Woman Claims Southwest Canceled Her Ticket After Gate Agent Told Her She’s Too Big for One Seat

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Ruby Cosby says she canceled her ticket after a Southwest Airlines representative refused to let her board without an extra seat

• The representative was allegedly referring to the airline’s new “oversized customers” policy, but Cosby said he could fit just fine in one seat

• He eventually flew to Delta to make the trip, but said Southwest had yet to address his concerns

A Nashville woman is speaking out after an experience with Southwest Airlines reportedly left her with a canceled ticket and nearly caused her to miss her connection to Los Angeles.

Ruby Cosby tells local outlet WSMV While trying to fly to LAX on February 28, a Southwest representative refused to let him board without an additional ticket. According to the passenger, he was not allowed to board the plane due to its size.

“I can sit in the seat the same way I’ve been sitting in the seat for years without any problems,” explains Crosby, who says he’s flown Southwest in the past without any problems. Despite his claims, Cosby said the agent asked him to pay another $450 to get on the plane. A new policy that went into effect on January 27.

Dallas-based budget carrier officially launches new app policy Earlier this year regarding their “major clients”. According to the policy, “customers who encroach on neighboring seats must purchase the required number of seats.”

However, Cosby claims that he purchased the ticket before the new seating policy and was unaware of the changes. “I also asked him if there was any way I could get tested to see if I could fit in the seat. It’s like you’re telling me I can’t sit in the seat without getting into it,” Cosby says. “He told me there was no way he could do that. If he took me past the TSA gates and I couldn’t fit into the seats it would cause a bigger problem.”

He said the gate agent canceled his ticket because Cosby did not have enough money for another purchase at the moment. The traveler later called his family from the airport and told them what happened. Luckily, they sent him enough money to buy another ticket so he could go on a trip to Mexico.

But when he went back to the box office to rebook, he claims another agent gave him tickets without him having to buy two seats. Allegedly the previous representative showed up until I mentioned the luggage transfer and explained once again that she could not rebook without purchasing two seats.

Cosby stated that the agencies would not use the remaining credit from his previous flight, and instead he should wait for the refund of his basic economy tickets.

“I understand putting a policy in place to make sure others are comfortable,” he says. “My main concern is that nothing has been put in place to stop discrimination or anything from happening. It’s just based on the perception that it’s my concern. I think this policy could be used unfairly because there are no guidelines,” Cosby said.

The airline’s policy states that the company “may determine, in its sole discretion, that an additional seat is required for safety purposes.”

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, an airline spokesperson said: “We began communicating changes to our policy — consistent with industry standards — almost a year ago and continued to reiterate those changes directly to our customers throughout the summer. Our extra seat policy — along with other policies — went into effect on January 27 because we now have to account for each seat in the cabin before boarding.”

They add: “Our goal is always to provide a comfortable experience for everyone on board; however, with assigned seating, adjacent seats may sometimes already be occupied. In this case, we have reached out to concerned customers directly to better understand their experience and ensure we address any concerns with appropriate discretion.”

Cosby said he was able to go on the cruise after purchasing a ticket from Delta Airlines for $350. But he says he has yet to hear from Southwest about that experience.

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He adds that he was given credit for the first ticket, but Cosby only had until July to use that credit.

Read the original article People