Overweight man was plane 'humiliated' An overweight man claims he was "humiliated" after being told to get off a plane. A PASSENGER claims he was left "humiliated" after being told he couldn't board a plane. Matthew Harper, who weighs 154 kilograms, claims he was told to step off the Southwest flight from Chicago to Denver, US, as it was overbooked. He said he'd "never been humiliated like this in my life" and "felt like a criminal," TV station DKVR reported. "I mean, when I got back on the plane, the only thing I could do was put my head down," he said of the incident, where staff had approached him in front of other passengers. The airline has a "customer of size" policy which encourages passengers to purchase a second seat prior to their flight if they "encroach upon any part of the neighbouring seats." Mr Harper said he was aware of the policy but there was an empty seat between his brother and himself. The airline eventually let him on the plane. Mr Harper has filed a complaint with the airline and is considering legal action. He refused $100 in compensation. Southwest Airlines has apologised over the incident and is investigating. "We sincerely regret Mr. Harper's unhappiness over his experience," a Southwest spokesperson said. We have personally called Mr. Harper to offer him our apologies and better understand his concerns. It's important to clarify that he did travel as schedule - we did not deny him boarding. Our employee informed him of our policy, and he proceeded to travel as scheduled.