Southwest has apology to Kevin Smith

Director Kevin Smith, who was escorted off a Southwest Airlines plane yesterday because he was deemed to be too big for the seat, is back on Twitter this morning explaining how he "passed the stinkin' arm-rest test" but still had to exit the plane.

"I was right: I fit in that seat. But I can't risk not complying: I'm more afraid of AirFeds."

Southwest, meanwhile, has issued a lengthy apology on its site under the headline "Not So Silent Bob" and tries to explain their "Customer of Size" policy.

"First and foremost, to Mr. Smith; we would like to echo our Tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you. We are sincerely sorry for your travel experience on Southwest Airlines. ... If a Customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a Customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement."