Flying when fat - help!

[FattyAirways]

I'm due to fly soon and i'm overweight quite significantly. I have lost some weight but won't lose enough to feel confident on the plane by time I go. Has anyone recently flew who is overweight who can offer words of reassurance?

What has made me even more nervous is that I anticipated it might be a quiet flight (early evening) and I have just seen that two people have booked the seats next to mine despite there being a number of seats that are in the lines of three still vacant. Why oh why would anyone do that? They're not even the premium economy seats!

But @IWishIWasABaller if flying alone - especially on Ryanair where you say the seats are smaller than average - would you not book a comfort seat next to you to avoid this embarrassment to yourself and the inconvenience and awkwardness (at best) to the passenger next to you (at worst, as a PP highlighted, potentially causing them distress)?

I really don't understand the mentality of anybody who wouldn't just book the extra seat if they knew this was an issue and would not be sitting next to a family member or friend whose consent for impinging on their personal space they could seek in advance.

I’m same size, I bought my own extender off Amazon so that I wouldn’t have to ask for one - I didn’t need it though. Wasn’t too worried about encroaching on other people because I was sitting with DS but I don’t think that much of an issue either. Have a great flight

Well I don't think that being judgmental and unkind is fine. I'd far rather sit next to someone who needs a bit of extra space than a snotty judgmental cow, however slender they happen to be. Flights are public transport and part of this is sharing space with others. Toughen up princesses.

I'm not sure being on public transport means you are obliged to donate half of the seat you've paid for to the person next to you. What a bizarre attitude. "Sharing space" doesn't mean having somebody touching you when individual seats have been booked.

I also don't think people are being unkind generally. The opposite: they are suggesting some courtesy towards other passengers and making appropriate arrangements by booking an extra seat if you can't fit into a single one rather than expecting to take up a proportion of somebody's else's seat as well as your own. I'd say that's pretty unkind and selfish given that multiple posters have highlighted how somebody "spilling" into their personal space and touching them could make their own flight anxiety, claustrophobia or sensory issues etc unbearable. Why should we be kind to overweight people but they shouldn't be kind to anybody else, especially when the issue is completely avoidable by simply booking the extra seat?

I do think that people are being unkind and judgmental. Mainly because they can get away with it because their judgment is about body size. Live and let live and if you don't want others near you, then it's easily solvable by using a private jet. Ffs. The poor woman just wants to take a 3 hour journey and heaven forbid she might inadvertently touch someone.

I am a size 22 and just endured an EasyJet flight. I initially booked two seats but was then informed by customer services that the seat arms are fixed (i.e., can't be raised) so I wouldn't get any more space that way. (I later found out this was not true, at least not on my flights.) So on their advice I booked and paid extra for the front row which was supposed to have a seat width of 26cm rather than the standard 17.5cm. Even so, it was a nightmare. I was very uncomfortable and the arms were squeezing me on both sides (ironically the arms in the first row are fixed), and I barely managed to get the seatbelt done up even after sucking everything in.
Thank god the flight was only 90 minutes—I have never been so uncomfortable in my life.

I am not going anywhere now until I get back down to a normal weight.

This didn't work on my EasyJet flight as there was an immovable chair arm between me and the wall.

Hi @FattyAirways , I'm ex cabin crew and flew for many years. Admittedly I've never worked for Ryanair but many of the things discussed here come under law rather than airline practice.

1. Please do not worry about someone refusing to move from the seat you booked. Occasionally people do sit in the wrong seat, if it happens and you don't want to talk directly to the person speak to the crew and they will do it.

2. passengers need to be sat in their assigned seats for take off and landing (exceptions can ge made but not in large numbers). If there are spare seats ask the crew as early as possible if you can move (if that's what you want), even on the ground and just ask when you can move if they agree (the cabin manager/ supervisor is usually in the front galley or by the first set of doors.

3. do not buy an extension seat belt from amazon. They aren't certified and if you need it, you'd want to know it's safe. Airlines carry these as standard and they are used more than you think. Please fo not be embarrassed if you require one even if it's just to be a little more comfortable.

4. extra seats. Some airlines over sell seats. If there is essentially an empty seat the airline can fill it if they need to even if that seat has been purchased (think people not turning up for flight or if the planned aircraft is changed for a diff type).

5. some seats are classed as abp seats and the passengers in these have to fit certain criteria for safety if needed in an evacuation. These are usually by the doors but can be the rows behind or infront of the doors also. There are some extra room seats by bulkheads on some planes where you don't need to fit the safety criteria, these are usually wide bodied aircraft. If you are in an apb seat or book one in the future it is down to the cc to decide if you can sit there. As a rough guide if you require an extension seatbelt you should be asked to move.

6. every passenger has paid for their travel including you. You have as much right to be there as anyone else.

7. Please try to enjoy the flight. Take a book or an ipad to distract you. Enjoy your window seat and the beautiful views you'll get.

Because you are considering all the effects then you probably won't have a problem. You are probably imagining the worst scenarios. If there's a problem buy your seat partners a drink 😃

OP doesn't come across as thoughtless to me. OP clearly is worrying hence her post. Perhaps some comments here are a hard pill for her to swallow and tbh I think after this thread she my book the extra seat anyway.

If money isn't an issue, why not book the extra seat and guarantee comfort for you and whoever is next to you? It would also relieve your anxiety.

