Fat-Positive Writer Drops Truth Bombs About Travelling As A “Customer Of Size”

A fat-positive writer, known on Twitter as @yrfatfriend, schooled the internet yesterday with a searing thread about what it means to be a “customer of size”. 

The thread has deservedly gotten thousands of retweets and garnered the writer many messages of support (and of course negative feedback, because it’s the bad place, Twitter) and heaps of new followers.

It’s an oft-overlooked travel issue, usually spoken about in the media by people who are not fat and just want to whinge about people encroaching on their personal space. 

In the genuinely insightful thread, she spoke about being “treated like luggage“, discussed by others “with open revulsion“, and being required to pay exorbitant amounts for extra or larger seats, with no guarantee she wouldn’t be kicked off the plane because of her weight. 

According to the Human Rights Commission, in Australia an obese person asked or made to pay more for their flight because of their size may be able to accuse the airline of unlawful disability discrimination. 

Qantas and Virgin Australia don’t have specific policies for “customers of size”, but their American counterparts do, as demonstrated above, often demanding passengers who cannot fit comfortably into a seat with both armrests down buy a second ticket. 

What Qantas and Virgin do offer are “comfort seats” where you can call the airline to purchase the seat next to yours for a little bit less than the price of a standard seat, but it’s both not a requirement, and also something any ol’ person do. They have also said that if possible they try to seat fat passengers next to empty seats. 

An Australian lawyer told Traveller that in order to avoid a possible discrimination suit airlines may soon need to be more accommodating, by potentially adopting a two-for-one price for seats, or installing some larger/modified seats for obese passengers. 

Read the full thread: 

So, I’m on a plane today. Here’s what I did to prepare to fly as a very fat person. (Thread.)

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

The rest require purchase of a second seat. If I don’t buy one in advance, I’ll be charged the day-of price. Today, that’s $800 one way.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Even if I buy a second seat in advance, the airline may still sell it to another passenger. If they do, I won’t be notified or refunded.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I brought my own seatbelt extender, so I wouldn’t have to ask for one. Sometimes my extender is confiscated by the TSA. Today it wasn’t.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I’m worried that hearing me ask for an extender will prompt others to complain. If they do, it starts a domino effect of trouble for me.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Over the last 2 yrs, about 50% of passengers in my row complained about me. So, my body is regularly discussed in my presence w/o my input.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

And no matter what happens, if someone complains, my body will be discussed loudly, with open revulsion, without regard for who hears it.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I also checked my bag so I wouldn’t give any other passengers another reason to be irritated with me.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Although I bought a first class ticket, and despite being ~60 lbs smaller than I used to be, the tray table doesn’t fit around me.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I also won’t request anything so the flight attendant doesn’t have to reach over me, again prompting my seat mate to complain.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Today, I was lucky–I boarded & the flight took off without incident. I hope I’m so lucky on my return flight.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

And this isn’t about emotional fragility. I’m vulnerable, but I’m tough.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I was complained about for the first time about six years ago. I will never forget it. I was on an oversold flight, moved to a middle seat.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

He got up several times to talk to a flight attendant, pointing angrily back at me. My stomach sunk as I realized what was happening.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

The FA looked at him blankly and said “no it’s not. Someone else will be sitting here.”

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I spent the rest of the flight with my arms & legs crossed, humiliated and alone. No one spoke to me or made eye contact.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

No one said anything. No one interrupted him or reached out to me. I was invisible.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

“I wouldn’t do that to someone who was pregnant or in a wheelchair,” he said. “I know,” I said. “That’s what makes this so awful.”

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I fly now because I love my family, who live about a thousand miles away. I don’t know what my life would be without my niece & nephew.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

I fly because my life is my own, and others’ preconceptions of me & my body won’t control it. But they can make it much, much harder.

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Also, I wrote about this & more about flying as a very fat person here: https://t.co/Wx9RrK1CB3

— your fat friend (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017

Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty.