Plus-size flyers should get extra seats for free says influencer

A plus-size woman has attacked airline policy for making her pay for the extra seat she needs when flying.

Jaelynn Chaney has to pay for two seats when she uses plane transport, due to her size, and is now demanding that plus-size passengers be given the extra seat free if necessary or that seats are simply made bigger. Jaelynn has also slammed airlines for supposedly “shrinking” seats, which means that plus-size passengers are nearly always obliged to pay for the extra room. She claims it’s “outrageous” that people are “forced to pay twice for the same accommodation anyone else gets with just one ticket.”

TikTok: Plus-size passengers on planes: “accommodating basic needs”

Jaelynn’s contempt for this airline policy is nothing new. There have been repeated appeals about the need for bigger plane seats and backlash against the seats getting smaller to accommodate more passengers. This week, Jaelynn decided she was having it no longer and took to TikTok to voice her thoughts. She said that it wasn’t about “giving fat people more, it’s about accommodating basic needs”. She criticised what she termed the “broken system” and said fat people are treated “like a problem.” Jaelynn asked: “Why is it that other countries, like Canada, recognise this as a basic need?”

Jaelynn firmly believes that the US and other countries should adopt the Canadian policy of “one person, one fare” introduced in 2008. Air Canada is an example of one airline which uses this benchmark and requires passengers to justify their need for the extra seat including evidence from a doctor, which can be approved upto 48 hours before a flight. The decision will be made based on information provided which must contain a passenger’s height, weight, body mass index and surface measurements (the distance between the two widest points) to see if they are eligible.

“The real issue is anti-fat bias that’s ingrained in society”

In the video filmed by Jaelynn, the social media influenced posted: When a fat person speaks up about small plane seats or needing to buy more than one seat because they don’t fit, they’re criticised and ridiculed.” She added: “The real issue is anti-fat bias that’s ingrained in society, making people think fat people don’t deserve basic accommodations. We’re treated like the problem when, in reality, it’s the system that’s broken.”

Some disagreed with the statement on social media. One TikToker commented:”If you take up two seats, then no other person can buy a ticket to sit there, so you have to pay for it.”

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