An image of a plus-sized passenger struggling to sit in an airline seat has gone viral
The picture has gone viral (Image: (Image: Christopher Elliott via Facebook))
After a photo of an oversized air traveler circulated across social media, airlines are now on the receiving end of demands to revise policies for bigger customers. The picture, shared by Washington DC’s Christopher Elliott, captured a passenger struggling to navigate a flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen last year, coming just after reports of an entitled father with a baby caused a US Airlines flight to u-turn four hours into the flight.
Elliott, representing a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, posted the telling photo to Facebook, illustrating the boarding woes faced by the individual. Miami rap ensemble Pretty Ricky picked up the narrative, placing the onus on airlines to “have something in place” for adequately accommodating customers of all sizes. Meanwhile, American Airlines makes major baggage change for layovers on some routes
They stated: “Airlines will have to have something in place for plus-sized passengers. This image was taken recently on a flight, showing how difficult it is for people who are bigger than one seat. It’s also difficult for those sitting next to them. It’s a difficult situation because the airline will need to think of a happy medium.”
The ensemble, which rose to fame in the ’90s with hits like On the Hotline and Your Body, stirred up a conversation around the accommodations that should be offered to larger fliers.
Sparking considerable dialogue, the post raked in 675 reactions and thousands of comments, with a significant number proposing that larger travelers ought to purchase an extra seat.
Echoing this sentiment, Eden Quirk weighed in: “If they take up two seat [sic], they should pay for two seats.”
Obc Martin Donner-Grindemann weighed in on the discussion, suggesting: “You should simply weigh them like luggage before check-in. If they’re too bulky, they won’t fly unless you buy a second ticket.”
Concurring with this sentiment, Moto Art offered: “Easily solved, if you are this large, you need to buy two seats. OR they should make oversized seats for people like this and charge them extra for the larger seat. Plain and simple.”
The conversation continued with individuals recounting their personal encounters on flights.
Michael O’Connor shared: “I sat next to a lady who had a seat belt extender on. For 3 hours, not fun or fair to others.”
Debate among users extended beyond the immediate issue to broader societal habits.
Rochelle Kennedy pointed out: “As a society we could teach better eating habits and stop eating fast food.”
Ruth Hennessy raised a comparison, suggesting that passengers of certain sizes ought to be accommodated similar to pets requiring additional space during a flight.
