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Women claim they were kicked off an Air New Zealand flight for being 'too big', airline responds
The women claimed that the issue started when a flight attendant on an Air New Zealand flight could not push down the armrests next to their seats.
A woman claimed that she felt "hurt" and "humiliated" after she, along with her friend, was asked to leave the aircraft for being "too big". As per reports, the incident occurred on an Air New Zealand flight from Napier to Auckland. The airline later addressed the issue and apologised.
The woman, identified as Angel Harding, told The Mirror that she and her friend were on the plane when a flight attendant "aggressively tried to push down the armrest next to them". Later, they were asked to get off the plane.
Harding shared that after this, the flight attendant also announced on loudspeaker that the flight was taxied back to the airport because of an "inconvenience".
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"After [the attendant] hung up the phone, she came over and said, 'You two should have booked four seats. You two should have bought two seats each'," Harding added.
"My thoughts are they took me off because of my build, because of my size. As to myself and our build, our size had a lot to do with it," Harding told 1 News, reported NZ Herald.
Daily Mail shared a video where one of the women is seen sharing her experience. "Two women have claimed they were kicked off an Air New Zealand flight for being ‘too big’ and told they should have booked two seats each," the outlet wrote while posting the video.
Take a look at this video:
According to the Mirror, the women demanded compensation for the "hurt, humiliation and trauma" that they felt due to this incident.
An Air New Zealand spokesperson told The Mirror that the customers needing extra room are accommodated if space is available. The airline also "strongly" recommended that customers should contact the airline before travelling regarding extra space requirements for a comfortable journey.
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"We are committed to treating all customers with respect and dignity and we apologise that these customers received an inconsistent experience. We will continue to work with the customer directly to address their concerns," the airline said in their statement.
