Large-size passenger booted from US flight recalls 'walk of shame'
I never want anyone to treat me like that again,' said the 31-year-old bookstore manager.
New York: A man weighing about 175 kg has claimed that he was kicked off a United Airlines flight in Las Vegas and had to undertake a "walk of shame" due to the heavy-handedness of the crew.
Errol Narvaez says he was stranded in Las Vegas after he was asked to leave a flight to New Jersey on Tuesday for being too large.
"I never want anyone to treat me like that again," said the 31-year-old bookstore manager who was in Las Vegas to celebrate his birthday.
He said the first thing he noticed was his seat had been changed. Narvaez told FOX5 he paid for pre-boarding and sat in his newly assigned seat. That's when, according to him, a man in his row grabbed a flight attendant.
"I heard him say, 'The flight is five hours. I need to be comfortable. I need to be compensated,'" Narvaez said.
He was asked to leave the plane, then, according to him, asked to pay for a new flight. He referred to his escort off the plane as a "walk of shame."
"If you do the math, how many people [witnessed this] There was about 100 people. That's [100] sets of eyes watching me as I'm walking from the back of the plane to the front," he said.
Reacting to the incident, United Airlines in a statement said: "To better ensure the comfort of all customers, United requires that customers purchase a second seat if they can't sit with both armrests lowered and without encroaching on the seats of their fellow passengers.
"The customer had not previously purchased a second seat and there were not two available seats together on the flight," the statement added.
Narvaez was stuck in Las Vegas for six hours waiting for his new flight, despite attempts to buy a second seat on his original flight.
Narvaez said he has always had weight issues and just expected a reputable company like United to have treated him with respect.
Narvaez said he is not considering legal action but would like for United employees to undergo sensitivity training for dealing with 'larger customers', the report said.