‘Blind Side’ Star Quinton Aaron Forced Off US Airways Flight: Airline Claims He Was ‘Too Big’

Quinton Aaron’s debacle with US Airways could probably be summed up with two words – “awkward” and “embarrassing”. According to the Daily Mail, the Blind Side star was booted from a US Airways flight due to his size.

On Friday, Apr. 4, Aaron was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia, PA to Rochester, NY. The flight only takes about an hour. So, most people would expect the quick trip to be a breeze, right? Not! The flight attendant asked Aaron to leave the plane before it was even cleared to leave the ground.

For those who haven’t seen the 2009 drama film, Blind Side, it chronicles the evolution of Tennessee Titans’ offensive tackle, Michael Oher. Aaron, who is actually much larger than Oher, stands at 6’8 and weighs approximately 500 pounds. So, its quite obvious how he could have caused minor complications on a compacted coach flight. The 29-year-0ld actor explained to TMZ that he usually buys two tickets when traveling on a commercial flight.

However, this particular time accommodations were extremely limited, so he ended up settling with having just one ticket. He even revealed exactly why he was asked to exit the plane. Apparently, the passenger who was assigned to the coach seat next to him had an issue with the seating arrangements since he couldn’t even get to his chair. Aaron’s stomach was the cause of the problem.

But luckily, he didn’t seem too offended by the misunderstanding. He was actually able to resolve the matter in a timely fashion. The airline was also able to book him a later flight with two seats. He was quite patient and understanding of the whole situation.

“I definitely need two seats … It worked out for the better … my knees weren’t pushed into the back of the metal on someone else’s seat.”

Although Aaron saw no problem with the brash treatment, he’s definitely not the only person’s who’s had to face such a disheartening experience. Hopefully, future aircraft designs will be modified in the future to better accommodate passengers of all sizes.

Image via Quinton Aaron, Wikimedia Commons