Southwest changes policy after backlash from plus-size flyers

Southwest Airlines quietly walked back a January policy that had required plus-size passengers to purchase a second seat before boarding. The airline now says airport agents can provide an additional adjacent seat at no extra cost when one is available. Emily Treischel, a plus-size TikTok creator, said she felt relieved by the reversal.

She described a March incident in which a gate agent told her she was too big for a single seat and she paid hundreds for a last-minute extra seat, a situation that increased her travel anxiety. Treischel also noted she could sometimes get a first-class seat on another carrier for the price of two seats on Southwest.

The January rule left the decision about who needed an extra seat to Southwest's discretion and was part of a package of changes that included assigned seating. The airline's policy lists seat dimensions and treats armrests as the boundary between seats, and critics on social media criticized the charge as a "fat tax" after some agents publicly called out plus-size passengers.

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