AIBU?
Flying when fat - help!
FattyAirways · 10/09/2022 14:41
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!
Am I being unreasonable?
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TheSpringyGuyAndTheCheeseEater · 11/09/2022 15:39
Day20 · 11/09/2022 11:33
@TirisfalPumpkin with all due respect if you have sensory issues are you sure an airport and plane are the most ideal way to travel? Public transport is just that public. Ones needs does not trump another.
I do not know how a person with sensory issues would cope with the airports currently long ques, standing within close proximity to people, people going ahead of the queue despite you being there before them.. and the delays.
You cannot just discriminate whatever the reason may be.
Adjustments can be made in the airport so that, while it's unpleasant, people with sensory issues can cope. Ear defenders, sunglasses, special assistance will even take people straight through to avoid the clouds. The person should be able to breathe a relative sigh of relief once they reach their seat and their personal space is restored. To tell people with sensory issues that they should just not fly because an inconsiderate and entitled stranger may take up a significant proportion of the personal space that they have paid for on the plane - when unlike autism, sensory issues or any other disability, this is totally avoidable by booking the extra seat so the entitled person is inflicting this on the other passenger by choice - is appalling.
There is no need for one person's needs to "trump the other". The overweight person can simply avoid trampling over other people's perfectly reasonable needs to have the space they have paid for to themselves.
FattyAirways · 11/09/2022 19:06
I have some great news! Today I got to try a plane seat which is the same width as I will be sat in and I fit absolutely fine. No hang over of my body on the next seat. I am so happy! I do carry most of my fat on my arms and belly, and really I've always been happy with myself width-ways, it's just the belly and flabby arms that I have a problem with.
piffle123 · 11/09/2022 19:14
FattyAirways · 11/09/2022 19:06
I have some great news! Today I got to try a plane seat which is the same width as I will be sat in and I fit absolutely fine. No hang over of my body on the next seat. I am so happy! I do carry most of my fat on my arms and belly, and really I've always been happy with myself width-ways, it's just the belly and flabby arms that I have a problem with.
How??
FlimsySteve · 11/09/2022 19:17
forgotoldusername · 11/09/2022 09:19
Unfortunately OP has decided she'll be "fine" so she won't book a second seat. So so unfair towards the unfortunate person sitting next to her. I would make some annoyed noises to be honest - and imagine her having to go to the loo (thankfully the Ryanair seats in front can't recline). I have an issue with one of my joints and that's why I mostly travel business or at the very least I choose and pay for an aisle seat on the left side of the plane to accommodate my joint.
The majority of people here is telling you to buy a second seat - please do the decent thing and buy it - people will breathe a sigh of relief on the plane I can guarantee you. And next time book business which means the middle seat is vacant and you can spill there
I've bought a second seat twice and both times they have sat someone in it so I don't do it anymore.
FattyAirways · 11/09/2022 19:21
FlimsySteve · 11/09/2022 19:17
I've bought a second seat twice and both times they have sat someone in it so I don't do it anymore.
forgotoldusername · 11/09/2022 09:19
Unfortunately OP has decided she'll be "fine" so she won't book a second seat. So so unfair towards the unfortunate person sitting next to her. I would make some annoyed noises to be honest - and imagine her having to go to the loo (thankfully the Ryanair seats in front can't recline). I have an issue with one of my joints and that's why I mostly travel business or at the very least I choose and pay for an aisle seat on the left side of the plane to accommodate my joint.
The majority of people here is telling you to buy a second seat - please do the decent thing and buy it - people will breathe a sigh of relief on the plane I can guarantee you. And next time book business which means the middle seat is vacant and you can spill there
That is not good! Did you get a refund?
IWishIWasABaller · 11/09/2022 19:23
TheSpringyGuyAndTheCheeseEater · 11/09/2022 00:26
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.
Well yes if I was flying alone I would book two seats ! My last flight was so uncomfortable I made up my mind never again and have joined slimming world. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for me never again
FlimsySteve · 11/09/2022 19:26
FattyAirways · 11/09/2022 19:21
That is not good! Did you get a refund?
