A judge ruled that the woman needed therapy as ‘urgent relief’
An airline has been ordered to pay for a plus-size model’s therapy after she claimed they made her feel like a “fat monster”.
Brazilian influencer Juliana Nehme, 38, said Qatar Airways staff stopped her boarding a flight from Beirut to Doha because of her weight.
She claimed that instead of offering her a refund for the £830 she had forked out for a seat, they said she would need to pay an additional £2,480 for a ticket in first class, where the seats are bigger.
Nehme ended up having to stay in Lebanon with her mother while her sister and nephew flew home, and has since discussed the traumatic ordeal while speaking to media in her homeland.
She said: “It was like I wasn’t a human being to them. I was a fat monster that couldn’t get on board.
“It was horrible. I’d never imagined going through something like this, ever.
“It hurts me now to remember how much I blamed myself, because I blamed myself a lot, I even asked my mother for forgiveness several times.
“I said, “Mum, forgive me, because me being like this stopped you from going home”. And she said it wasn’t my fault.”
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The airline has now been ordered to pay for the model to have psychotherapy to help her come to terms with the distress she endured following a court hearing in Sao Paolo, the Daily Mail reports.
Nehme will have “a weekly therapy session worth £63 for a period of at least one year.” In total, Qatar Airways will pay her £3,000 for the sessions.
Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho said the “granting of urgent relief is a reasonable and proportionate measure to ensure that the stressful and traumatic event is overcome.”
In a statement, a spokesperson said the airline “treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers.”
They added: “The passenger in question at Beirut Airport was initially extremely rude and aggressive to check-in staff when one of her travelling party did not produce required PCR documentation for entry to Brazil.
“As a result, airport security was requested to intervene as staff and passengers were extremely concerned with her behaviour.”
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