• 2 days ago
"I deserve to fly, and I deserve to take up space."

More people are opening up about the realities of traveling while fat ...
Transcript
00:00Let's talk about how embarrassing it can be to travel as a plus-size person.
00:03All I'm thinking about is please, God, do not sit me next to a fatphobe.
00:09I was escorted off the plane by police tonight.
00:12How's your night going?
00:21I rode to board a plane into Toronto.
00:23And all I'm thinking about is please, God, do not sit me next to a fatphobe.
00:29On top of that, I have anxiety about asking for a seatbelt extender.
00:34And if you have to go to the washroom, trying to get through the aisle in a larger body.
00:39And if you'll really fit.
00:40And once you're in the washroom, there'll be even space to wipe your ass.
00:44This is the seat right now.
00:46I literally go onto half of the next person's seat.
00:51I'm doing this for flying.
00:53I asked for a seatbelt extender.
00:56I deserve to fly.
00:57And I deserve to take up space.
00:59And the seat should be bigger.
01:02The flight attendant comes by.
01:04Sir, do you have your seatbelt on?
01:06I can't see it.
01:09I look at her like, I'm fat.
01:11You're not going to see it.
01:12It's under my belly.
01:14And they're going to try and play me, Thompson.
01:17Would you like an extension to be more comfortable?
01:21Why are you whispering now?
01:22Why are you whispering with my seatbelt on when you walk by the first time?
01:25This is what it's like flying Jetstar as a fat person.
01:28Step one is dressing in compressive active wear.
01:30I could hardly breathe.
01:32I didn't ask for an extender because I got too embarrassed.
01:34But with a little hustle bustle, it fit.
01:36I felt like I was going to decapitate my legs, but I got there in the end.
01:38And I practiced how I was going to sit for the whole flight, so I didn't encroach on the person next to me.
01:42Because I am thoughtful.
01:43It was almost time to go, and there was no one in the middle seat.
01:46So I was praying that it stayed that way.
01:48And it did.
01:49Thankfully, I was so grateful.
01:50On the way back, that was a different story.
01:52Between 2019 and 2020, I traveled for my job out of state.
01:57And my biggest complaint, it wasn't the attitude of people that I was sitting next to as a plus size person.
02:04It wasn't the size of the seats, because you can look that up.
02:08It was literally the attitude that I would get from some of the flight attendants.
02:12Not all, but some of the flight attendants.
02:15There was one guy who looked me up and down and said,
02:19You don't need one.
02:21Why would I be asking for one if I didn't need one?
02:25I had others that I would ask for it immediately when I stepped on the plane.
02:29And they'd be like, Oh, I'll bring it to you.
02:31And then would never bring it to me.
02:33Like, why is this so difficult?
02:35I paid $800 extra to sit in what I thought was going to be a bigger seat.
02:43Turns out I paid $800 extra to sit in the same size seat as economy class.
02:52So here I am crying my eyes out.
02:55Because I'm terrified I'm not going to be able to go on the plane.
02:59So what happened on the flight?
03:02I was harassed about my outfit.
03:04Okay.
03:05I put my shirt back on.
03:07So you did have it off?
03:09Yeah.
03:10Have this on.
03:11Sports bra.
03:12They asked me to put my shirt on.
03:14Put the shirt back on.
03:16And then they approached me again.
03:18Saying, I can't wear this.
03:20My stomach is showing.
03:22And it's inappropriate.
03:24And I said, I'm covered up.
03:26I'm fine.
03:28And she just kept going.
03:29And I said, if you're going to kick me off, like, then kick me off.
03:32I've done what you've asked me to do.
03:34I want you to leave me alone.
03:36This is what I was wearing when I was told that my outfit is inappropriate.
03:44I went to Hawaii in December.
03:46Which means I had to take a plane from Vancouver to Hawaii.
03:49On the way back, I decided to face my fear.
03:51And I asked the lady for a seatbelt extender.
03:53She was so nice.
03:55Like, so extremely nice.
03:56And she gave it to me.
03:57But it's just so embarrassing in the first place that I have to do that.
04:00There's a good majority of plus size people in this world.
04:02They should have at least one of those extender per row.
04:05Or make it more discreet.
04:06Or just make seatbelts longer.
04:08Let's work together to make traveling more size inclusive.
04:12Did you know that more than 1 billion people in the world are plus size?
04:15That's roughly 13% of the population.
04:17And yet, many airlines still don't have clear policies in place to accommodate plus size passengers.
04:22That's why I've started a petition calling on the FAA to require every airline to have a clear customer size policy in place for plus size passengers.
04:29No one should have to endure the discomfort, embarrassment, and discrimination.
04:33It often comes with being a plus size passenger trying to navigate air travel.
04:36Booking a second seat might be good for some, but it's not a simple fix to the issue.
04:40So when I say it's difficult to book a second seat, there are a lot of reasons for this.
04:43One, the airlines don't make it easy.
04:45There are definitely some that make it easier than others.
04:48But you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get there.
04:50And often even customer service agents don't know what you're talking about and can't help you.
04:55Another reason it's difficult is obviously the cost factor.
04:57Airfare is already ridiculously expensive, so booking another seat for the same price, if not more, isn't possible for everyone.
05:04Airlines also overbook, so if there is a seat that appears to be empty, airlines will use that to give to the person that needs it.
05:09Even if it's your second seat that you've bought.
05:11Travelling with Megabus for plus size.
05:13I decided to reserve the extra legroom seats, which doesn't give you any extra width, but it definitely helped in terms of comfort.
05:18It was a little cramped, but doable for a short journey.
05:20The seatbelts on Megabus are very similar to those on flights as they are not crossbody.
05:23I was also pleasantly surprised to see how long they were.
05:25The seats did have armrests if you wanted to use them, but to be honest, they were uncomfortable if they were up or down as this kind of digs into you.
05:30Overall, it was a pretty comfy trip.
05:32I want to talk about the trains that I've taken and why they're so plus size friendly.
05:36When it comes to the Amtrak trains, especially the Crescent, which runs from New Orleans to New York City and back all the way up the East Coast,
05:43those seats are going to give you double, if not triple the amount of space that you would get on an airplane.
05:49I have fallen in love with travelling by train because sometimes as a plus size passenger,
05:53you get a little worried about how you'll fit into spaces, especially spaces you haven't been in before,
05:58but honestly guys, all those jitters we normally have at the airport as a fat traveler,
06:04they simply did not exist and that made my trip so much better.