One of the biggest fears fat travelers have is the lingering question in the back of their mind…“Will I fit in the seat?” That question is then followed up with “What about the seat belt?“
The truth is unless you fly First Class at an International level, flying is just not very comfortable for anyone, especially if you are fat. That being said, it shouldn’t stop you from booking that seat, taking up space and exploring the world.
There are airlines that have some amazing policies like Southwest’s Customer of Size program which allows you to have a second seat for free if the flight isn’t full. Until the travel industry can be more inclusive our Fat Girls Traveling community members suggest you try to avoid the following airlines:
Note: We have not used names in this article and the views stated below are of those individuals and do not necessarily reflect our own.
Cheap for a Reason
The airlines most avoided by our community are budget airlines and those cheap seats come at a cost of your comfort it seems. This is what our community of fat travellers have this to say about these budget airlines:
Ryanair
“Cheap to the point of being cruel in their miserliness. They’ll let you buy a second seat, but then make it impossible for you to keep the seat and the Flight Attendants can be pretty mean to fat folks.”
“Ryanair and EasyJet have small seats, rude judgmental staff and are not disability friendly.”
“Ryanair is so cramped!”
“Ryanair. Tiny everything.”
“The seats are so small. The cheap flights come at a cost.”
“The seats are the smallest ever!”
“Small seats, seats are plastic material so sweat sticks to them, short belts and rude staff.”
Air Asia
“I’m a size 14/16 US and couldn’t fit in the seat and some sections don’t recline!”
American Airlines
“I won’t use American anymore. They are at the forefront of smaller seats, the tiniest bathrooms imaginable, and treating their customers badly, as in dragging them off planes and all the other horrible stuff you read about.”
“They have narrow seats, short seat belts and zero leg room.”
“American Eagle flights which tend to be for their shorter destinations are just awful and narrow aisles.”
Frontier Airlines
“Even the bigger seats you pay for are small.”
Tips for Flying while Fat
It’s okay to take up space with your body. Everyone should be able to travel no matter their body size! That’s why this community was created, to help give people the knowledge and confidence to get out there and see the world.
Our friend and FGT member, Kirsty shares some amazing tips on travelling while plus-sized on Instagram and the video below is full of helpful tips!
Keep your eyes out for our next Flying While Fat article which will be all about the AMAZING airlines and experiences our community have had while flying. Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to hear when it’s live and more!
