Flying fattie

I'm going on a business trip to San Francisco this week. My plane leaves in oh *looks* two hours. In addition to my general fear and anxiety about flying, I also worry about my ass and how it will or will not fit into my assigned seat. I haven't had a problem really so far but I wouldn't describe my flying experiences as "comfortable."

This time, I'm in the dreaded MIDDLE seat. I hope my row mates like to cuddle, 'cause they're about to make good friends with my hips. I'm not usually one to curl up and try not to take up space but on a plane, I kind of feel like I have to make myself as little as possible and not move too much. I hate annoying people and I'm guessing that if someone doesn't like other people all in their personal space, they're not going to enjoy sitting next to me. This is all despite the fact that I keep to myself, I'm polite and I've been told that I smell nice. None of that matters because I'm fat and I'm intruding on someone else's 18 inches of space.

AND NO I'M NOT PAYING FOR AN EXTRA SEAT.

The up side is that I'm somewhat squishy and warm. So if the plane gets cold, come sit by me.

Anyway, I hate that I feel a little guilty about the whole thing. Like "Oh, I'm sorry that this seat is only 18 inches wide and my ass is more like 30 inches. I apologize on behalf of my ass and the entire air travel industry. Would you care for some ginger ale?"

It's just absurd!

But then I hear those people (real or imagined, I don't know) who whine about fat people on airplanes and how we should have to pay extra and that we suck and whatever. They're mean!

I have a job that requires that I travel once in a while and I can't NOT fly to California and I'm not paying for first class anything. I'm sorry.

So, in short - I'm already nervous about flying and the whole seat ISSUE just makes it worse. Stupid... airplanes.

Comments

[ali]

Oh, and don't get me started on asking for
a seatbelt extender. Last time I flew the attendant looked at me like I was a side show
attraction! I feel for you!

[Ducky]

I feel your pain.

Not only am I fat but I also have the longest legs you can imagine. Now imagine an international flight - Seattle to London to Uganda, Africa. On top of that, add an angry British man in front of me for the first half of the trip who insisted on reclining his seat THE ENTIRE TIME. Bruised knees, bruised hips, and a miserable ride.

[a.]

thanks for actually talking about this. I feel you. I hate that pre-flight anxiety-- maybe the flight will be half empty! what if someone my size sits next to me and we totally cannot make it work? what if I get in trouble for not being able to fasten my seatbelt?

hope you had a good, unsquishy trip.

[Rachel]

I would rather sit next to a fat person any day than:
A. Anywhere in the vicinity of a ear-splitting crying baby
B. Immediately in front of three prebuscent spoiled brats whose own parents found refuge half a plane away from their darling demon children
C. Next to the aging woman wearing leopard print who smells overtly flowery, the kind which nauseates you in funeral homes

Now, when will airlines begin making these kinds of people pay more for their seats?

[Rebecca]

I am also another fat woman. I often travel with my big handsome husband. He has no issues with me, and often takes the middle seat, placing me against the window. If we do get another in the third seat they just have to deal. I refuse to buy an extra seat. We are flying Jet Blue this next week, which, from what I have seen, has longer leg room, but nothing more in the seat area, so we will see if I am any more comfortable or not. If not in the butt, maybe I will at least be able to put down the tray table comfortably. I did by a seatbelt extender several years ago, after I got "that stare" from the flight attendant. How humilating. I swore to never go through that again. Please let us know how it goes for you.

[Cammy]

I thought I was the only one. It's a sad thing to be more concerned about overflow than flight safety, but that's where I am. Thank you for posting about this. As much as I'm sorry for your anxiety, I'm equally grateful to you for sharing it here. I don't feel quite so silly knowing others experience the same feelings.

[JP]

I do either buy 2 seats or (depending on which is cheaper) fly first class. I have to. I simply can't have the arm of the seat down; it doesn't fit over my hip and thigh.

I flew from North Carolina to Washington State about 8 years ago with only 1 seat, and after 4 hours of sitting next to a really, really angry man who FORCEFULLY slammed the arm down on my thigh whenever I tried to edge it up a little, I swore I would never be subjected to literally being hurt, physically, again if I could help it.

But, here's my complaint - even though I buy 2 seats, IT DOESN'T OFTEN HELP. I just flew from Hawaii to Washington State, and after about 20 minutes on the plane, I burst into tears out of sheer frustration. I was uncomfortable in any position, and not just slightly, but actually in pain with some part of me hurting and being pressed, hard, into something metal.

