selling a service.

Lets look at it this way. If I buy a 1 terabyte HD but my stuff will not fit on it the HD manufacturer should just give me another 1 terabyte drive. It is not my fault my stuff will not fit on one drive.

On a more serious note, I used to fly all the time. Every once in a while you will see the flight attendants moving people around to balance the plane (no, I am not talking about moving people out or into emergency exit seats). This is usually done at the request of the pilot.

Also, to those that say, "Just me the seats bigger," do you know what that would do? It would me the airline can service fewer people on a flight which does what? Ohh, right, makes ticket prices go even higher then they are now.

greenspoon 02/15/2010 9:19 PM
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Anonymous 02/15/2010 9:20 PM
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because he's kevin smith a famous person from hollywood he deserves what he wants

it would be nice to know how the person sitting next to him felt about his blubber in their lap

haunted one 02/15/2010 9:33 PM
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Despite what happened, his blabbering on Twitter comes across as unprofessional. If he has an issue, he should take it up with the airlines directly.

greenbuck 02/15/2010 9:34 PM
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I'm sorry for Kevin Smith for being thrown out of the plane. I don't mean to be mean but for someone who actually been sitted between two large people on a plane, it is pretty uncomfortable not being able to move, or get to the bathroom. I'm glad airlines started charging extra seat for large people that occupies two seats. Kevin Smith should not have changed flight if he could not get two seat in the other flight. He should have checked first. He complain about his treatment, but how about the other people that would have been sitted next to him?

Airlines though needs to make larger planes and makes seat more spaced out. Planes are just too crowded. This is why I hate to fly.

rhino13 02/15/2010 9:38 PM
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lashton 02/15/2010 9:42 PM
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dude southwest is a private company it can boot your fat lasy ass of the f**ken flight for ANY reason they want to, even for no reason

Platypus 02/15/2010 9:43 PM
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They used to have a little device near check-in where you could place a bag and if it fit, you could carry it on.

If they're going to be kicking people off of planes due to size, then maybe they should have one of those devices for people, too.

dman3k 02/15/2010 9:46 PM
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rhino13 :
So, I guess with no republicans in office smith has had to turn his attention to another facet of American life.Good to see he actually has some evidence this time.

I think you have Kevin Smith and Michael Moore mixed up.

Platypus 02/15/2010 9:50 PM
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rhino13 :
So, I guess with no republicans in office smith has had to turn his attention to another facet of American life.Good to see he actually has some evidence this time.

And this is seriously not an article that should become political. I don't think "fatties" is one of the target demographics for either party.

Miharu 02/15/2010 9:51 PM
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Miharu 02/15/2010 9:52 PM
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Miharu 02/15/2010 9:52 PM
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Anonymous 02/15/2010 9:53 PM
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Try eating a salad once in a while dude.