It’s a big hassle — with a slim number of solutions.
Hopping a plane while plump isn’t easy, according to plus-size travel influencer Kirsty Leanne — citing narrow aisles, tightly-packed rows and cramped accommodations, which make it hard for her to sit back and enjoy the ride.
But paying for extra personal space, a quick fix that frequent flyers of size often choose, doesn’t work for her — and she’s not bothered by the complainers who carp about her not booking a second seat, or even a larger one at the front of the plane.
“Here’s why I don’t book two seats every time I fly,” explained Leanne, 29, from the UK, in an in-depth TikTok tell-all currently boasting over 1.3 million views.
“While I understand that seems like the right solution when it comes to small seats on planes,” the on-the-move millennial said, “it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ issue.”
In fact, it’s just one of the many issues that heavyset jet-setters face at 30,000 feet.
Travelers of a certain size have been angrily calling on airlines, hotel chains and destinations, demanding “size inclusive” adjustments for portly patrons.
Leanne, founder of Plus Sized Travel Too, a site dedicated to overweight trippers, has also blown the whistle of inclusivity, virally documenting the “emotional damage” done by careless companies that refuse to cater to the chubby.
Her heartfelt call-to-action, however, was met with cruel attacks launched by fatphobics — who flooded her with hateful comments like, “Buy two seats or don’t fly.”
But in her recent, lengthy retort to virtual trolls, Leanne plainly explained while spending double is rarely worth the trouble.
“Booking two seats can be incredibly expensive, and for a lot of people, it’s out of their budget to spend that much on something they’re not sure will work 100%,” she said.
“Booking an extra seat can also be super tricky every airline has a different process, and most of the time this isn’t available to find on their website,” noted the full-figured tastemaker. “On numerous occasions I have spoke to members of [an airline’s] team, using support chats or their customer service line, and they haven’t understood what I’m trying to do.”
The Brit blames the hubbub on the lack of clear company policies and practices for corpulent customers.
“A lot of the time, both the check-in and gate agents do not know you can book an extra seat, which often leads to confusion when it comes to the process,” Leanne lamented.
“Once, I was travelling with an extra seat and at every point of contact with a member of staff, they didn’t know what to do or how to process it,” she recalled. “This was an incredibly anxious experience for me, as I didn’t know if they were going to honor the seat reservation.”
The voluptuous trendsetter went on to claim that airlines will often sell an obese person’s second seat to standby passengers in need.
“It can also be taken away due to aircraft changes,” said Leanne, “which can completely change the seating layout of the plane and is not something that can be planned for in advance.”
“While I know booking a second seat works great for some, it’s not a blanket solution for every single plus size person,” she insisted in closing, hoping to have enlightened her haters.
But, unfortunately, it seems the minds of the meanies aren’t easily changed.
“If you can afford to travel, the extra seat should be within your budget,” spewed a commenter. “It’s not fair to the people around you.”
“‘Booking two seats is too expensive,’ while eating for a family of 5,” another teased.
“How about you spend that money on a gym membership so you don’t need to afford to buy two seats?,” a cyberbully chimed.
Thankfully for Leanne, a few supporters spoke up on her behalf.
“I don’t think anyone should have to pay for a second seat, that’s f—king bonkers,” said an ally. “Being fat is not a crime.”
“Airplane seats are small. It’s not just about fat people, tall people, old people, people with babies,” they continued, insisting that “many people need more room.”
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