Too fat to fly? The Qatar Airways on-board staff refused entry to the influencer Juliana Nehme. This went to court – with success.
Munich – How the Brazilian influencer Juliana Nehme talks about her Instagram channel reported that she was denied entry to a plane. The reason given by the airline Qatar Airways was that it did not fit into economy class seats. She was told she was “too fat,” says Nehme.
Influencer “too fat” for second class: Qatar Airways charges 2,900 euros for a first class ticket
The only option is to buy a ticket for first class – because the seats there are big enough. For this she would have to pay the equivalent of 2900 euros. In addition to the 1000 euros she paid for her original ticket. While still at the airport, the influencer shot a video and shared it on Instagram, where it received over 150,000 views Followers owns.
The plus-size influencer originally wanted to fly with her family from Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, back to Brazil via Doha at the end of November. Her mother, her sister and her nephew were there. But she was not allowed to take this flight for the time being. And so there were additional expenses for taxi rides and hotel stays, as she announced in her post.
“I am fat, but I have the same rights” – Brazilian embassy organizes return flight
Even two hours of discussion with the on-board staff led to no success. The result: Nehme and her mother stayed in Beirut, while her sister and nephew took off into the air towards Brazil.
“What a shame that a company like Qatar allows this discrimination. “I’m fat, but I have the same rights as other people,” the influencer wrote on her Instagram channel. Ultimately, the Brazilian embassy intervened and organized a return flight for mother and daughter.
Influencer goes to court and wins: Airline has to pay for therapy sessions
But the influencer didn't let the incident sit. When she got home, she sued Qatar Airways. And it was successful: the court ordered the airline to cover the costs of weekly therapy amounting to 3,500 euros. Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho is quoted as saying by Brazilian media: “This is an appropriate and proportionate measure to ensure that the stressful and traumatic event is overcome.”
From the airline's perspective, it means that passengers who take up space and cannot buckle up will have to buy another seat. This is for safety reasons and for the comfort of all passengers.
Juliana Nehme continues to fight against a world “free from fatphobia and all forms of prejudice”
After her success in court, the influencer thanked her followers who had supported and encouraged her during this difficult time and added combatively: “Let us continue to fight for a fairer world, free from fatphobia and all forms of prejudice.” (mg)
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