Southwest Air apologizes to Smith

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Southwest Air has apologized to U.S. film director Kevin Smith for embarrassing him by asking him to get off of a weekend flight because of his size.

However, the airline also said it is standing by its policy because it is intended to ensure the "safety and comfort of all customers."

People.com said the "Dogma," "Chasing Amy" and "Clerks" director usually buys tickets for two seats when he flies on Southwest but there was only one seat available for an Oakland-to-Burbank, Calif., flight last Saturday.

Smith, 39, reportedly was seated on the plane but then asked to leave because he did not fit easily into the single seat.

"I broke no regulation, offered no 'safety risk' (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?)" People.com quoted Smith as complaining via Twitter. "I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn't about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I'm being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like 'Please don't tell ...'"

Despite offering Smith its "heartfelt apologies," Southwest told People.com, "If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement."