Actor and filmmaker Kevin Smith was asked to leave an airplane on Saturday because he was supposedly ‘too fat’.
Smith, famous for the movies Mallrats and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, was already seated on a Southwest Airlines flight to California when a flight attendant informed him that the captain felt he was a ‘safety risk’.
Smith took to his Twitter account, to vocalize his anger and disdain towards Southwest Airlines.
“I know I’m fat. But was (the flight captain) really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?” said Smith.
“I’m way fat. But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed (identified) me as Silent Bob.”
According to the rules and regulations of Southwest Airlines, any and all overweight passengers must be able to “lower both armrests” of their seat. If a passenger cannot lower both armrests, then they must make prior arrangements to book the number of seats that will allow them to do so.
Smith was able to take another Southwest flight later on with absolutely no problems. He was offered a $100 voucher as a form of compensation for the inconvenience.
Other passengers on the plane did recognize Smith on the plane. So maybe that was the ‘risk’ the pilot was talking about? Who knows…
I’d be upset too, but look at it this way Kevin Smith, at least you’re getting free publicity. This incident just goes to show you that sometimes being a celebrity can work against you.
Follow Kevin Smith (@ThatKevinSmith) on Twitter to read his tweets about the situation. Yes ladies and gentlemen he is still tweeting about it.
