After being removed earlier this year from a Southwest flight for being "too fat to fly," actor/director Kevin Smith is crossing another airline off his list: Virgin America. The airline wouldn't allow Smith to board a plane Monday when he and his wife arrived at the gate just 10 minutes before departure.
Smith wrote on his website that he arrived as late as he did because he was advised by his personal flight concierge (whose job is to make the trip from curb to plane as smooth as possible) that he could arrive that late and still be allowed to board. Ultimately, Smith encountered a closed door to the jetway and a stern gate agent who wouldn't allow him to board, despite his protests.
Smith contends that his primary concern wasn't missing the flight; it was the Virgin employees' "petty, lazy, unhelpful" refusal to deplane his luggage, which contained medication his wife needed. Smith was ultimately booked on the next flight, where he proceeded to use Virgin's wi-fi service to complain about the incident to the airline. Before his flight landed, Smith received an apology as well as an offer for free tickets for future travel.
