Traveling by plane is stressful for just about everyone. You have to worrying about making your flight, whether your bags are under the maximum weight, if TSA will pull you aside for something. But for some people, flying can become an absolute nightmare.
Twitter user Your Fat Friend started a thread about what it’s like to fly “as a very fat person” and trust me, it’s much worse than you’d expect.
So, I'm on a plane today. Here's what I did to prepare to fly as a very fat person. (Thread.)
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I researched airlines for their "customer of size" policies, many of which reserve the right to kick me off the plane, even after boarding.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
For instance, did you realize how expensive it is?
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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I'm charged for that second seat regardless of whether one is available. I pay double for the privilege of staying on the plane.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I bought a round trip first class ticket for this trip–about $900 more than a coach ticket, but on this flight–still less $ than 2 seats.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
Little things you don’t think about become a huge hassle.
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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I'm not worried about the embarrassment of asking for a seatbelt extender. I know I'm fat.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
Believe it or not, other passengers aren’t always very nice about it.
Passengers complaining to flight attendants will get me reseated, charged double, or escorted off the plane, stranded without a way home.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
Some policies don't include a refund or rebooking policy. So I could be out $1300 & still stranded. That's a risk I take every time I fly.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
As a very fat person on a plane, I am treated like luggage–a cumbersome, exasperating inconvenience. Inanimate & unfeeling.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I also checked my bag so I wouldn't give any other passengers another reason to be irritated with me.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I bought a first class tickets bc they're a bit wider, but mostly because there are partitions between seats. So complaints are less likely.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
Honestly, being treated a certain way because of your size can take a huge emotional toll on you.
The man sitting next to me became increasingly agitated. I said hello, asked how he was. He didn't respond.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
When he returned, he gathered his things and said sharply, "this is for your comfort. It'll be better for both of us."
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
The FA looked at him blankly and said "no it's not. Someone else will be sitting here."
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
He scowled at her, then me, then moved to his new seat–directly in front of me.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
The flight attendant didn't speak to me, but gave free food and drinks to the others in my row–rewards for tolerating my presence.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
No one said anything. No one interrupted him or reached out to me. I was invisible.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
At the end of the flight, as we filed into the aisle, the man who asked to be reseated spoke to me.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@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."
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
I didn't fly for a year and a half after that. Refused travel for work, didn't see my family, only traveled where I could drive.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
In the end, it’s important for people to keep in mind that this actually happens to people — and to, at the very least, try to learn from it.
No one likes flying. It's not comfortable for anyone. But for some of us, it's a major physical, financial & emotional risk.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
And this isn't about emotional fragility. I'm vulnerable, but I'm tough.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
This is about airline policies, and about what happens when others decide to make an issue of my body.
— Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers) (@yrfatfriend) July 17, 2017
Hopefully next time you’ll think twice before complaining about someone on your flight. 
