A WOMAN has shared the “struggle” of travelling by airplane as a plus size person – with some people claiming she should pay for two seats.
Kirsty Leanne, 29, from Shropshire, shared a video of herself on an airplane with the tray table unable to full extend and the seatbelt tight against her stomach.
Kirsty, who runs a website about travelling as a plus size person called Plus Size Travel Too, is a passionate traveller – but says the experience is less than comfortable for larger people.
She told Jam Press: “I travel regularly and flying is definitely one of the most stressful parts of travelling while fat.
“Choosing a comfortable seat, asking for a seatbelt extender, tray tables not going down, small bathrooms are all things we have to worry about when we travel and so I wanted to show people that they're not alone.”
In the TikTok video, Kirsty can be seen boarding a plane before sitting down and showing the seatbelt tight against her stomach, while the tray table isn’t able to come fully down – captioning the post “emotional damage”.
The clip was viewed more than one million times and racked up 42,000 likes, but divided users.
Some were on her side, with one person saying: “These comments aren’t it, everyone should feel comfortable traveling.”
Someone else added: “These comments are NOT IT. I’m a flight attendant and it is definitely up to the airline to work with you to find a solution.”
“Anyone commenting about her weight needs to educate themselves. It's the airlines responsibility to provide equitable service,” another person wrote.
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However, others argued that airplanes shouldn’t have to accommodate her – one user said: “When I was a bigger gal I bought an extra seat.” [sic]
“Doesn’t make sense for airlines to make seats bigger, they then lose seats and therefor money,” someone argued.
“Really not fair to others to take up 1 and a half seats. Buy 2 seats or don’t fly,” added another user.
Some people said airline seats had been shrinking over the years, and that others also struggled to fit.
One person said: “People saying it’s her fault like airlines haven’t been shrinking seats for the last 20 years. I’m 6’3” and I barely fit in coach.”
Someone else agreed: “Honestly I feel like we could all benefit from bigger seats and more leg room.”
Kirsty believes adjustments could help many people – regardless of weight.
She said: “I don't think my size is relevant as I think this applies to people of a range of different sizes.
“A number of seats that are catered towards bigger sizes would be beneficial to so many people – pregnant people, tall people, body builders – but I understand there are often difficulties around this.
“There are also a lot of comments about buying a second seat or booking first class and while I recognise that this is a great solution, it's not viable for everyone as airfare is already very expensive.”
Back in 2019, a man sparked debate after he charged an obese plane passenger £100 for taking up some of his seat on a flight.
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