French man deemed too fat to fly home
Staff reporter, The West Australian November 8, 2013, 10:16 am
A French man who traveled to the United States for medical treatment has been told he can't fly home because he is too fat.
CBS Chicago reports that Kevin Chenais, who weighs more than 225kg - had been treated at the famed Mayo Clinic for a year for a hormone disorder and was due to return home to France.
But he and his family have been stranded in Chicago for a week because British Airways deemed Mr Chenais too big to to fly on any of its aircraft.
"We blame British Airways because now they just leave us and they brought us here," Kevin's mother Christina Chenais tearfully told CBS.
"If they could bring him here with that problem in economy, there was a way to take him back by economy, but just get him back home for his medical treatments to continue."
British Airways claimed Chenais was too fat to fly home. Photo: Getty
Mr Chenais needs round-the-clock oxygen and full-time medical care.
The Chenais family insists the airline was told of their son's condition and weight before they bought tickets.
CBS reports that despite being out of money, the family is so desperate they intend to take the train to New York and from there sail on the Queen Mary II to England.
A spokesperson for the airline told CBS they had tried their best to accommodate the Chenais family and that their customer service team "worked diligently to find a solution."
"Unfortunately, it is not possible to safely accommodate the customer on any of our aircraft," a spokesman for the airline stated.
