TO Reddit The user has shared their nightmarish experience before a 12-hour flight, which led to them being kicked off a plane before it could take off.
He 18 year old redditor he was infuriated to see “an obese man” in the seat next to him, who he felt took up part of his space. This led to an awkward scene when she demanded another seat.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported 2,456 unruly passengers in 2022, 831 of whom were officially investigated. More than $8.4 million in fines imposed by the FAA were matched.
Unhappy at being squeezed in next to the overweight man, user u/L4l0_Salamanca spoke to a flight attendant to request another seat. However, she was told that “the flight was full” and moving was not an option.
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“I asked the flight attendant how my seat could still be available if it was being used for someone’s literal rolls,” the post reads.
The teen then told the flight attendant that he thought the airline had been going “downhill” lately.
“These comments caused the flight attendant to call me rude and simply made her insist that I be kicked off the plane, even though she assured me that I would be compensated for this trouble because I told her that I was not traveling on vacation.
“The fat man took the opportunity to call me a fatphobe. Some other people around gave me dirty looks.”
The OP defended his outburst by saying that he “had to pay for someone else’s lack of discipline”, which he considered totally unwarranted.
He ended the post by adding that he received a complaint letter saying he was “rude to other passengers” as well as the staff. The complaint entailed a temporary ban, but after being appealed, u/L4l0_Salamanca was able to fly the next day.
Etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts says the teen was placed in a difficult position, but a passenger shouldn’t be hassled if have paid for a seat.
She said news week: “I have put myself in this passenger’s shoes more than once. Today, it is inconceivable that an airline would sell one seat to an obese person when they really need two.
“However, when you make a reservation they don’t ask you your weight, so you don’t know it until the passenger gets on the plane. If there are no extra seats, that’s when the problem starts.”
“The difference is, when another passenger is affected and complains, why should they bother? They paid for one seat, not half a seat.”
Grotts is the author of Passport of a traveler to the labelthat outlines the pros and cons of traveling. She suggests that if someone thinks one seat won’t be enough for them, they should reserve a business class or first class seat that allows them more room.
After finally being able to travel to his destination, the teen shared his experience on Reddit on March 28. Many people have criticized his behavior towards the other passenger and the stewardess.
One person commented: “No matter why someone is fat (who never owes anyone a justification for their existence. Nobody does) they deserve respect.”
Another person wrote: “Often it’s not what we say, it’s how we say it. It probably would have been handled a lot differently if you had handled it differently. I know air travel can make people jerks so please everyone, don Don’t be such an idiot.”
news week u/L4l0_Salamanca has been contacted for comment. We were unable to verify the details of the case.
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