A plus size traveller has been slammed on TikTok after revealing the reasons why she may not purchase a second seat while travelling by airplane – despite admitting it may be “uncomfortable” for the person next to her.
Kirsty Leanne, 29, from Shropshire, regularly shares travel tips for larger bodied people and has built up a following on 64,000 people on TikTok (@kirstyleannetravels).
She has attracted trolls to her posts, many of whom urge her to buy a second seat while travelling on planes.
She has attracted trolls to her posts, many of whom urge her to buy a second seat while travelling on planes.
In a recent post, Kirsty shared the reasons why this is not always possible for plus size travellers.
She listed factors including the extra costs, overbooked airlines giving away the second seat even after purchase, some aircrafts not having raised armrests which invalidates the need for a second seat, and it being unclear how to purchase a second seat under the same name.
She captioned the post: “I know that flying next to a plus size person is not comfortable and while buying a second seat can be a great for some, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ all solution!”
(Picture: Jam Press)
“I’ve had some people online say that I’m a bad person for not buying a second seat and that I’m a selfish traveller for putting my needs above others,” Kirsty, who shares tips on her blog, PlusSizeTravelToo, told NeedToKnow.online.
“I was tired of having the same conversations over and over again and so I made a video to show why buying a second seat may not be the best option for a plus size person.
“Whether it’s down to cost or not knowing how to book a seat, the roadblocks we face when simply trying to make ourselves and those around us comfortable are ridiculous.”
Kirsty has never booked herself a second seat while travelling.
She said: “The fear of having a seat where the armrest doesn’t move, the seat being given away or someone sitting in my seat is too much of a risk for me when flights are already so expensive.”
The post drew mixed comments from viewers on TikTok, where it was viewed 260,000 times and racked up nearly 10,000 likes.
For some users, they believed her comments should serve as a “wake up call”. One person commented: “But it’s not fair for the ppl who sit next to u. you’ll end up being in their personal space, they paid for that seat.”
“If the person next to me kept spilling into my seat id honestly break down,” said another user.
Someone else added: “It’s also very expensive for the person you are crushing up.
Also painful. Been there unfortunately.” “If this doesn’t motivate you idk what will,” another person said.
However other viewers were more sympathetic to Kirsty’s message and supported her in the comments.
One user said: “For the people here who think they are so smart saying “wake up call” it’s not always a choice to be plus sized? it could be a medical condition etc.”
“Thank you for all this info! Im a flight attendant at one of the airlines you show in your videos and this helped me a lot in taking more into account,” another person commented.
Someone else pointed out: “It’s not like u can just decide to lose weight one day and suddenly be skinny.
The process takes time and u shouldn’t have to be shut at home forever!”
“These comments aren’t it, regardless of what they say plus sized people will travel and if they choose to do so it should be safe and comfortable!” another person added.
Another user agreed: “It’s not easy to lose even just a little weight, people shouldn’t judge.”
Kirsty said of the reaction: “I had a lot of support from people sharing stories about how they’ve had trouble with booking a second seat, as well as people sharing airlines that have been extremely helpful when they’ve been through the process of booking one.
“I also had lots of people agreeing with what I said, which goes to show this is a universal experience with plus size people. “Of course, some people were not happy.
They either didn’t believe what I was saying or they said ‘well the only option then is to not fly, or to lose weight’. Again, it’s not as simple as that. “Plus size people deserve to be able to fly too.
Whether it’s for enjoyment, work or any other reason, airlines shortcomings should not mean that we’re denied a service others have easy access to, just because of the size of our bodies.
“In regards to losing weight, bodies work differently. It’s not often as simple as calories in and calories out, as there are many things that can affect weight loss and weight gain.
“People fail to see this and of course, think that everyone should lose weight so they can travel comfortably.
“Besides, what do they expect plus size people do if they are losing weight – just stay inside until they’re done?
“I think the trolls show me that what I am doing is important.
There’s so much negative stigma around travelling while plus size and I want to change that and show that plus size people can travel too.”
