Two women were “hurt” and “humiliated” after being kicked off a flight because they were “too big” and allegedly told they should have reserved two seats each.
Angel Harding and her friend had boarded their Air New Zealand flight from Napier to Auckland on Friday when she felt sudden pain in her left arm.
She turned around to find a flight attendant trying to lower the armrest while speaking “aggressively” to her because the pilot couldn’t take off until he was in the correct position .
Their confusion increased after the loudspeaker announcement that all passengers would be required to disembark the plane following an “inconvenience”.
“After (the attendant) hung up, she came over and said, ‘You should have booked four seats, you should have bought two seats each,'” Ms Harding said. 1News.
The two men then realized that they represented the “inconvenience”.
Angel Harding (pictured) claims he was discriminated against by a New Zealand flight attendant because of his size after being kicked off a Napier-Auckland flight on Friday.
A flight attendant made an announcement asking all passengers to get off the plane. Ms Harding said she and her friend were then told they should have reserved two seats each.
After the women, who both needed wheelchairs due to health problems, got off the plane, they were separated from other passengers.
An Air New Zealand employee stood beside them as their friend, a third woman seated separately, was brought back onto the flight.
The women were told they would have to rebook, but due to high demand, the next available flight was two days later on Sunday.
Ms Harding said she was confused because they had flown from Kerikeri to Auckland and then from Auckland to Napier without a problem.
She told the flight attendant that neither she nor her friend could afford two seats each and that she had no family to stay in the area.
Air New Zealand then offered to pay for the women’s food, accommodation and flights and allow them access to the Koru lounge, before they could board a flight later that day.
They are now seeking compensation for “injury, humiliation and trauma” and claim they were discriminated against because of their size.
“I think they took me out because of my build, my height – our size has a lot to do with it,” Ms Harding said.
“They didn’t say it was, they said it was an inconvenience.”
The woman is now seeking compensation for ‘injury, humiliation and trauma’ and claims she was discriminated against because of her size (pictured, Air New Zealand plane)
The Air New Zealand spokesperson said if a customer requires extra room and there is space available, staff will endeavor to accommodate them back on the plane.
However, the airline “strongly recommends” that customers contact it before their flight to ensure a safe and comfortable trip.
“We are committed to treating all customers with respect and dignity and apologize that these customers had an inconsistent experience. We will continue to work directly with the customer to address their concerns.
Australia and New Zealand do not have prescriptive legislation requiring taller passengers to reserve more than one seat on flights.
Some airlines will place larger passengers next to an empty seat if necessary.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has previously reported that an obese person who has to pay more for a flight may have grounds to bring a complaint of unlawful disability discrimination. But the laws remain unclear.
In Canada, obese people won the right to reserve two seats for the price of one following a Supreme Court ruling against Air Canada in 2008.
