by Kenny Dichter, CEO of Wheels Up, attended Mornings with Maria to speak about America’s ongoing inflation problem and how it is affecting the state of the airline industry.
Qatar Airways is reacting after a plus-size model said she would not be allowed to board a plane because she was too “fat” to fit in an economy seat.
Juliana Nehme reportedly claimed the airline told her to spend about $3,000 to upgrade to first class and gave her the $947 she spent flying from Beirut, Lebanon to Doha, Qatar have, do not refund.
She shared her experience on Instagram videos, each with more than 60,000 likes, with commenters calling Qatar Airways and urging them to take action.
“I bought a return ticket to Brazil via Qatar and when I arrived at check-in time, a flight attendant from Qatar called my mother while another employee was finishing our check-in and told her I was not welcome because I am fat . ‘ she said, according to News.com.au.
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This image taken on November 13, 2019 shows a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 waiting on the tarmac before takeoff at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon. (AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
She told her followers that she missed her connecting flight to Sao Paulo due to the incident, claiming that she had previously had no trouble boarding an Air France flight and that she was threatened when she tried to video record.
Qatar Airways told FOX Business on Saturday that Nehme, who was 38 according to News.com.au, was extremely aggressive towards staff and that security had to be called twice to calm her down.
They said she startled both workers and passengers checking in.
A Qatar Airways Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft flies at 40,000 feet above Europe on February 11, 2022, operating a flight service from Doha to London Heathrow in the United Kingdom (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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“Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who interferes with a fellow passenger’s seat and is unable to fasten their seat belt or lower their armrests may be asked to vacate an additional seat “The passenger in question at Beirut Airport was initially extremely rude and aggressive towards the check-in staff when one of her Failed to present fellow travelers with the required PCR documents to enter Brazil.”
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of the airline Qatar Airways lands at Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport on November 2nd, 2020. (Soeren Stache/Picture Alliance via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“As a result, airport security was called upon to intervene as staff and passengers were extremely concerned about their behavior,” she concluded.
Qatar Airways said Nehme had been rebooked on a flight from Lebanon.
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It wasn’t clear if she had to pay for an upgrade to be allowed to fly.
Nehme did not immediately respond to FOX Business’s request for comment.
