If you think air travel is glam, think again. Long gone are the days of roomy seating, relaxed security checks, and top-notch dining. Now, unless you’re traveling in business class or above, the best you can hope for is a flight that isn’t delayed.
One passenger on a cross-country flight was just settling into their window seat when an obese guy headed straight for the seat next to them. After demanding they lift their armrest to accommodate him, the passenger refused. That’s when the trouble started.
More info: Reddit
Air travel comes with its challenges, as this passenger recently experienced firsthand on a flight from Washington to Florida
Image credits: R photography Background / Freepik (not the actual photo)
They’d just settled into their window seat when a couple showed up, one of them an obese guy who insisted on taking the middle seat
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When the obese guy demanded the passenger raise their armrest to make more room for him, the passenger refused
Image credits: Jomkwan / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After getting a flight attendant involved, the passenger was labeled “fatphobic” by the obese guy and “ignorant” by another larger flyer
Image credits: yaroslav-astakhov- / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After the passenger mentioned they have a small bladder and would be getting up often, the obese guy finally switched seats with his wife
Image credits: anonymous
Annoyed by the whole situation, the passenger later went online to ask if refusing to lift their armrest made them a jerk
Air travel always comes with surprises—sometimes turbulence, sometimes babies crying, and sometimes a fellow passenger treating your seat like a timeshare. OP snagged a window seat on a cross-country flight, only to discover their seatmate wasn’t just close, but actively trying to annex the armrest like it was disputed territory.
When the plus-sized passenger insisted the armrest pressing into his side was “fatphobic,” OP politely reminded him that six hours of being squished wasn’t in the ticket price. Things escalated when Mr. Manspread decided his comfort rights extended to shoving a foot under the OP’s seat. Cue flight attendant intervention.
The attendant suggested a simple solution—swap seats with his slimmer partner. She agreed, but “Big Boy” refused, saying he didn’t want the hassle of standing up for bathroom trips. That’s when OP revealed their “small bladder” strategy, threatening to make aisle trips every 20 minutes. Checkmate, comfort crusader.
Finally, the swap happened, saving OP’s sanity and granting the wife a break from her husband’s half-seat takeover. As karmic justice, the drinks cart repeatedly clipped him in the aisle. The wife apologized, but OP gave her the armrest all flight, and the internet got yet another reminder: airplane seats are not expandable furniture.
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
From what OP tells us in their post, they were yet another victim of fellow passenger entitlement, an all-too-common problem of flying in 2025. To add insult to injury, their offender then had the nerve to slander them for standing their ground. Just what are today’s unspoken rules of airplane etiquette, though? We went looking for answers.
In his article for The Vacationer, Phil Dengler writes that some people have no idea how to behave on an airplane; between eating smelly food, stealing the armrest, and rapidly reclining their seat, your seatmate can make your flight a living hell.
According to Dengler, while reclining your seat might be considered rude, you’re actually entitled to do it. As for the armrests, it’s polite to let the person in the middle seat take them. Finally, keep your socks on and, please, please don’t groom yourself at cruising altitude.
Of course, with the global obesity rate climbing, passengers are bound to run into something like OP’s issue sooner or later. To mitigate the issue, some airlines have policies in place for plus-sized passengers. Air France offers a 25% discount on extra seats for larger-bodied passengers. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines allows “Customers of Size” to buy an extra seat and receive a refund later.
While OP’s chunky challenger did finally switch seats with his wife, perhaps the whole awkward altercation could have been avoided if he’d just bought an extra seat? With his awful attitude, though, it probably won’t be the last time this happens.
What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s seat? Do you think their refusal to lift the armrest makes them a jerk, or was the obese guy’s insistence on taking the middle seat the real problem? Let us know in the comments!
In the comments, readers weighed in with their own opinions on obese passengers, and everyone seemed to agree that the passenger was not the jerk in the situation
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