Passenger Almost Kicked Off Plane For Being ‘Too Big’
A passenger says that American Airlines tired to deplane him for being “too big.” (Photo: iStock)
A California man is speaking out today, after an American Airlines flight attendant tried to remove him from the plane for being “too big.”
According to Chris Shelly, he was sitting in the middle seat on a flight from Dallas to California on Nov. 20. That’s when the woman sitting next to him got up and walked to the front of the plane. Shortly after, a crew member walked over to Shelley and announced they were deplaning the six-foot tall, 260 pound frequent flyer because he was too big.
“I was humiliated,” Shelley told WFAA News. “I felt like I was treated like a criminal.”
Shelly fought back, and after reasoning with the crew, he was allowed to stay on the plane. The woman agreed to switch to the middle seat, so that Shelly could lean out into the aisle.
The plane continued on to California without any interruptions.
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In a statement to WFAA, American Airlines offered Shelley an apology.
“We apologize to Mr. Shelley for his experience on a recent flight with us. We always aim to give our all of our customers the best possible travel experience and we fell short of that with Mr. Shelley while trying to accommodate another passenger,“ the statement read, in part.
Shelley says that he flies dozens of times a year for work, and this is the first time something like this has ever happened.
“I don’t want to see this happen to anybody. This is terrible. This is humiliating,” he told WFAA. “This is being bullied for the sake of being bullied.”
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