Do I need to book two plane seats?!

A lot depends on how the weight is distributed. If part of what makes you a size 18 is boobs and a gut, then you're good to go. If it's a very large derriere then I'd consider two seats.

With or without the ‘massive’ salads ?
lol x

When I was bigger (22) 5’7 I was fine with DH as we put the armrest up after takeoff but I’m not sure I would have been comfortable with it down which obviously it would be next to a stranger ? (If I flew economy I would 💯 expect arm rests firmly down myself when flying next to anyone I don’t know, that’s normal no? )

Get the tape measure out like someone upthread suggested although at a size 18 you are a lot smaller than I was to be fair x

have a great hols x

No dont worry.

I flew with easy jet at a size 24 and was fine, you should have no issues, I didn’t even need the seat belt extended

Standard width of Ryanair seats is 430mm, so you might find it a bit tight, but probably ok for a short flight.

I fly short haul budget regularly and was 18 at my heaviest- bottom heavy pear shape. At that size I had no issues that would cause a neighbour discomfort or necessitate an extender belt. I did feel the sides of the seat against me.

the one important thing I learned and haven’t seen mentioned yet is that some planes have slightly narrower seats in the back few rows as the plane tapers but they still have 3 seats all the way rather than dropping to 2 seats as you see on nicer airlines. I experienced this on an EasyJet flight, luckily only an hour but was very uncomfortable. At size 18 that little bit makes a difference.

you’ll be fine. Guaranteed there will be much larger passengers.

I flew earlier this year on Jet2, last year with BA and at size 22 had no problems with the seat, I flew Buzz Air before (think it’s a Ryan air offshoot) and seat was a bit tighter but manageable for the few hours.

you’ll be fine.

I was a size 18 with a large baby bump, I needed a seat belt extender cos I was like 28 weeks with a huge swimming pool inside me but I didn't need to book out a row.

Sorry ignore this post, I missed that you said it was an AI summary not RyanAir’s

At a size 18, you will be completely fine please stop worrying

You may need a seatbelt extender because it's somebody has already explained the seatbelts frequently get shortened due to damage and can end up very small whereas you could end up in a seat with a new seatbelt that is much longer. It's really no reflection on the passenger, just on the life the seatbelt has lead!!

Please don't buy one online either lots of airlines won't allow you to use private ones and they have plenty on board. You just need to ask one of the crew for One and don't be embarrassed about it because lots of smaller people need to ask for them too.

I understand how stressed you are, been there done that, if you really must measure yourself and the seat With do it by measuring a chair with arm to sit in it not by measuring your body and comparing, that really doesn't work.

Do you frequently look at seats in places that have arms and think I'll never fit in there??

You'll be fine, honest 💕

I agree with this though.

All seats should have solid sides to prevent people taking the space of others, that can be removed by a flight attendant with a key for those who are eg travelling with a small child (who wants to rest on them) on request, or for someone who has purchased two seats.

I just don’t think it sounds like OP will be overspilling though. Esp with the sensible precaution of booking the window.

I ran it through AI and you’ll be fine:

Ryanair’s standard seats are roughly 43 cm / 17 inches wide, so they are fairly narrow. As a very rough guide:

• UK 8-14: very unlikely to extend beyond the seat itself.
• UK 16-18: generally still fine, although someone broad through the hips may find it snug.
• UK 20-22: more dependent on body shape. A particularly hip-heavy person may start to make contact with the armrests or neighbouring space.
• UK 24+: increasingly likely that a standard 17-inch seat will be genuinely tight and there may be some encroachment, particularly at the hips/thighs.

Window seat sounds a good idea to me, as it actually has a bit more space than the other seats. No one is supposed to hang into the aisle so that one isn’t actually more spacious.

I think size 18 sounds fine - it’s not a size I’d think of as two seats large at all.

Obviously no one should be hanging into the next person’s space but I wouldn’t have thought you would at an 18.

I voted that you were being unreasonable, but because I don't think you need to worry as a size 18 is not a size I would think required two seats. Hope you enjoy your holiday :-)

Clearly it can be necessary at a size 18 considering that the poster I replied to is a size 18 and found seats with solid sides tight.

None of which is necessary at size 18

If the seats with solid sides are tight for you then you are spilling onto other people’s seats when you have regular arm rests. If you don’t fit in your own seat without spilling onto other people’s seats and you aren’t travelling with friends and family who don’t mind sharing their space, then you should be buying two seats.

Is there something lacking in your life @HollyMcDolly that makes you feel the need to make bitchy comments to strangers on the Internet in order to feel better about yourself? Or do you just enjoy being unkind?

Touched a nerve clearly!

Doesn’t matter anyway. If you book two seats they can still give away you other booked seat if they oversubscribe the flight. It’s scandalous.

They do fit in the seats, though.

Nope! Unless you have a very, very disproportionate sized arse.

If you’re relying on the fact the sides of the seat aren’t solid then you’re encroaching on someone else’s space.