"Too Fat To Fly"...a sad story!

 

Can I get on my soap box and rant a bit? As someone who has had to ask for extensions for my seatbelt on an aircraft and lived with peoples insensitivity to big people all my life, I think I have a right to RANT. I read an article online over the previous week and was totally outraged! Before I go into what happened, let me allow you read the article for yourselves and you tell us what you think...
If you want to read the article on the site for yourself please click on http://news.yahoo.com/too-fat-fly-french-family-stranded-us-195147803.html alternatively, I have reproduced the entire article below:

A French Family who came to the US for medical treatment for their son said they were stranded in Chicago after British Airways determined their son was too fat to fly. Kevin Chenais, 22 spent a year and a half at the Mayo Clinic for treatment of a hormone disorder which led him to weigh 550pounds. His mother was near tears as she described the family’s problems to the local CBS affiliate (TV Station).

“We blame British Airways because now they just leave us, and they brought us here,” Christina Chenais told the station. “If they could bring him here with that problem in economy, there was a way to take him back by economy but just get him back home for his medical treatments to continue.”

The family spent a week in an airport hotel trying to resolve the matter and, running out of money, has decided their only option is to take a train to New York and cross the Atlantic on the Queen Mary cruise ship.

Kevin Chenais requires round-the-clock oxygen and medical attention. “I’m sure a lot of big people like me or bigger cannot travel because they have the same problem,” he told the station, head hanging down as he sat up in bed. "This time before leaving I knew something would go wrong.”

A British Airways spokesperson told AFP (the French news agency) that its customer service team “worked diligently to find a solution.” “We will always try to accommodate someone if it’s possible and safe to do so,” Caroline Titmuss wrote in an email. “Unfortunately, it is not possible to safely accommodate the customer on any of our aircraft and the family has been offered a full refund.” The airline said it provided hotel accommodation for the family along with “guidance and support” to help explore other travel options.

A spokeswoman for the French consulate told AFP it “attempted a mediation with British Airways, but the position of the airline is firm on the security issue.” It provided the family with the names of two lawyers who may be able to help.

The Chenais family did not immediately return requests for comment.

 

Okay, so what do you think? Are you as outraged as I am? Are you asking how come BA could fly them to America in the first place but refused to fly them home? Talk about inconsistency in service standards - unless there is something else going on that no one is saying. Should we have civil rights marches for people who are bigger than your average barbie? When will big people (especially those who are that way through no fault of theirs) get some respect, some rights, some slack?

I am NOT saying that being overweight is right - far from it. Everyone who reads this blog knows how I fight to DROP IT. What I am saying is that irrespective of how a person looks, everyone deserves some respect and dignity. We all have stuff we are struggling with - some more obvious than others - but we are all works in progress. No one should crush me because of my personal struggle - and I should nay MUST never rush anyone because of their struggles however apparent. Remember the African proverb which says to be carefull not to throw stones into the market place cos you could hit your friend. Who knows, the shoe could be on the other foot tomorrow...

I really want to know what you think...please comment!

ps: Thanks for listening [reading my rant]