While the arm between my main seat and my second, empty seat next to me went up, it didn't go up "flush" with the seat. Instead, it stuck out about 2 inches in front of the seat, and so it pinched into my left buttock, and all the way up, into my left side and shoulder all the way, sort of pushing me to sit more forward and twisted to the right. The seat rows were so close together that I could not even hold a book up in front of me to read - it was too close to my face for me to focus on. My partner, in the third seat in the row next to my empty seat, didn't know what to do for me. Fact was, there was nothing to be done, because although we'd paid a total of about $1,400 for 3 seats in an effort for me to be comfortable and not humiliated, the construction of the seats were such that I couldn't even take advantage of all the room we'd paid for - the not-quite-up-all-the-way arm sticking into me prevented me from actually spilling over and taking up that damned extra seat I'd paid for, and the proximity of the row in front of me prevented me from putting my (long) legs sideways into the leg room of my second purchased seat. An otherwise great trip had a really, really horrible ending. And, you know, the airline probably would have forced me to buy a second seat in order to fly, even if I hadn't already done it voluntarily), yet the construction of the seats themselves resulted in that not really making much of a difference.

I sincerely hope that you had a better plane experience than I did. As you can see, even giving in and purchasing 2 seats doesn't necessarily remove the anxiety and drama of airline travel!

[the chuckster]

I'm 5'6" and weigh 325. Needless to say I've had some adventures on airplanes. I can't believe how rude some people are when I ooze a bit across the armrests into "their space". I'll admit the armrests just kind of get lost in my chubby sides but it's not like I have sharp edges. I mean, just relax and pretend you're sitting next to a big, soft, waterbed full of warm water. The biggest problem I face now is that I long ago stopped being able to fit into those phone-booth bathrooms they have. On short flights this isn't much of an issue but on transcontinental runs it takes some forethought. I know I'm not the only one who wears Depends in those situations. What else can you do? Why do the lavatories have to be so small. On a few flights I didn't even want to sit next to MYSELF near the end of the flight but YOU tell me what the alternative is! Rember those little overhead air vents. They can provide some much needed air circulation "after the event" that keeps the area a little more survivable. If airlines weren't so greedy we wouldn't all be like sardines in a can and everybody would have a better trip. Good Luck surviving your next flight. I hope these tips help.

[AverageGirl]

I had to post to a) commend you on embracing your curves, but also to b) wonder why you purposefully put yourself into an uncomfortable situation when you know there's a solution. Your blog is meant to explain your frustrations, but you immediately dismiss the solution to the problem, and write as though it's the airline's fault you're uncomfortable. By refusing to buy an extra seat (as others have said they refuse to do as well), you are basically saying "screw the other passengers." This attitude is rude and not what a civilized person would do. You have such anxiety over flying, but you don't have to, just buy the extra seat.

Sitting next to a person who is "oozing" (as one commenter called it) into my expensive seat for several hours is uncomfortable and frustrating. On one flight I was seated between a man who easily took up 2 seats and a petite woman. The woman was kind enough to put up the arm rest and allow me to scooch into her seat a bit so I wouldn't be squished. That's TWO passengers that he intruded upon. And no, I cannot pretend it's a big squishy pillow. It's a living, breathing, sweating PERSON, and one who has no regard for others.

Please stop being selfish and buy the extra seat. If you can't afford it, drive or take the train. I wish airlines would enforce their "buy an extra seat" policy more often, because it's not fair to the rest of us who paid a lot of money for a seat and just want to sit comfortably. Buying the extra seat or going first class will benefit you and the people sitting next to you. It's the polite thing to do.

[nuhnui]

Totally agree with AverageGirl. Have some sympathy for the poor people sitting next to you because they may have personal space issues. I think most of you are very rude people and its not the other passenger's fault that you are fat; they shouldnt be punished.

[Melanie]

AverageGirl said:

Your blog is meant to explain your frustrations, but you immediately dismiss the solution to the problem, and write as though it's the airline's fault you're uncomfortable.

Um. That's because it is the airline's fault. Your problem occurred because the seats were too small due to misguided Airline greed. Given the stats about Americans being 'overweight' one would assume that many, if not most, their passengers require seats larger than 18-20 inches. Therefore wouldn't it be in their best interests to accomodate the needs and comfort of all their passengers?

[coyote]

Yes! let's punish the fat people, they should not exist. Look at me, I am a good girl, I am THIN! Yay me! Look at me fit into a seat designed not for people, but to make as much money as possible.

Let me be ANGRY at someone who is fat, because I don't eat all the junk food and ice cream that She must to look like that! I don't get to eat junk food so i am going to be ANGRY at her!

Yay! I win! I assert moral superiority because I am better than she is because I am thin and thin is GOOD and she is fat and fat is BAD! Compassion is for the weak! Punish the fat people!

[i hope the blog owner realizes that this is highly sarcastic]

[Damien]

Okay, for the record I am fat and will be flying this week, So, if you are mean to me, I plan to sit on you. Nothing personal, just gonna have to do it.

[Yolanda]

gosh, I weigh 16 stone, and am flying to cyprus this september
i am worried that i will not fit in the seats
could someone please tell me how large thomas cook plane seats are?