Southwest's infamous "customers of size" policy—where if you need a seat and a half you have to purchase two seats—was the cause of one of the airline world's most notorious social media disasters. So naturally Southwest is having its recently purchased airline AirTran adopt the exact same set of guidelines, because that's one of the ways they keep down costs. Another way was described a few months ago in an Associated Press article headlined "US airlines make money again by flying less," which doesn't really have anything to do with this post but is obnoxious enough to be worth mentioning.

In any case, AirTran will implement the new policy starting March 1 of 2012. Following Southwest's lead, if a customer can't lower their armrest they have to purchase two seats. If two seats aren't available on a particular flight, other arrangements will presumably be made, almost certainly combining the usual "you need to get off this plane" humiliation and the "we'll get you on a later flight with more seats" reassurance. As with Southwest, a passenger on a below-capacity flight can request a refund for the second seat's cost.]]> Omri 2011-10-18T15:37:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/5/16/234842/607

Remember the fresh smell of spring 2010, when KFC began cooking up Double Down sandwiches around the country and patriotic Americans dutifully gassed up their cars and drove over to sink their teeth into greasy fried chicken on top of cheese on top of greasy fried chicken? Yea, that sure was an interesting time, when the country went wild for calories instead of against them.

Unfortunately this seems to be an annual occurrence, as this spring's big fat (literally fat) news is that Chandler, Arizona's obesity-theme restaurant Heart Attack Grill is expanding to open a second location. Anyone want to guess where? Yep—Texas. The second-ever Heart Attack Grill will open in downtown Dallas, Texas this Friday, selling their famous "Quadruple Bypass Burger" and neverending helpings of "Flatline Fries." By the way, the restaurant's tagline is "a taste worth dying for" and that burger? It's 8,000 calories. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-05-17T09:02:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/5/3/21200/38251

OMG. Remember when we told you that Hong Kong Airlines was beginning a program to teach their flight attendants Kung Fu? Well, now there's video!

Above, thanks the Wall Street Journal, you can watch as the newest and youngest FAs at HK Airlines use their hands for other things than pouring you tea and demonstrating safety procedures. This learning Wing Chun—a form of Kung Fu that works well in confined spaces—is, for a change, totally in the name of their own safety. The fact that they're looking for press (and getting it) is totally forgiven because this is the awesomeness. We took a self-defense class once, but we didn't get to wear a flight attendant uniform for it. Do over?]]> JetSetCD 2011-05-05T11:02:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/4/17/235115/907

Don't mess with the cabin crew onboard Hong Kong Airlines, because they're about to become martial arts masters. No, really! After a flight attendants trained in close-range combat found her skills helped her deal with unruly and heavy passengers, the airline has now made such training compulsory for all flight crew, with other HK Airlines staff invited to learn as well.

According to the AFP, the flight attendants will specifically learn Wing Chun, a form of Kung Fu ideal for up-close combat in confined spaces.

Flight crew won't just be using it to chop troublesome passengers into submission; it'll also aid with overweight passengers. The Wing Chun-trained FA who inspired all this actually found her strength allowed her to better deal with an overweight man who was feeling ill onboard a flight. Those who are currently in the program say they're enjoying it, since being able to defend themselves is a valuable skill.

Perhaps now some American airlines will consider makes Pilates part of their crew training?

[Ip Man photo: alternativechronicle]]]> JetSetCD 2011-04-18T12:28:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/2/9/92158/72804

Can you believe it? It's been nearly one full year since Kevin Smith got kicked off a Southwest flight for being too fat to fit in a seat, and as we're all quite aware, a lot can happen in a year. Smith's year was eventful, as he first bought a bus to avoid the embarrassment of flying, and then missed a Virgin America flight not because of his weight, but because he was too damned late.

And now, the latest news on the Kevin Smith travel front is that he has lost 65 pounds, as a result of the too-fat-to-fly drama. He told Joy Behar about this change: ]]> JetSetCD 2011-02-09T09:43:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/7/1268/79891

Kevin Smith had another run-in with an airline this week, and this time he didn't even make it onto the plane.

On his blog, Kevin explains that for several months after the Southwest Incident, he would only travel by bus but, due to prior engagements within days of each other on opposite coasts, eventually he was forced to take to the not-so-friendly skies once again. ]]> cmb 2010-12-07T13:30:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/8/9/15615/28806

The arguments over overweight flight attendants play out a little differently than the near constant fights that travelers have about overweight passengers. Both are somewhat about safety, but that's roughly where the similarities end. With overweight rowmates, the day-to-day issues are about comfort. People invoke the "what if there's a one-in-a-million crash and I can't get out" argument to sound that much more legitimate (that and they make hay out of, umm, fitting into lavatories).

When airlines suspend overweight flight attendants, like Turkish Airlines just did to 28 of their employees, the safety issue certainly makes an appearance. It's probably even more legitimate than it is with passengers, since crews actually do play a critical role in flight safety even during non-emergencies. But the real issue is about looks, and about how much customers want their Diet Coke served by someone who looks svelte in a uniform, even if half of the suspended crew were men. And airlines aren't even shy about pointing that out.]]> Omri 2010-08-09T16:19:04-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/