BUSINESS INSIDER – A plus-size model said she was not allowed to board a Qatar Airways flight because she was too fat to fit in an economy seat, but the airline said she had been “extremely rude and aggressive” to check-in staff.
Juliana Nehme [who according to reports stands 5’7″ tall and weighs 330 lbs.] said in an Instagram post that she was not allowed to board a flight from Beirut to Doha after a holiday in Lebanon with family.
She said Qatar told her to pay about $3,000 to upgrade to first class and refused to refund her the $947 she spent on her economy flight.
Nehme told her followers that she missed her connecting flight to São Paulo following the incident.
A spokesperson for Qatar Airways told Insider that Nehme became “extremely rude and aggressive” to check-in staff when another person in her party failed to produce the necessary COVID documentation required to enter Brazil.
However, the spokesperson did indicate that passengers could be asked to purchase an extra seat if they could not fit adequately into one:
“Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers … “
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