Two-ticket hoax

A story published in the Italian press about a woman, Anna Delluci, suing the budget airline EasyJet after check in staff told her she was "too fat" to board a flight has been revealed to be a hoax...

The reports that the 55 year-old, who was said to weigh 15.5 stone, was told to buy two tickets because of her size were fake, the airline said.

Before boarding the Bari to Rome flight, she was told to step on to scales in front of other surprised passengers - which she refused, the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, reported.

"I'm sorry, but you're too fat, and if you want to fly with us, you have to buy two tickets," the check-in staffer told the surprised passenger.

The woman refused to board the plane, and was said to be suing EasyJet for the humiliation they allegedly put her through.

But EasyJet said on Tuesday that the story was in fact a hoax.

"Following an investigation regarding a reported incident involving a large passenger being refused travel in Italy and subsequently threatening to sue the airline, EasyJet has discovered the incident did not in fact occur and this was a hoax story reported to the media by a member of the public," a spokesman said.

"EasyJet's policy regarding larger passengers, is to recommend that if they feel they will need more than one seat, to purchase one.

"However we do not require them to do so this is a recommendation for their own comfort."

Earlier this year, United Airlines came under fire under it was announced that overweight passengers would have to pay for two adjacent seats if there were "bumped off" for not fitting their allotted space.

Campaigners said the move was "blatant discrimination".

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk