2026-05-29T11:25:00-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）
作者：梅根·塞鲁洛 记者，MoneyWatch栏目
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更新时间：2026年5月29日 / 美国东部时间上午11:26 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
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美国西南航空已撤销其颇具争议的部分政策，该政策此前要求超重乘客若因体型需要额外座位时，需购买两张机票。
根据这家廉价航空公司的修订后规则，若航班上有两个相邻空位，西南航空的登机口工作人员将为需要额外空间的乘客免费安排第二个座位。
今年1月西南航空出台的新规曾要求需要额外座位的乘客提前预订并付费购买第二张机票。倡导肥胖群体权益的全国组织“促进肥胖接纳协会”批评该政策“限制性更强”。
西南航空在发给哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的一份声明中表示，此次新修订旨在“为需要额外座位的乘客提供更一致、更顺畅的出行体验”。
该航空公司称，若航班上没有两个相邻空位，体型较大的乘客将被改签至后续航班。
为避免在机场遭遇不便，西南航空仍鼓励需要更多空间的乘客提前预订额外座位。
行程结束后，符合条件的乘客可在出行后90天内向西南航空提交申请，要求退还额外座位的费用。申请资格需满足：航班起飞时至少有一个空位，且两个座位的票价等级相同。
哪些乘客需要购买第二个座位？
西南航空在其“体型较大乘客”政策中解释称，“侵占相邻座位空间”的乘客需购买“所需数量的机票”。
该航空公司规定，座位扶手为两个座位之间的分界线。西南航空保留“出于安全目的”判定乘客需要第二个座位的权利。
该项政策于今年1月生效，此前曾以一张机票价格预订两个座位的部分乘客对此感到不满。
一名TikTok用户对西南航空最新的座位政策表示欢迎，称：“作为体型较大的乘客，你现在不必再只能通过提前购票来获得额外空间了。”
“这是有史以来最好的消息，”她补充道，“如果你认识肥胖人士，帮忙转告一下。”
航空业针对体型较大乘客的政策各不相同。
例如，达美航空要求需要额外空间的乘客在航班起飞前购买额外座位。根据该航空公司的政策，任何无法在单个座位就坐且不侵占相邻乘客空间，或就坐时无法放下扶手的乘客，都需遵守该规定。
联合航空和美国航空也有类似政策。
编辑：阿兰·谢特尔
Southwest rolls back its overweight passenger policy. Here’s what’s changing.
2026-05-29T11:25:00-0400 / CBS News
By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
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Updated on: May 29, 2026 / 11:26 AM EDT / CBS News
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Southwest Airlines has rolled back part of its divisive policy requiring overweight passengers to buy two tickets on flights when they require a second seat because of their size.
Under the budget carrier’s revised rules, Southwest gate agents will arrange a free second seat for passengers who need the extra room on flights where two adjoining seats are available.
After an earlier rule change in January, Southwest required people needing a second seat to book and pay for it in advance. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, an advocacy group, criticized the policy as “more restrictive.”
The new update aims to promote “a more consistent and seamless experience for customers who require an additional seat,” Southwest said in a statement to CBS News.
When two adjacent seats aren’t available on a flight, larger passengers will be rebooked on a later flight, the airline said.
To avoid inconveniences at the airport, Southwest continues to encourage passengers who need more space to book an additional seat in advance.
Once travel is completed, eligible passengers can request a refund for the extra seat by submitting a request to Southwest within 90 days of travel. To qualify, the flight must have departed with at least one open seat, and both seats must have been booked in the same fare class.
Who needs a second seat?
Southwest explains in its “customers of size” policy that passengers “who encroach upon the neighboring seat(s)” are required to purchase “the number of seats needed.”
A seat’s armrest marks the dividing line between seats, the carrier stipulates. Southwest reserves the right to determine that a passenger requires a second seat “for safety purposes.”
That policy went into effect in January, frustrating some customers who had previously been able to reserve two seats for the price of one.
One TikTok user cheered Southwest’s latest seating policy, saying, “You will no longer have to pre-purchase the seat as the only option to fly as a customer of size with extra space.”
“This is the best news ever,” she added. “If you know a fat person, spread the word.”
Plus-size passenger policies vary across the airline industry.
For example, Delta Airlines asks passengers who require additional space to purchase an additional seat before a flight. That requirement applies to anyone who can’t fit in a single seat without encroaching on a neighboring passenger, or who prevents armrests from staying down while seated, according to the airline’s policy.
United Airlines and American Airlines have similar policies.
Edited by Alain Sherter
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