The 1990s should have been a golden era for air travel, what with in-flight smoking newly banned and the Twin Towers still standing. Instead, times were tough. A recession meant flying was off the table for many Americans, and thus, airlines were doing whatever they could to get bodies in seats.
To that end, Southwest kicked off a promotion in ’91, offering two seats for the price of one. It was called “Friends Fly Free,” and it was such a hit that the airline company extended the gimmick for the next five years.
Now it’s 2023, and times are tough again. In the economy, sure. But also for anyone looking to fly Southwest anytime soon. That’s because the airline effectively just kicked off a new promotion courtesy of a bunch of plump TikTokers:
Fatties Fly Free.
“Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is being celebrated by ‘passengers of size’ on TikTok after they discovered they can request complimentary seats — one or two, depending on needs — to accommodate their girth,” Fox Business reported this week. “Customers whose bodies ‘encroach’ past the armrest are entitled to an extra seat, according to Southwest’s inclusion policy.”
One or two?
So, let me get this straight. Non-obese customers will have to pay extra so our sedentary airborne friends can “encroach” into the second — or third — seat they’re “entitled” to? It doesn’t take a fancy economist to grasp how basic supply and demand work. Any secondary seat reserved at no extra cost for one
