Passenger kicked off flight for his weight

A Southwest Airlines passenger has claimed that the airline's attitude towards his weight left him feeling "like a criminal" and humiliated him during his flight.

Matthew Harper alleges he was kicked off of his Sunday flight from Chicago to Denver due to his weight. The 340-pound man from Texas was boarding the plane with his brother when a Southwest official told him the flight was overbooked and asked him to leave the plane, according to New York Daily News.

Harper says that wasn't the case because both he and his brother were able to sit down with an empty seat between them. The 34 year old says he was removed from the plane in front of all the other passengers and was asked if he knew about the airline's policy on overweight passengers.

Harper said he was aware of the policy, to which the official threatened he could be thrown off the plane. Southwest Airlines' "customer of size policy" insists fliers who "encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s)" buy a second seat in advance so the airline can "avoid asking customers to relinquish their seats for an unplanned accommodation," according to the airline's website.

Harper was allowed to return to his seat but only after a half-hour delay.

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