PARIS_A French court on Tuesday postponed a ruling on a lawsuit by a man who says he was humiliated when Air France employees forced him to buy two plane tickets, saying he was too fat to fit in a single seat.
Jean-Jacques Jauffret, 42, had accused Air France of breach of contract and is demanding €8,000 (US$10,505) in damages as well as €500 (US$656) to reimburse the cost of the extra ticket.
But the case took a twist Tuesday when the court said it appeared the travel agency that sold Jauffret the ticket - not Air France - might be at fault.
While Jauffret informed Go Voyages that he weighed 160 kilograms (350 pounds), the agency apparently failed to pass that information on to Air France, the court said. The three judges set a new hearing for March 27 to give Jauffret the opportunity to target his complaint against Go Voyages should he chose to do so.
On an August 2005 flight from New Delhi, India, to Paris, Air France employees required Jauffrey to buy an extra ticket. Jauffret said he was humiliated when Air France staff whipped out a tape measure to gauge his girth - in full sight of other passengers.
"I asked myself whether I was a passenger or a big package," he said.
