I’m a very large person. Specifically, I’m over six feet and four inches tall and over four hundred pounds in weight. Sitting or standing, I take up a lot of space.
I also greatly enjoy traveling. I like going to big cities, music festivals and nerdy conventions. However, as a large person, traveling by plane is really hard for me, and I travel by car whenever possible.
Airline seats are incredibly uncomfortable because of my height and weight. Being as tall as I am, there’s no physical way for me to feel comfortable in airline seats, as my knees are scrunched up against the seat in front of me. Weighing as much as I do, there’s no physical way for me to feel comfortable in airline seats, with part of me jutting out the side of the seat into the seat of the person next to me.
To solve my height problem, I’ve sometimes upgraded my seat to a class higher than coach, such as Business Class or First Class. This is a nice treat, but I can’t afford it regularly; basic comfort shouldn’t be a luxury. To solve the problem of trying to fit into an airline seat while being as fat as I am, I’ve tried getting an extra seat. However, only one airline consistently does this for free: Southwest Airlines. Southwest customers may purchase an extra seat and have it refunded to them. This is, in my opinion, an amazing policy, and I fly Southwest whenever I can. But, as far as I know, no other airline does this, and it still does not solve the problem of my legs being scrunched up in front of me as a tall person.
Most people, regardless of their height or weight, dislike airline seats. In a recent Thrillist survey, 78 percent of people said they found airline seats uncomfortable. That means the chances are high that you yourself have been uncomfortable on an airplane.
So, together, let’s stop putting up with it! Let’s write to popular airlines and tell them we want seats to be more comfortable. Let’s start a petition for more comfortable seats for everyone. You deserve it. I deserve it. Regardless of our height or weight, we all deserve comfortable travel.
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Kate is a student at the University of Arizona. She loves improv comedy and comic books.
