A Model Says She Was Refused Boarding On A Flight & Told She Was 'Too Fat' For An Economy Seat

A plus-size model said she was denied entry on her Qatar Airways flight because of her weight and was told to purchase a first-class ticket instead.

Brazilian influencer and model Juliana Nehme was apparently ready to board her flight from Beirut to Doha after a vacation with her family in Lebanon when the airline dropped the news that they wouldn't be letting Nehme on the flight because she was too "fat" to fit in an economy seat, reported Business Insider.

Nehme made an Instagram post sharing her experience with Qatar Airways.

Nehme said the airline told her she would have to spend $3,000 to upgrade her flight to first class and refused to refund the $947 she had already spent on her economy class ticket.

In her video, Nehme said: "I bought a return ticket to Brazil through Qatar and arriving at the time to check in, a Qatar flight attendant called my mother while another staffer was finishing our check-in and told her I wasn't welcome to board because I'm fat," as per Brazilian news outlet News.com.au.

The caption of Nehme's Instagram post explained that she had flown into Lebanon via Air France and "the flight was smooth," suggesting her weight wasn't a problem.

However, Qatar Airways seems to have different policies regarding the matter, making it impossible for her to board the flight.

"After hours of begging, she returned all the bags that had already been dispatched," Nehme shared in the video.

Nehme says she missed her connecting flight to São Paulo because of the entire debacle. She allegedly spent hours begging to be let on the flight but claims that the airline's staff "pushed" her out of line.

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways spoke to Business Insider and explained that Nehme didn't share the entire story. According to the spokesperson, Nehme became "extremely rude and aggressive" to the airline staff when one of her family members showed up at the airport without the required COVID-19 documentation to enter Brazil.

According to Insider, Qatar Airways' policy outlines the protocol around when a passenger can't fit in a seat, and in such a situation, the passenger can be required to purchase an extra seat.

"Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity, and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also confirmed that Nehme was put on a later flight from Lebanon but didn't clarify if she was required to pay for an upgrade.

Since uploading the initial video, Nehme has posted an updated video on November 23 explaining that she's still stuck in Lebanon and struggling to find a flight in her price range to go back to Brazil.