Influencer barred from flight for being 'too fat'
A plus-size model has claimed Qatar Airways did not let her board her flight home to Brazil because she was "too fat".
Influencer Juliana Nehme, 38, has accused the airline of discriminating against her due to her size.
In a post for her 118,000 Instagram followers, Juliana said she was not allowed to board her flight from Beirut to Doha on 22nd November. She had been on holiday in Lebanon with her family and had arrived in the country via Air France without hitch, she told her followers.
But being denied boarding on her first return flight meant she would also miss her onward connection to Sao Paulo, where she lives.
Juliana said Qatar Airways did not offer to refund her the USD$1000 (A$1480) she had paid for her ticket. Instead, she claimed the airline said she needed to buy a first-class ticket for USD$3000 (A$4443) so she could fit into the seat.
Juliana took to social media to vent. "They are denying my right to travel... I'm desperate, help me, they don't want me to board because I'm fat," she said.
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The influencer ended up staying in Lebanon with her mother, while her sister and nephew returned home.
"What a shame for a company like Qatar to allow this type of discrimination against people! I'm fat, but I'm just like everyone else!" she told her followers.
At the time of reporting, Juliana remained in Lebanon unable to get back home and Qatar Airways had not responded to her allegations.
Qatar Airways was named the world's best airline at the 2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards.
- Newsflash/Australscope
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