A plus-size woman has shared why she chooses not to buy an additional seat every time she travels by plane.
Kirsty Leanne, 32, from Shropshire, regularly posts advice for plus-size travellers on her TikTok account, @kirstyleannetravels, where she offers practical tips aimed at making trips smoother and less stressful.
She has previously attracted attention after speaking out about the abuse she receives online, including comments from critics who argue she should lose weight instead of discussing the difficulties she encounters while travelling as a plus-size person.
Undeterred, Kirsty continues to explore destinations around the globe, with recent trips including Cappadocia in Turkey, Paris, Croatia and South Korea.
However, there is one step she says she does not routinely take before boarding a flight: purchasing a second seat.
In a TikTok video, Kirsty explained that when she has bought an extra seat in the past, the process has often been costly, complicated to arrange and, on some occasions, the additional seat was not honoured by the airline.
Kirsty, who said she was recently upgraded to business class because of her size, told followers: “I’m plus-size, and here’s why I don’t book two seats every time I fly.
“One of the comments I see most often on my videos is, ‘I hope you booked two seats.’ And while I understand why people think that might be the obvious answer to the problem of narrow plane seats, it really isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.”
Kirsty Leanne from Shropshire, who shares tips for plus-sized travel, has revealed why she doesn’t book a second seat on planes
Firstly, Kirsty says that booking two seats can be ‘incredibly expensive’ and, for many people, would be out of their budget to do so every time they travel – as it’s effectively paying double the cost.
She says it’s also ‘super tricky’ to book an extra seat as each airline has a different process, and these aren’t easy to find on their websites.
Kirsty said: ‘On numerous occasions, I have spoken to members of the team using support chats or their customer service line and they haven’t understood what I was trying to do.
‘A lot of the time, both check in and gate agents do not know you can book an extra seat, which often leads to confusion when it comes to the process.’
She referenced one example when she did choose to buy an extra seat – and said staff didn’t know what to do or how to process it.
This meant the experience was ‘incredibly anxious’ for her as she didn’t know if her extra seat reservation would be honoured.
She’s even experienced her extra seat being taken away from her completely.
‘I’ve arrived at check-in desks to be told my second seat has been sold,’ she said, adding: ‘And had people share with me that their extra seats have been given to people on standby.’
Kirsty has travelled all over the world – recently visiting Cappadocia in Turkey, Paris, Croatia and South Korea
Critics have insisted she should lose weight rather than complain about the issues she faces travelling as a plus-sized person
People were left divided in the comments, with some supporting Kirsty’s decision – but others were worried it would impact the space of other passengers
In addition, if there’s an aircraft change at the last minute, the layout of the plane can change, meaning the two seats may not even be next to each other.
Kirsty concluded: ‘While I know booking a second seat works great for some, it’s not a blanket solution for every single plus size person.’
People were left divided in the comments, with some supporting Kirsty’s decision – but others were worried it would impact the space of other passengers.
One person asked: ‘Would you like to sit next to you or someone the same size?’
Kirsty responded: ‘Yes i do regularly – my girlfriend is fat too.’
Supporting Kirsty, one person said: ‘Call me a radical but I don’t think anyone should have to pay for a second seat that’s f***ing bonkers people expect you to do that. Being fat is not a crime.
‘Airplane seats are small. It’s not just about fat people, tall people, old people, people with babies… many people need more room it’s insane the standard set.’
Another said: ‘Girl i would have no issues siting next to you. I think airlines should start making their seats bigger anyway! They are ridiculously tiny.’
Kirsty revealed she gets fat shamed on flights and has had people refuse to sit next to her
Kristy regularly shares travel advice for larger-bodied people and has built up a following of 129,000 people on her TikTok @kirstyleannetravels
A third added: ‘This wouldn’t even be an issue if airlines made their seats a reasonable size instead of trying to pack people like sardines in a can.’
But others were more sceptical, saying it’s ‘selfish’ to take up the extra room on a flight, without paying.
