A plus sized traveller has been slammed on TikTok after sharing a simple tip to fellow larger bodied people on where to sit on airplanes.
Kirsty Leanne, 29, from Shropshire, regularly shares travel tips for larger-bodied people and has built up a following of 85,900 people on TikTok (@kirstyleannetravels).
In a recent video, she shared a “common mistake as a plus size traveller”, urging her followers to avoid sitting in the emergency exit row seats if they require a seat belt extender.
She explains that, while they have more room and are therefore more comfortable, the extender would be considered a trip hazard – so aren’t allowed in these rows.
In the clip, Kirsty walks down an airplane aisle selecting her seat, and says: “Although it may be tempting as there’s a lot more space, don’t book an emergency exit row [seat] if you think you might need a seatbelt extender.
“Unfortunately most, if not all, airlines will not allow you to sit there if you require one.”
The post went viral with four million views, 75,000 likes and thousands of comments – most of which appear to be highly negative and criticising Kirsty for sharing tips for plus size people.
User Kevin said: “If only there was an easier solution to these problems.”
“Maybe I won’t eat chips today,” Ben commented.
User Tom moaned: “But I pay if my luggage is 1kg over.”
“Book 2 seats!” another person insisted.
Someone else said: “Avoid travel entirely.”
“Be fuming sat next to you,” said another troll.
“That should be a wake up call,” said someone else.
But other viewers defended Kirsty,
One said: “As a flight attendant, there comments did not pass the vibe check. Your size does not determine your worth and we love having everyone onboard.”
“Thanks for sharing your tips!” said Charlotte.
“You definitely don’t deserve this much hate for a travel tip,” another user commented.
Luckily, Kirsty doesn’t let the hate stop her from sharing her advice.
“Whenever I post content about flying while plus size, I always get the same comments – ‘Why don’t you just lose weight?’ ‘Isn’t this a wake up call?’, ‘You should be so ashamed of yourself’,” Kirsty, who shares tips on her blog, PlusSizeTravelToo, told NeedToKnow.co.uk
“The truth is, however, that fat people exist and they will always exist. We have just as much of a right to travel as anyone else does and we deserve to be safe and comfortable while we travel. Seatbelt extenders, of course, help to keep us safe.
“I share a lot of content about seat belt extenders but I know that a lot of people don’t know that you often can’t use one in an emergency exit.
“I get a lot of questions about this so I wanted to share a video letting people know, as I know a lot of people have experienced this after boarding and have been moved as a result.
“Travelling as a plus size person can be incredibly daunting and overwhelming and so I wanted to show people that look like me that it’s possible.
“My life changed when I started to travel and after telling myself for so long that I was too fat to travel, I realised I didn’t want anyone else to put off travel like I did.
“If my tips and tricks help just one person, it will be a job well done.”
