So much and so little

OKay so I have so much to blog about, but I need to break it up otherwise it will take a year to read it all!
First, here is a letter my mom is writing to South West Airlines after a recent experience she had with them!!!

I recently took a trip to San Francisco with my best friend and chose your airline to get there. We booked our tickets on line over a month in advance and anxiously looked forward to our vacation. On January 2, 2009, we boarded flight 1938 in Austin, Texas. What happened next effected the rest of our trip... and will likely be an appalling memory for the rest of our lives.

Our boarding passes were taken. We were among the first passengers on the plane and we chose seats in the second row from the front. I sat by the window and my best friend, Linda, sat in the middle. We buckled in and waited for the other passengers to take their seats so that we could begin our adventure. At the last minute, a young girl was escorted onto the plane and was seated beside my friend. We then noticed the flight attendants quietly whispering among themselves while they looked at us. We were surprised when one of them came over and asked my friend if she could lower the arm rest of her seat. She did so without question. The two flight attendants conferred again, and again approached us and asked, "Do you need an extension for your seat belt?" (She was already buckled in!!) She answered, "no, thank you, I'm fine." I was offended and upset, but willing to let it go and chalk it up to rude behavior. Unfortunately, the story continues. A few moments later, the same flight attendant approached my friend again and asked her to come forward so that they could speak. She was taken off the airplane and back to the walkway. Another Southwest Airline employee informed the flight attendant that the flight had been overbooked. He was unacknowledged, as she turned her attention to my friend. My friend, who is 6' 1" and weighs 300 pounds, was then told that she would have to purchase another ticket upon landing in Los Angeles. She was told that she did not "fit" in the seat. She was told that because the plane was full and ready to take off, there was no time for her to purchase this second ticket there in Austin, but that upon arriving in LA, she would have to purchase another ticket before boarding our connecting flight to San Francisco.
My friend cried for the next three hours.
During the flight, I took the opportunity to ask one of the flight attendants what she could tell me about the situation. I asked her if there was a weight limit policy and she said there was not, but that it was Southwest's policy to require passengers that needed extra room to purchase two tickets. I understand this... I do not understand why my friend, who did fit in her seat, armrest down, seat belt buckled (no extension necessary) was selected. I asked the flight attendant if a complaint had been made by another passenger. She said no, that this decision had been made by her superior. It was at that point that I requested that an operations supervisor please meet me at the gate upon our arrival. The flight attendant seemed very taken aback by my request and asked me if I was going to deny that my friend could not "fit" comfortably in the seat. She went on to say that she was aware that we had a connecting flight and that while the young girl who had been seated beside my friend was "fine," a full size passenger on our next flight might not be." IF this is your policy, it seems to punish the passenger for what might happen at a later time. Upon our arrival in Los Angeles, we were greeted by Robery Duvenary, ground operations supervisor. I would like to thank Mr. Duvenary for his kind attention and the compassionate and professional way that he handled the situation. He listened attentively and told us that removing a passenger from an airplane for this type of situation was indeed not your policy. We were told that had there been a problem, that problem should have been addressed before boarding and that the passenger would certainly not be asked to purchase another ticket after the flight.I asked for the names and identification numbers of your employees on the plane and they were quickly provided. Vickie #74632 (flight attendant) Jeff #50859 (captain) As we stood in the airport watching non-suspecting passengers load and unload other planes, I couldn't help but notice that my friend is not the only plus-size guest that you serve... so why was she singled out and made to feel as if she were somehow a burden?? Everywhere I looked, there were people that didn't appear to "fit" in your airline seat. Do you discriminate equally? (large people, tall people, crying children, passengers with more than one "correct size" carry on??)When we left this sad situation, apologies were given and promises were made that the situation would be addressed. There was even a $50.00 voucher given to my friend... as if we would ever choose your airline again.I find myself needing more.
Sincerely,
Casey Nelms


I could not believe this...I called my mom to get her to tell me the more animated story, which I laughed my butt off. My mom is extremely hot tempered and if you mess with her or someone she cares about, you should be prepared to put your tail between your legs and go home crying! Obviously, I wasn't laughing at the situation, just my mother's behavior. I think that this was completely uncalled for and will definately make me think twice before flying SWA.