Plus-Sized Travel Tips for Flying

Plus-sized travel can be a nightmare, and that hurts as I love to travel. If I could, I’d travel the world unendingly. Its one of the supreme joys in life. There’s nothing more thrilling than exploring a new city or walking through some ancient ruin or casually strolling through a museum while enjoying priceless art. That’s the fun part; but getting to these far-flung destinations is the real challenge. 

As a society we seem to be heading in the right direction with regards to social justice. We have a long way to go and we face setbacks all the time, but in general I’d say we are on the right track. However, one area where we seem to be lagging in is size and body acceptance. As a culture we just cannot seem to shake the notion that thin is better and muscles somehow equate to beauty and value. For as much as I now feel comfortable in my skin there are days where I am terribly self-conscious, and nothing brings those feelings to the forefront of my mind like air travel.

Before I book any vacation, I take whatever measures I can to ensure a comfortable journey for myself and my seatmates. A huge fear of mine is to be ridiculed by whoever I am sitting next to or even worse to be told by the flight attendant that I need to buy a second seat. It sounds silly but it truly causes me a lot of anxiety. Luckily, I’ve only ever encountered one person that was a little rude with me. I am happy to say that most people are cool, and I certainly do my part to not encroach upon their personal space as much as I possibly can. I always take the aisle seat so I can lean into that open space. I physically shift my body away from the arm rest as much as possible, so they do not feel crowded. Its my choice to do so but it is so uncomfortable. I often give myself leg and arm cramps just to not be that ‘fat guy that ruined someone else’s trip’. Its exhausting. I do all this to avoid confrontations like so many we have heard of between so called ‘passengers of size’ and their seatmates. 

So what is there to do you might ask? I wish I could say I had a definitive answer, but really there needs to be a shift in the airline industry. I know there are profit margins to be met but why they have made coach seats so narrow is beyond me. I’d gladly pay a bit more money for a seat I fit in, but I do not think I should have to pay two full priced airfares or pay the exorbitant business/ first class fees to be comfortable. In fact, I bet many ‘normal sized’ people would be willing to do the same just to be comfortable; but I digress. There are some steps you as a plus sized traveler can take to try and maximize your travel experience.

Homework

The first website I visit when booking travel is Seat Guru. You can search out virtually every airline and plane in their fleet and check the width and pitch of every seat in every fare class. I have my preferred carriers always in mind but sometimes due to scheduling I have to fly with someone else. This resource truly helps me make my decision. I don’t care much for the pitch, even though I am very tall. Its all about the width for me.

Upgrades

Another great thing I’ve seen is that, especially on domestic flights, you can upgrade to business class about a week before your departure date for a fraction of the cost. I believe some airlines also allow bidding for these seats on the day of the flight but that’s too much of a gamble for me. I once scored an upgrade (pre-pandemic) for $100.00 which I thought was a worthwhile deal.

Credit card points and airline loyalty miles can go a long way towards upgrades as well if you are a frequent flyer. Some airlines even sell massive amounts of miles at flat rates throughout the year that you can use towards these upgrades too; though I realize that financially this may not be an option for many. I also realize that it’s generally not fair for bigger people to have to pay more for simply taking up space, but it is unfortunately the system within we must navigate. 

Make friends

Let’s say none of the above works for you and you have to fly coach and it’s a sold-out flight; what then? Well, you can contort yourself into a pretzel like I’ve done or take a chance and introduce yourself and ask if your seatmate would mind keeping the armrest up. I’ve done this one or twice and it usually works. Ultimately it will make a more comfortable ride for them too. Perhaps offer to buy them a cocktail for their troubles. 

I’ve also had a situation where a kindhearted flight attendant just put me in the economy plus section because she saw that I was uncomfortable, and they had the available sets. There are definitely nice people out there that are happy to help if they can.

Whatever you do, do not stop traveling. I get butterflies over flying arrangements every single time and my fears, while valid, are usually unfounded. Plus, I refuse to allow anyone to deny me of the travel experiences I yearn and work so hard for, and neither should you.