Similar to its parent company, Southwest Airlines, flight attendants and check-in staff of AirTran will identify those who can’t sit in a single seat with the armrest lowered and require them to buy a second place, starting March next year.
Southwest or AirTran never had any definitive ‘customers of size’ policy, but employees at the airport gate usually offered a second seat or an upgrade for a fee to passengers considered larger than average. The policy states that ‘Customers of size,’ are those ‘who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat[s]. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats.’
What if there are open seats on the airplane? In that case plus-size passengers who have been charged for an extra seat will be entitled apply for a refund.
And by the way, excess baggage fees on AirTran will also increase from $50 to $110 per item from April as part of the merger.