Southwest Airlines has apologised to film director Kevin Smith after ejecting him from a flight for being too large to fit in one seat.
Mr Smith posted an angry tirade on social-networking site Twitter about the way he was treated by Southwest Airlines last weekend.
"If you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest Air," Mr Smith wrote, posting a photograph of himself on the plane.
Mr Smith, director of the new Bruce Willis film "Cop Out" as well as "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy," said a Southwest Airlines pilot ejected him off a flight from Oakland to Burbank, California because the pilot believed he didn't fit properly into just one seat and was a "safety risk."
Mr Smith said he had booked and paid for two seats on a later flight but moved to an earlier flight as a standby passenger that only had one seat available.
His posting prompted a barrage of angry responses from other disgruntled customers, adding to an ongoing debate over the treatment of overweight customers by airlines and whether they should have to pay for two seats.
Southwest Airlines says its policy requires travellers to be able to fit safely and comfortably in one seat and be able to lower their armrests or buy a second seat.
But after a barrage of angry comments from Mr Smith and other passengers, Southwest Airlines apologised to the film director by phone, on its own Twitter page and in a statement on its website.
The airline said it was unusual for it to be so public in handling such matters but decided this case was different because so many people were involved.
"We would like to echo our Tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you," said the airline.
The airline said it put Mr Smith on a later flight and gave him a $100 voucher for his inconvenience.
Reuters