Qatar Airways has been ordered to pay for the psychotherapy sessions for a plus-sized passenger who was denied boarding on grounds of being “too big” to fit into an economy class seat.
According to the Independent, Brazilian model Juliana Nehme, 38, accused the airline of discrimination because of her weight in an incident that occurred on November 22.
Nehme said she was stopped from taking her seat in economy class. Instead, Qatar Airways staff told her that she would be allowed to board only if she purchased a business class ticket for $3000, over and above the $1000 she had already paid for her seat in economy.
She documented the incident on Instagram, where her video quickly went viral. Nehme said she was not allowed to board her flight from Beirut, Lebanon, to Doha and Qatar Airways also refused to refund her ticket. She also missed her connecting flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“What a shame for a company like Qatar to allow this type of discrimination against people! I’m fat, but I’m just like everyone else!” Nehme told her Instagram followers.
Now, a court in Sao Paulo has ordered the airline to pay for her therapy, the Daily Mail reported.
Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho said the airline must fund therapy with weekly sessions worth $78 for a period of one year. Qatar Airways must therefore pay Nehme a total of $3718.
The airline, however, has denied that the Brazilian model and influencer was stopped from boarding because of her weight. It told The Independent that Nehme was “extremely rude and aggressive” while a member of her group did not have proper Covid certification, because of which she was denied boarding.
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