REDCLIFF — An Alberta man, Dave Rogers, expressed his disappointment after experiencing what he described as fat-shaming by a flight attendant during a Christmas Eve flight from Edmonton to Mazatlan, Mexico. Rogers and his wife were excited about their holiday escape; however, the interaction with airline staff marred their vacation.
According to Rogers, the couple was provided with pop cans instead of the usual small cups during the flight. When a second flight attendant approached to collect trash before landing, he gestured at Rogers, signaling that he had two cans. After making eye contact, the flight attendant puffed out his cheeks, followed by a sweeping gesture around his stomach, implying that Rogers was overweight.
“I’m not exactly sure what he was trying to do. But then he gestured with his hand, a big arch movement around his stomach as if to say, again, fat or large,” Rogers recounted. The situation escalated when the attendant tapped Rogers on his stomach and said, “this is the result.” This unexpected comment left Rogers and his wife shocked, with his spouse expressing disbelief at the incident. Even a neighboring passenger appeared taken aback by the exchange.
Following the encounter, Rogers reflected on how it affected his vacation, admitting that the incident lingered in his mind throughout their time in Mexico. Friends and family who were informed about the event were equally surprised and dismayed. Rogers noted that he was not his “normal, jovial self” for the remainder of the trip.
A relative of Rogers, a recently retired WestJet flight attendant, highlighted that the behavior displayed by the employee contradicted the airline's training protocols, suggesting that touching a passenger’s body could verge on assault. Although Rogers, who is an ex-military member, did not classify the contact as assault, he acknowledged it as unwanted and felt it warranted a formal complaint to WestJet.
After lodging his complaint, Rogers received an apology from WestJet, which confirmed that the incident did not align with their training standards. However, he perceived the airline's response as dismissive. While he did not advocate for the termination of the flight attendant, he sought compensation, such as a flight voucher or loyalty points, for the unpleasant experience. WestJet denied this request, citing the lack of supporting evidence for the interaction.
In response to his experience, the airline communicated that it takes claims of this nature seriously and has escalated the investigation for internal review, seeking to resolve the matter directly with Rogers. He also reached out to the Canadian Transportation Agency, but they informed him that his customer service complaint fell outside of their jurisdiction.
Despite acknowledging that he has gained weight since his military service, Rogers emphasized that no individual should endure such treatment. He posed a rhetorical question, highlighting a societal double standard: “What if you did that to a woman? She’d be absolutely mortified and in tears, no doubt,” he claimed. This incident has sparked discussions around the treatment of passengers by airline staff and the boundaries of appropriate behavior in professional environments.
