Little children don’t really have a filter. They say pretty much whatever comes to mind, even if it’s offensive to the next person. A mom recently had to apologize after her kid loudly announced that a plus-size passenger was taking up two seats… but the flight drama didn’t end there.
In an attempt not to humiliate the passenger further, a flight attendant says she decided not to offer them a seatbelt extension and to rather let them request it. But as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What happened next left many people uncomfortable.
Flight attendants are trained to manage awkward situations
Image credits: Pew Nguyen/Pexels (not the actual photo)
But one is now wondering if she did the right thing, after a plus-size passenger accused her of humiliating them
Image credits: Fidan Jafarova/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Immediate_Cancel6675
“Ask for a seatbelt extender while boarding”: a flight attendant’s advice
Some plus-size passengers have no issue asking for a seatbelt extender in front of other people. But for many, it can cause a great deal of stress or anxiety.
One flight attendant has offered a solution to those who feel uncomfortable asking in front of others. She shared the tip on TikTok, and says the best thing plus-size travelers can do is not wait until they’re seated, but rather ask the crew for a seatbelt extender while boarding the flight.
“Some airlines actually keep the seatbelt extenders right where you’re boarding so they’ll give it to you right away,” revealed the attendant who goes by Jeenie.Weenie on TikTok.
She added that if the crew doesn’t have the extender when you ask, all you do is give them your seat number. Once boarding is complete, they’ll be able to bring you a seatbelt extender without you having to ask for it.
That said, those over at the Fat Girls Flying website say there is absolutely no shame in asking for a seatbelt extender, whether in public or private. “We want you to know it is totally acceptable to ask your flight attendant for a seatbelt extender,” travel/flying-while-fat-7-experiences-people-had-when-asking-for-a-seatbelt-extender/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>reads the site. “Seatbelts on planes are not standard sizing and there is no shame in it, especially when it means a more comfortable journey for you.”
When Fat Girls Flying asked their Instagram community how they ask for a seatbelt extender, quite a few said they ask when they board.
“I started asking for one as I board,” replied one traveler. “Everyone was really discreet and it makes the flight much more comfortable. Some of those older 737s have tiny seatbelts!”
Another said they sometimes ask for it as they board, and other times they’ll ask the flight attendant who is closest to their seat. “I prefer asking as I board because I have the FA’s attention at that moment whereas other FA’s are usually already busy unless I’m one of the first to board,” they revealed. “As a nervous flier, it allows me to get to my seat and focus on calming my nervous system vs worrying about getting the FA’s attention and asking in front of others.”
Another flyer urged the community to never, ever be embarrassed or ashamed about asking for an extender or anything else reasonable in life. “I used to feel like ‘they’re staring at me because I’m fat’ if I caught someone looking, but I’ve learned that humans stare. At everyone. All the time,” they said.
They went on to advise fellow plus-size passengers to “smile, shrug, be nice, be kind and most of all, be confident (or fake it till it becomes real).”
“You can only control your own reactions, and if someone is a jerk, you just think to yourself ‘f*ck ’em’ and move on,” added the traveler.
Many netizens agreed that the flight attendant did the right thing
“It’s not ideal”: some felt the flight attendant could have done better
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