Plus-sized passenger sparks heated debate after struggling to fit in plane seat – so who is really in the wrong?

A photo of a plus-sized passenger struggling to fit between the armrests on a plane has sparked a fierce debate over whether obese travellers should have to pay for an extra seat. 

The man was snapped by a fellow traveller as he squeezed into his aisle seat during a flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen on Monday. 

‘This guy sat behind me on my flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen yesterday,’ the man who took the photo wrote on Facebook. 

‘I felt sorry for him and the guy next to him in the middle seat, both of whom must have felt very uncomfortable for the short flight. 

‘Maybe it’s time for airlines to address situations like this in a thoughtful and sensitive way.’

The man said the larger passenger was ‘protruding into the aisle’ forcing others to squeeze around him on their way to the bathroom. 

Some said the man should have to pay for an extra seat so as not to impinge on everyone around him. 

‘No matter the reason someone is oversized, if they are, they have to purchase an extra seat. That is not discrimination, it is a safety requirement,’ one said.

‘I am in agreement that if you can’t fit into your seat, you need to buy a second one. Whether we agree with seat size or not, you are buying a set amount of space on the plane and shouldn’t spill over to someone else’s space,’ a second wrote.

‘Just like checked bags, there should be a passenger weight limit for a single seat. And, that limit should be based on seat size/class,’ a third suggested. 

‘I’m a fatty. Probably knocking on this guy’s size. It’s his responsibility to make sure he is comfortable and that no one else is being crushed by him,’ a fourth man said. 

‘The airlines could do with making seats bigger and more comfortable. Not for guys like me but for the average person. Most people are uncomfortable in normal seats.

‘I always purchase an extra seat or more recently I go business.’

‘My father’s friend was this large. He always understood that traveling meant one of two things: he had to pay for first class, or he had to buy two seats. He never complained about it, just went with the cheaper option,’ a fifth wrote. 

‘We had wonderful friends who were this large. They always bought three seats,’ another commenter shared.

However, others said the onus should be on airlines – and plane makers – to increase seat sizes as humans get bigger over the generations.

The photo ignited a heated debate over whether plus-sized passengers should have to pay for an extra seat or if it was the airlines’ responsibility (pictured, Sydney airport)

‘The airlines need to be reined in. People are not livestock yet that is how the airlines look at them. Travel used to be enjoyable (even in economy) but now only those who can afford business or first class are treated as human,’ one wrote. 

‘This happened to me once a few years ago when a guy like that had the middle seat next to me,’ a second wrote.

‘I am pretty small but it was very uncomfortable for both of us. I agree that the airlines need to address the situation.’

‘Sadly airlines are a business. They will maximise profits as much as possible. Some enlarging of seat might be tolerated by corporate but they aren’t likely going to make seats to fit this guy comfortably,’ a third said. 

‘Spirit Airlines have already mastered this in my view. I’m a big guy and always book a big front seat. Not much more cost if bought in advance and really makes it comfortable for me and other people,’ a fourth shared. 

‘Other airlines should do the same.’

Others shared similar uncomfortable experiences they had on flights. 

‘I had a woman like this next to me last year. I had to sit kind of sideways so as to not be touching her. My legs and hips were sore for days because I sat like that for four hours,’ one man commented. 

‘I was on an international flight seated by a man that large. My husband and I took turns standing in the aisle because he took up his seat and most of mine. It was a full flight and the flight crew did nothing about it,’ a woman wrote.

‘A heavyset gentleman sitting behind me had trouble getting comfortable and kept pulling on my seat. I didn’t recline my seat to avoid making him more uncomfortable, despite my own back pain. I think airlines should consider implementing a seat policy to ensure all passengers’ comfort,’ another said.