A man ignited an online debate after recounting his ordeal with a plus-sized passenger who he claimed ‘overflowed’ into his seat on a plane.
He detailed his experience of being seated next to an ‘overweight’ individual on an American Airlines flight, claiming the person was encroaching on his space. In an attempt to resolve the issue discreetly and without causing embarrassment to the other passenger, he approached a flight attendant.
On Reddit, he shared his frustration: “When I informed the flight attendant that someone was taking up part of my seat that I paid for, they told me a supervisor would make a decision on how to handle the situation. She said they would most likely rebook me instead of the passenger taking up two seats saying I ‘refused’ to take my seat. I told her I wasn’t refusing, just requesting the space I paid for. She was doing her job and I get it.”
Despite his discomfort, he ultimately accepted the seat because he needed to return home, but later filed a complaint with the airline via X (formerly known as Twitter).
He continued: “[She] told me I could call and complain and maybe get points.”
He also shared the airline’s response to his complaint, which read: “Please be assured we’ve shared your comments with the appropriate leadership for internal review and training. Feedback like this helps us zero in on areas of improvement. We look forward to your next flight being a better one.”
The debate over airline seating and overweight passengers took off on social media, with one user suggesting: “Alright hear me out. At theme parks, they have test seats at the ride entrance. You don’t fit = you don’t ride.
“Apparently, that is not fat shaming, so how about test seats at the airline check in. You don’t fit = fee and seat reassignment or you don’t fly.” Another chimed in, saying: “Fattie here (I’m working on it). Anyone who takes up that much space should buy two seats. No ifs or buts about it.”
A different perspective was offered by another user: “How about if the dividers between seats go all the way up, so each person is in a separate cubby and there’s no way to overflow.”
Meanwhile, another commenter concurred with the sentiment, stating: “I agree with your assessment. In the event a passenger is unable to fit in the space of a single seat, it should be that passenger who either is moved to an area that has two adjacent seats or otherwise is deplaned.”