FlimsySteve · 11/09/2022 19:17
I've bought a second seat twice and both times they have sat someone in it so I don't do it anymore.
forgotoldusername · 11/09/2022 09:19
Unfortunately OP has decided she'll be "fine" so she won't book a second seat. So so unfair towards the unfortunate person sitting next to her. I would make some annoyed noises to be honest - and imagine her having to go to the loo (thankfully the Ryanair seats in front can't recline). I have an issue with one of my joints and that's why I mostly travel business or at the very least I choose and pay for an aisle seat on the left side of the plane to accommodate my joint.
The majority of people here is telling you to buy a second seat - please do the decent thing and buy it - people will breathe a sigh of relief on the plane I can guarantee you. And next time book business which means the middle seat is vacant and you can spill there
Of course but it was a waste of my time and money booking them, and sorting out the admin for the refund.
forgotoldusername · 11/09/2022 19:34
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arthurfowlermood · 11/09/2022 21:17
RampantIvy · 11/09/2022 20:54
Can I ask - if you buy a second seat for comfort, don't you still have to have the armrests down for take off and landing?
What happens if someone can't fit in the seat?
I think most people can fit in the seat but there is overhang with and without the armrests. Not comfortable for either party I would guess.
TheSpringyGuyAndTheCheeseEater · 11/09/2022 21:35
Well yes if I was flying alone I would book two seats ! My last flight was so uncomfortable I made up my mind never again and have joined slimming world. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for me never again
Thanks for being considerate.
And also good luck with the weight loss.
Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 12/09/2022 16:31
I mean, no. It's not ideal spilling over. So if you think you will, ideally, book an extra seat. But I do wonder if all the people on here with long legs or wide shoulders do their fellow passengers the same courtesy. I feel like I spend my entire like jammed in between 6ft+ men manspreading and hogging armrests when I fly for business. Air travel used to be marketed as a luxury, but now it's basically a flying bus. People need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
Do you follow Sofie Hagan OP? She talks a lot about this type of thing and what she does.
Day20 · 13/09/2022 05:57
Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 12/09/2022 16:31
I mean, no. It's not ideal spilling over. So if you think you will, ideally, book an extra seat. But I do wonder if all the people on here with long legs or wide shoulders do their fellow passengers the same courtesy. I feel like I spend my entire like jammed in between 6ft+ men manspreading and hogging armrests when I fly for business. Air travel used to be marketed as a luxury, but now it's basically a flying bus. People need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
Do you follow Sofie Hagan OP? She talks a lot about this type of thing and what she does.
Having wide shoulders is really clutching at straws. I have a broad back and I'm a woman it's relatively slender but my shoulders are wide. I wear a size 10 in a top and 12 in bottoms.
A size 16 even is not comparable to OPS scenario.
FattyAirways · 30/09/2022 15:23
Well I'm back and I was absolutely bloody fine!!!
I was fine in my seat and certainly didn't spill over my seat. My legs were in 'my space' as was the rest of my body. I flew Ryanair outbound and the seatbelt didn't come anywhere near fastening. I read online that the seatbelts are around 30 inches and they probably are! I got along fine with a seatbelt extender though. There was room in front of me too and I was sat there feeling pleased with myself. The handrest went down easypeasy too. My seat neighbours were fab! I was sat next to an average to larger sized woman and we didn't touch, apart from when I was falling asleep and my leg accidentally fell to touch hers! It was a very comfortable journey. I could even manage to squeeze my handbag up between the seat infront and my belly. My aim for my next flight is to not need an extender.
I flew home with EasyJet. Despite the seat being an inch wider than Ryanair, it seemed like a bit more of a squeeze, and fuck, EJ's seats are uncomfortable! I was at the edge of my seat space (width-wise) on this one as I looked down at the edge of the seat and my legs, but again, managed not to invade the person sat beside me's seat, but I must admit, did breathe a sigh of relief when we touched down, just due to the sheer uncomfortableness of the seat!
So, if you are reading this and are a size 24-26 (I'm also 5'6 and 24 stone) and are worried about flying, please do not worry, you'll be absolutely fine!
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