Jetstar apologises to plus size passenger over 'embarrassing' mistake
The budget airline says it's 'really sorry' and is considering how it can better accomodate plus-sized passengers.
A plus-sized Victorian woman has shared the "mortifying" experience she endured before boarding a flight from Sydney to Avalon, with Jetstar later apologising for the way she was treated during the uncomfortable ordeal.
Holly Richards, business owner and inclusivity advocate, purchased two seats on her flight to avoid an uncomfortable situation with a fellow passenger. But she didn't necessarily want everybody to know that.
When she went to check in, her hand luggage was over the allocated weight and Jetstar staff became "angry" when Ms Richards balked at paying the additional fee.
"Unfortunately my bags were a couple kilos overweight ... I had an extra seat but I didn't want to tell them that because I was embarrassed," Ms Richards told 7News Brisbane.
She did eventually explain the situation to staff before a manager was called over, forcing the passenger to again explain what was going on, arguing she was entitled to the extra weight due to her second ticket.
"It was mortifying having to reinstate why I felt I had the right to more hand luggage because I had the extra seat. So embarrassing in the first instance," she continued.
"I had never even told my closest family or friends ... never mind a room full of strangers."
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After resolving the issue, Ms Richards was reportedly confronted for a third time when fellow passengers began to board the plane, accusing her of confusing the booking system.
"It was like my worst nightmare come true," she told the network.
Jetstar apologies to Ms Richards
The budget airline has issued any apology, and says it's considering how the company can better accomodate its plus-sized passengers.
"We’re really sorry to hear about Ms Richard’s recent experience and appreciate it would have been an upsetting situation," a Jetstar spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
"Our customer team has also reached out to Ms Richards to apologise."
"We pride ourselves on providing great customer service and treating everyone with respect and we’re looking into what happened and how we can do better."
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