Errol Narvaez said that he was absolutely humiliated in public when he was kicked off an airline flight because of his weight.
Narvaez, who weighs 385 pounds, said that he has dealt with issues related to his weight his whole life, but he never thought that it would come to affect him on a flight.
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“I was being told that you’re too big to fly on this flight. I’ve never experienced that,” he told WABC-TV. “I’m already big and growing up you always get those big jokes and what have you and 31 years of living with myself I know how I am. I still look good, I still look good, I don’t care what anybody says.”
Narvaez said that the problem cropped up because his flight, as well as his seat, was switched at the last minute, leaving the passengers who had been assigned seats beside him with a problem.
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“Because where we were sitting I could still kind of hear what he was saying,” Narvaez explained. “He said, ‘Um, this is a five hour flight and that he needs to be comfortable and not only does he need to be comfortable he needs to be accommodated as well.”
He said that a supervisor then told him that he would not be able to fly and did not offer any alternatives.
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“Leaned into me to tell me unfortunately the aircraft could not accommodate me and if I had anything I need to get my stuff and I need to come with her,” Narvaez said. “I’m just like wow, I felt really low, really low.”
United Airlines issued a statement to WABC-TV:
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. This customer had not previously purchased a second seat and there were not two available seats together on the flight.