I once sat next to a plus sized lady who was absolutely lovely and unfortunately did spill over into my seat.

As a result I spent the three-hour flight leaning to one side to accommodate her. Unfortunately I have an ongoing issue with my spine and the pain this caused affected my holiday and I had to hobble off the plane. You sound lovely too, so please do consider buying the extra seat.

If you spill into the next seat that is pretty antisocial, it's happened to me long haul and British airways were so apologetic but it was a full flight (I had a bassinet position booked too, lady demanded i swop so she could be on the aisle which I refused cue an awkward 10'hours especially when the cabin crew brought me first class food to apologise then let me use the crew quarters to breast feed because I couldn't in my seat due to her fat!)

We all carry weight differently, at size 18 I have no issues at all fitting, dp is bigger and fits absolutely fine. Book an extra seat if you don't fit

can you see the irony...🤔

OP is as entitled to travel as anyone else, and the reasons for her size are nobody’s business.

that said, I’m not convinced a size 24 could be comfortably accommodated without spilling - with 52’’ (around) hips, a 17’’ (across) seat is going to be a challenge. I’m a size 12 with 40’’ hips and it’s a snug fit for me.

Being spilled onto when you have sensory issues isn’t just uncomfortable or annoying. I can say from personal experience, it causes severe distress. I really can’t understate how bad it is for the spill-ee.

Two seats really seems like the best solution, particularly if money isn’t an issue. You can then verify whether you spill or not and book with confidence the next time, without potentially harming someone.

Ring the airline and find out the seat dimensions. Sit down and measure round your fat. That is the only way to know you won't be encroaching on the person next to you. Far better to find out so you can book another seat rather than them have to ask to move because you're body is touching theirs. How embarrassing!

Do you all ever travel by the Tube? People touching you on all sides. The worst offenders are slim young manspreaders, not overweight people.

I would agree that it is not at all unkind to say that spilling into someone else's seat is unreasonable.

A few years ago, I was in the seat next to a very overweight lady whose thigh spilled under the armrest and would have occupied a good third of my seat, before any compression/squashing. I'm a size 10, for reference.

She was very friendly and we ended up chatting during the flight. She even confided that she was relieved when she saw that her seat neighbour was slim, as she always had a problem fitting into airline seats.

Lovely as she was, I had a very uncomfortable flight, with back ache for a while after I left the plane. The whole of one side of my trouser leg was soaked in her sweat where she was squashed against me.

So I am of the view that it really is not ok to encroach. The solution seems to be to book an additional seat and/ or alert the airline to the fact that you might not fit into a standard seat, and see what they recommend.

You can’t just touch people because you won’t pay for a second seat. Nobody should have up put up with this.

I’m a Ryan air frequent flyer. I am size 18( in multiple difficult brands with my weight fairly evenly distributed) Their seats are particularly small and my bottom only just fits in the seat. The seatbelts are also small than average and for me to use is at the maximum.
OP I do think you should be mentally prepared for a problem. I would also advise an aisle seat. I hate it when people have to get past for the toilet .

whole of one side of my trouser leg was soaked in her sweat where she was squashed against me.

^ that's gross.

As an aside, the idea of a ‘comfort seat’ is actually a nice one - I can see reason to book it even if not required for fat storage. Could put my bag/book there, use the space to stretch and move, do a bit of seat yoga, pretend I’m in business class.

I suspect those saying ‘I’ve done it and it was fine’ mean they spilled, but their neighbour preferred to endure pain and distress quietly rather than point out to cabin crew that a stranger is fat and it’s causing a problem. I mean, it’s not an easy conversation to have.

and yeah, the leg sweat is grim. Let’s not do that to strangers. Fat isn’t a moral issue until you ruin someone’s day with it through inconsiderate behaviour.

It's not as simple as that.

There are sometimes ground loading restrictions on a handful of types that mean they occasionally board front first but for reasons well beyond the scope of this forum you ideally load the aircraft up with the weight (strictly the centre of mass) towards the rear of the aircraft for performance reasons. Probably not something that's a major issue with short haul flights but it certainly was done on Long Haul flights at some airlines.

However I've seen a few seat maps/plans over the years and what seems to happen is if given a free hand the public seem to like selecting seats up front, for reasons we can only guess at (ease of embarkation/disembarkation, avoiding loos, galleys, etc), even if that means squeezing into an already partly occupied row.

You'd quite often see flights where the majority of forward rows were absolutely full, then there'd be stacks of free seats and even entire rows free towards the back of the aircraft....

Travel by tube and train regularly, also a regular flyer. There is a big difference between someone touching you, as in grazing your arm or leg due to lack of space, something you indeed have to suck up when travelling in rush hour, and a very overweight person physically sitting in part of your seat so that you have much less space than you otherwise would if said person wasn’t there.

If you have joint or spinal issues, the discomfort of having to accommodate two bodies in one seat, with the already paltry amount of space provided for your own body, can be excruciating, as I have experienced personally with a slipped cervical disc. I hobbled off the plane and an issue that was slowly improving relapsed.

OP, pls don’t risk causing discomfort to your fellow travellers, Ryanair seats are pathetically snug, your physical presence will, without doubt, be felt by your immediately neighbouring passenger, book the comfort seat 🤷🏻‍♀️