“Passenger’s Bold Outburst Over ‘Extremely Obese’ Seatmate Sparks Controversy and Gets Them Kicked Off Flight!”
United advises passengers to either book an extra seat in economy class at the same price or to upgrade to a premium cabin where the seats are wider. The airline adds that if an extra seat isn’t available, passengers will need to change their flight to one that has extra seats. But they offer compensation in the event you’re inconvenienced. “If you’re not in your home city, state, or country, and your new flight requires you to stay overnight we can give you meal and hotel vouchers as well,” reads the policy.
Some believe airlines are discriminating against plus-size passengers
Not all airlines have the same policy when it comes to passengers “fitting comfortably and safely” in their seats. Some charge extra, some don’t. And there are those who have no policy on the plus-size matter at all. In 2023, close to 40,000 people signed a petition asking the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to “protect plus-size passengers” and implement a standard policy that “prioritizes the comfort and well-being of all passengers.”
Plus-size travel influencer Jae’lynn Chaney was behind the campaign. Chaney has been using a seatbelt extender since she was a child. “I kind of knew that planes were not built for people like me by the time I was 12,” she told CNN, adding that she’d sometimes try to “tuck her seatbelt underneath her stomach” so that flight attendants didn’t know it wasn’t buckled.
Chaney called on airlines to “provide accessible additional seats to customers-of-size” or those who may “encroach onto another passenger’s space.” The influencer says some airline policies are “discriminatory” because passengers like her are “paying twice for the same experience.”
