Director Kevin Smith last made headlines when he was kicked off an overbooked Southwest Airlines in February of this year. Southwest initially insisted that he was “too fat to fly,” but it turned out that the decision was based on the fact that he was a larger man on an overbooked flight, and was not technically too big for the seat or seatbelt. As a result of that debacle, Smith avoided flying for months and then gradually went back to flying first class, were he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb after all the publicity he received over the “too fat to fly” incident. So he booked what’s known as a “concierge” service that specializes in getting VIPs to the gate just before takeoff, essentially avoiding having other passengers file past them while they’re seated in first class. But an employee at Virgin Airlines refused to let Smith or his party board despite the fact that there were ten minutes left before takeoff and the jetway was still attached. They also refused to retrieve their luggage, which contained medication his wife needed.

On Twitter, I’ve been asked this question a few times, so I figured I’d include the response here…

Via @cbalint “Why did you wait until 10 minutes b4 the flight to board?”

One of the only pricey indulgences I’m happy to pay for is First Class air travel. I fly LOTS, and when you’re also big fat-ass, the wider seats are definitely more comfortable. Indeed, with the exception of the Bay Area Southwest flights I used to take, it’s fair to say – since ‘96 – you could always find me at the front of the plane (as a first class passenger, not giving the pilot’s “driver’s courtesy”).

After Southwest did it’s level-headed best to alienate large passengers everywhere, I was off flying for awhile, sticking strictly to my beloved bus – the last refuge of the oversized traveler with a Jay-and-Silent-Bob-lined bank account. But in order to attend the Walter Gretzky street hockey tournament in Brandtford this summer, I HAD to fly again (we couldn’t make it in time driving, due to a previous engagement).

So I bit the bullet and got on another plane, for the first time in months. And when I sat down, the fella next to me smiled and asked “They gonna throw you off this plane too?”

And the next three flights I took, it was the same. Even worse: when you fly first, you board first, sit down… and then EVERYONE files past you. And when you’re the Too Fat To Fly guy on a plane? Well, everyone stares. Then the whispering starts. A hundred people look right at you – when you’re not on a stage. It kinda blows.

But Affleck told me that when he flies, he uses a concierge service: a company that works with the airport and each airlines. Their job is to get you to the plane on time, but not when boarding begins; that way, you don’t have to play the Elephant Man for passengers passing you en route to their seats. Essentially, you board last. The entire service is designed to get you to the plane door shortly before the door closes.

We were at the airport and checked-in for over an hour before departure, waiting in the lounge. Dorothy, our concierge, has been doing her job for years; she knows EXACTLY how much time she has to get her clients to the plane before the door closes. This is how she makes her living, so it behooves her to know when to head for the plane; we had time. The plane was not only in sight, it REMAINED in sight for the next 15/20 minutes. Dorothy the concierge was, rightfully, beside herself: the gate agents made HER look bad – even though this is EXACTLY how she does her job every day.

So that’s why I got to the door ten minutes before the flight: because I was told to by a professional who’s been working JFK for years. It didn’t matter; The gate agents made up their minds to lose Virgin some business.

But that’s in the past now. Virgin America did EXACTLY what any corporation/company should do when their customers have issues with their service: they almost instantly self-corrected. I appreciate that they’ve done their best to repair damage and apologize.

Lots have Tweeted that Virgin only corrected because they didn’t want to go through the shit I went through with Air Master Race back in February. I don’t care why they’re trying to amends, I’m just sincerely relieved to know that there’s an airline out there that will listen and seriously try to fix things – not just write a blog that lied about their captain, only to then CHANGE their party line AND blog without denoting or highlighting their deception… Sorry – CORRECTION! Meant correction. Southwest still stands alone as Worst in Customer Service in my book.

But even though the Virgin America JFK gate 25 agents royally f*&%ed my day, someone higher up in the company tried very hard to make it right… And succeeded.

[From SilentBobSpeaks.com]

At least Virgin corrected the situation and made amends, unlike the way that Southwest handled it earlier. A lot of people are going to disagree with me and say this is Smith’s issue, but I don’t blame Smith for making a fuss. They could have let him on the plane and it just sounds like an employee was grandstanding to make a point. This just reminds me how much it truly sucks to fly commercial, even if you go first class and pay big bucks to get some respite from the crap that everyone else has to deal with.

Kevin Smith is shown out with his daughter on 11/27/10. Credit: Beiny/Fu/WENN. They’re also shown at the MTV music awards on 9/12 and at an event on 8/18. He loves that shirt. Credit: WENN.com