This woman just wanted to have a comfortable flight. However, she didn’t expect that her actions would cause others to have such a negative impression of her! Should she have just sucked it up?
Las Vegas to New York
OP (Original Poster) is a 19-year-old woman who flew from Las Vegas to New York. She had just gotten off her flight when she posted this story.
Plus-Sized Seatmates
In her post, OP said she was assigned a middle seat, and both people she was sitting with were plus-sized. However, she wanted to clarify that it usually wouldn’t be a problem for her.
She said, “I wouldn’t have any problem with this in any other situation, but plane seats are terribly small, and neither of my neighbors was able to fit comfortably into their seats.”
Uncomfortable Seating Arrangement
She explained that her neighbors’ shoulders were on top of hers, and their thighs were on top of her as well. Because it was a pretty long flight, OP said it was “kind of uncomfortable.”
Trying to Find a Solution
About an hour and a half into the flight, OP stood up and walked to a flight attendant. She explained the situation as privately and gently as possible and asked if any other seats were available on the plane.
Fortunately for OP, the flight attendant found an open seat a few rows behind her current seat that she could occupy.
Done With the Flight
OP immediately got her bag and moved seats, albeit it was pretty awkward. Even so, the rest of the flight went on with no other problems.
However, when she got off the aircraft, the woman OP was previously sitting with was waiting for her.
You Embarrassed Us!
Her previous seatmate was quite mad at what OP did and told her she had embarrassed her and the other man they were sitting with.
She also told OP that traveling while plus-sized is “hard enough without people treating fatness like a contagious disease.”
Accusations of Fatphobia
She also told OP that she just did a public demonstration to everyone that “plus-sized passengers are an inconvenience and opened the door to fatphobia on flights.”
Not My Intention
OP clarified in her post that she hadn’t intended it to come across that way. However, she understood how it did, especially since everyone on the flight saw her move.
Was I Being Insensitive?
Now, OP is wondering if she should have just stuck it out. She said that she wasn’t suffocated or anything, anyway.
Don’t Be Mean!
In an edit, OP reminded people to stop being mean to plus-sized people. She clarified, “I posted this to get some insight on if and how I maybe could have handled the situation better, not to give an example of how ‘all larger people are XYY.’”
Negativity Won’t Help
She also said some people’s blatant fatphobia wouldn’t help anyone. OP wrote, “If you don’t literally know every single larger person that has ever lived, you have no business commenting anything like that in the first place.”
The Community’s Reactions
For Redditors, OP didn’t do anything wrong, and she didn’t intentionally publicly shame them.
A top commenter wrote, “Not the a**hole. You did not make a ‘public demonstration’ nor contribute to fatphobia in any way. You weren’t comfortable, and you discretely asked for another seat. She’s an a**hole for saying that drivel.”
I Would’ve Been Thankful
For some, OP’s previous seatmates should have been happy to have one less person to sit next to.
One said, “As a fat person, I don’t want to invade other people’s space if I can help it. I’d be glad for the extra wiggle room, but also happy for OP that they were able to find a more comfortable seat. Not the a**hole.” Another said, “A nearby passenger getting up and leaving a free seat beside me? That’s the dream!”
Airlines Are Wrong
People also exclaimed that airlines making seats smaller should be the ones to blame.
“Airline seats are so f****** small nowadays that even if there’s no one in the middle seat, you’re still sitting next to someone by normal seating standards,” said one Redditor. Another replied, “Totally agree that the airlines making seats smaller are the biggest a**holes here!”
Who do you think was wrong? Should OP have just endured?
More From Quote Ambition
This Redditor couldn’t believe how entitled some people could be! So, he turned to Reddit to share some of his experiences onboard a flight.
A Man Incessantly Hit On Her Without Knowing She Is a Transgender Woman. So, She Shut Him Down in a Way That Had Him Running Away!
You wouldn’t believe how this Redditor shut down a man who was hitting on her while she was at work. But one thing’s for sure: you’ll definitely laugh out loud like her!
A 17-Year-Old Refused to Hand Over the $2,000,000 Inheritance She Received From Her Grandpa to Her Older Siblings. Now They’re Furious, Saying It’s “Unfair!” Should She Give In?
This young Redditor got more than what she expected when her grandfather died. But now her older siblings are envious and want her to split her inheritance into three! What should she do?
Her Manipulative Mother-In-Law Secretly Changed Her Baby’s Name While She Was Asleep and Recovering From Her Emergency C-Section
OP (Original Poster) shared her dilemma on Slate when she learned that her cunning mother-in-law changed her child’s name without her knowledge. How should she deal with someone like her?
She Canceled Her Cards and Reported Them Stolen After Her Best Friend Kept Making up Ridiculous Excuses Not to Return Her Wallet. Was She Being a Jerk?
This Redditor initially didn’t worry about leaving her wallet in her friend’s car. However, she began to think about things when she started making up excuses so she wouldn’t have to return her stuff!
This post first appeared as She Was Accused of Being “Fatphobic” After She Asked a Flight Attendant to Change Her Seats Because She Was Uncomfortable Sitting Between Two Plus-Sized People on Quote Ambition.
