NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) — A Nashville woman said a Southwest Airlines policy left her with a canceled flight and nearly caused her to miss her connection to Los Angeles for a cruise through Mexico.
Ruby Cosby said she has always flown Southwest without any problems, but that changed on Feb. 28 when she tried to board a flight to LAX.
She said a Southwest agent would not let her board the flight without purchasing an additional ticket due to her size.
Cosby was initially hesitant to share her story, fearing the backlash and body shaming that could come with it.
“I can fit in the seat like I have fit in the seat with no problem for many years,” Cosby said.
She said that statement was ignored by the Southwest agent, who told her she would have to pay an additional $450 to get on her flight to LAX due to a new policy that went into effect on Jan. 27.
The policy states in part that “customers who encroach upon neighboring seats must purchase the number of seats needed.”
Cosby said she bought her ticket prior to the new seating policy and was not aware of the changes.
“I also asked him, ‘Is there any way I can go test to see if I can fit the seat?’ Like you’re telling me I can’t get in the seat before I got in the seat,” Cosby said. “He informed me that there was no way for him to do that. That if he took me all the way past the gates and I couldn’t fit in the seats, that would cause a bigger problem.”
She said she was blindsided as she was boarding her flight and did not immediately have the extra money to buy another ticket, so the agent canceled her existing ticket.
Cosby said when she called her family from the airport to tell them what happened, they sent her money to buy another ticket so that she could make it to Los Angeles in time for her cruise.
She said when she went back to rebook her flight, another agent issued her a ticket without requiring her to buy two seats until she mentioned transferring the bags she had already checked. That is when she said the prior agent came over to say she could not rebook without buying two seats.
Cosby said they would not apply the credit from her previous flight, saying she would have to wait for a refund because basic economy tickets are not refundable.
“I understand having a policy put into place to make sure others are comfortable; my main worry is that there’s nothing put into place to stop discrimination or anything from happening. It’s just based off of perception, that’s my worry. I feel like this policy can be used unfairly because there’s not guidelines,” Cosby said.
The policy online states that “Southwest may determine in its sole discretion that an additional seat is necessary for safety purposes.”
Southwest sent WSMV a statement saying, “We began communicating changes to our policy, which is in line with industry standards, almost a year ago and continued reiterating those changes directly to customers throughout the summer. We ask Customers who may need an extra seat to let us know in advance of their day of travel so we can do our best to accommodate their needs. In this case, we have reached out directly to the Customers involved to better understand their experience and ensure we address any concerns with the appropriate discretion.”
Cosby was able to make her trip after purchasing one ticket through Delta Air Lines for $350. She said she has not heard back from Southwest yet regarding the incident.
Cosby said she was given a credit for the Southwest ticket that was canceled but only has until July to use it.
Woman says Southwest canceled her ticket because she didn’t buy a second seat due to her size
