To expect people not to take over my seat on the plane

[WhyNotUsehis]

Warning - RANT

If you can't keep your body within the confines of your seat, then either purchase 2 seats or accept the right of your fellow passengers to drop a guillotine between the seats

Why do I have to spend my flight being constantly hit by passing passengers, stewards and trollies as I'm wedged so tightly up against the aisle armrest that my shoulder is hanging out into the aisle and I'm tilted so much into the aisle that my side/back is in agony

I'm not asking you to give me part of your seat, just allow me to have use of my own

It is time airlines stopped being allowed to cram people in like cattle, DH is 6'4 - slim before you all jump on! 30 inch waist. Seeing him trying to fold himself into a Ryan air seat is a joke even the ones with supposed extra leg room. We usually travel as a 3 so put ds in the middle and DH can move his legs to the side into DS' space that works now while DS is young, but he's in the top centile for height so god knows what we'll do once he hits puberty. DH often ends up with back ache after a flight

I did ask for an FA to intervene and they actually separated us. I ended up on the jump seat and I could see she started crying. This meant that she gained some sympathy and eventually I was swapped with someone else not far away from my original seat with the young women looking daggers at me for the last six hours of the,flight.

Horrible experience.

At the very least, a person with extra long legs should make sure that they’re in a window / aisle seat & someone else in their party is in the middle seat so that they’re not inconveniencing strangers.

Funnily enough my 6'5" son who has very long legs manages it. He's bloody uncomfortable but he's not an inconsiderate asshole.

Direct your anger at the right target. A 6'4" person has no option but to spread their legs as they literally can not fit their legs forwards.

sure.

I don’t blame the airlines. There are often multiple choices which airline to select. The budget ones are always about offering cheaper fares with menu pricing.

My partner is 6ft 2. My BIL 6ft 4. Surprisingly we can book seats with extra leg room.

I get it. A lot of times it depends on my mood. My experience is more to do with train/tube journeys. I’ve started “man” spreading whenever a guy is taking up my space and they never say anything in response. But sometimes I just can’t be arsed and put up with it. I get why you might not have confronted him. So annoying though! Feel for you.

That’s right many people are big built nothing to do with being overweight it’s about time that the bloody airline stopped being greedy and give us all humans more space. Bloody cattle get more space on a cattle truck . It’s a shame that overweight people are getting such a hard time and more as more people are getting overweight so airlines should allow for that and make the seats larger. And don’t fat shame . I’m a slim person but I still feel sorry for the overweight often it’s not their fault. They are still decent human beings.

This is part of a wider issue on public transport that seats are not wide enough because they try to cram as many on as possible. With the increasing obesity levels across the UK it is not surprising that encroaching into other people's personal space is an issue, even when people are not fat.

Anyone who claims space invasion is a man thing should join me on my London commute, where I will show them plenty of examples of women on peak time and very busy train services who sit next to the window and plonk their bag on the aisle seat instead of the empty overhead luggage rack. Thankfully, so far they are reasonable enough to shift the bag when I stop next to the offending luggage and give them the I'd-like-to-sit-there-please look.

Upgrade to business class next time.

You do realise business class is out of some people's price range, right?

Ofc.

However, I don't go into Wetherspoons then moan that the food isn't as good as a Michelin starred restaurant.

Similarly, if you fly cattle class then there are certain things you have to expect to put up with - crying babies, passengers with BO, space invaders etc.

I've had the same issue before OP and I agree it makes for a miserable flight.
The man in the seat next to me wasn't obese as such but he had a large frame and was very tall. Basically he didn't have enough width in the seat (totally squashed against me) and not enough room for his long arms and legs.
Some airline seats are simply not fit for purpose.

It matters if you can easily sit on 1 seat or not. This is the difference.

I have done this. My husband cringes when I tell them but heyho!!

It's terrible, I agree.
I was on the other side. Had a late flight with my toddler and we were delayed too. He was so tired after we took off that he fell asleep. I booked us a middle and aisle seat, hoping nobody would want a window. (I was lucky previous time, so was hoping for it again.) Well the flight was fully booked and that seat was taken too. My little one fell asleep and leaned on the left side to the window, to the armrest of that passenger and on him too. As many times I tried to move him, he leaned back. The guy, between 30-40, was so nice and he actually looked for my little one to be comfortable while leaning on him. I was keep on apologising, but he said it's just fine. I know we should not took his space, but as an exhausted mother I was so happy that he was not complaining as was so thoughtful. It meant a lot. It was 2hrs flight though.

Maybe if you & your husband changed places the other bloke would spread less?

Absolutely, I'd bet my house that NONE of these very tall/big built men spread their legs into the space of another man, let alone actually press their leg against him!

They do it when a woman is next to them because they expect women to accommodate their wants!

I’m afraid most holiday packages don’t have upgraded seats they are all small seats. We’re not all rich folk who can afford scheduled flights and private hotel bookings just to be able to sit on a 4to 5 hours flight in comfort. The airlines are at fault they want to cram in as many people as possible just for profit.

If you can't afford a seat you can fit in, don't go on a package holiday. It's not compulsory.

Agreed, it’s the airlines who make this a problem, we need to complain to them.

Also though, some people are awful. I once sat next to a quite petite man, who decided to sit cross-legged in his seat, with his knee pressing into my upper arm and his bare toes poking into my thigh. It was a 7 hour flight and I was 24 and trapped in the window seat next to this man, it was awful.

I was sitting in my seat at a snooker final a couple of weeks ago and a 6 foot plus big built gentleman in a huge puffer coat plonked himself down next to me. I'm 5 foot and 8 stone wet so I definitely feel your pain.

This isn't quite logical is it.

What is the problem if I cannot fit in my seat? The problem is my physical body, in my case my shoulders, spill over on to your seat. Your position is that I should make myself smaller, compress my bones in some way, perhaps into diamond form. Well, it seems like you cannot fit into the space of your seat now. Maybe you should make yourself smaller. Just self compress!

If you cannot self-compress your mass into a volume smaller than its density with the power of your mind, just don't go on a package holiday. It's not compulsory.

Or maybe we recognise we have a common cause and join forces to solve the problem for everyone, and demand seats that actual typical sized humans can sit on. (Nah, this is Mumsnet! 😉)

Yes, it's such a defeatist and grossly unfair mindset.

What next? If you can't do a job without guaranteeing that you won't ever get pregnant and need maternity leave, then don't apply for it - it isn't compulsory to work outside the home?

Providing portaloos is very expensive, so if you can't easily and happily urinate standing up into a communal pit, just accept that outdoor events are not for you and don't go - attending festivals isn't compulsory?

If the large person is travelling with others then it should be less of a problem. They can book seats so that only members of their party are going to be affected.

I do suspect that women get people overlapping onto their seats far more than men do, though.