One person said: ‘I was sat next to a woman who should have bought 2 seats earlier this year she took a third of my seat causing me to have to lean the entire flight – my back hurt for three days after. If you cannot fit inside your seat then buy another. It’s selfish to not.’
Others said: ‘Yes you deserve to travel, yes you have every right to be there and yes the airline should make sure you always have the second seat you’ve paid for BUT it’s incredibly unfair and disrespectful to the person in the next seat if their neighbour is spilling into their seat’;
‘Last time I flew I had two extremely large people and I had a middle seat. When I got to my seat, they were already seated. There was legit not room to fit in between. I ended up having to get another flight.
‘When I book with my dog, I have to get another seat. Everyone deserves to fly but if it impacts others regardless the reason, then you should have to get an extra seat. I think offering a second seat at a discount should be acceptable’;
‘Close quarters and touching knees is one thing, but if I paid for my plane ticket, I’m not sharing a third of my seat unless you’re paying for a third of it.’
Kirsty previously revealed she gets fat shamed on flights and has had people refuse to sit next to her in the past.
While much of the criticism she receives is online, Kirsty shared some upsetting experiences she’s had in real life.
The traveller also says she can often tell when someone isn’t pleased to be seated near her on a flight
Kristy doesn’t let her size stop her confidently posing up a storm from various countries around the world
Despite the cruel feedback, Kristy is undeterred when it comes to sharing her content online, pointing out that ‘fat people exist and they will always exist’
One such encounter was on a flight to Spain, where the travel buff was in the window seat, and another woman was assigned the middle seat on her aisle.
When she saw me sat in the window, she instantly made it clear she didn’t want to sit there and started huffing and puffing,’ Kirsty, who shares her tips on her blog, Plus Size Travel Too, said.
‘I apologised that there wasn’t much room and she didn’t reply, so I did my usual and squashed myself against the window.
‘For the whole flight she was pushing the armrest as far down as she could – it was 98 percent down but that last 2 percent was super painful – and causing me to bruise.
‘Eventually, she turned to her friend a few rows back [and said], “I can’t sit next to her anymore”.
‘I pretended I didn’t hear but I wanted the ground to swallow me up.’
Kirsty found the experience incredibly awkward and chose to stay silent at the time, but says she will no longer let it slide.
She said: ‘I tend to ask flight attendants if I can move to a seat with more room and an extra seat next to it now, to help prevent this from happening and to ensure everyone is as comfortable as they can be.
Kristy loves travelling and doesn’t let cruel trolls stop her from getting on a flight and seeing the world
‘Often I do have to sit next to people while they find me a seat so I do my best to be kind and understanding, in the hopes they return with the same sentiments.’
The traveller also says she can often tell when someone isn’t pleased to be seated near her.
She added: ‘People usually make it known they’re unhappy pretty instantly.
‘Most people are super friendly and understanding, but some people use it as an excuse to be mean and to lash out.
‘While I understand it’s uncomfortable, acting in that way is unnecessary and likely to be the worst way to come to a solution.’
Luckily, Kirsty doesn’t let the hate stop her from sharing her advice.
‘Whenever I post content about flying while plus size, I always get the same comments – ‘Why don’t you just lose weight?’ ‘Isn’t this a wake up call?’, ‘You should be so ashamed of yourself’,’ Kirsty, who shares tips on her blog, PlusSizeTravelToo, said.
‘The truth is, however, that fat people exist and they will always exist.
Kristy added that travel as a plus size person can be ‘daunting and overwhelming’, so she shares tips to ‘show people that look like me that it’s possible’
‘We have just as much of a right to travel as anyone else does and we deserve to be safe and comfortable while we travel. Seatbelt extenders, of course, help to keep us safe.
‘I share a lot of content about seat belt extenders but I know that a lot of people don’t know that you often can’t use one in an emergency exit.
‘I get a lot of questions about this so I wanted to share a video letting people know, as I know a lot of people have experienced this after boarding and have been moved as a result.
‘Travelling as a plus size person can be incredibly daunting and overwhelming and so I wanted to show people that look like me that it’s possible.
‘My life changed when I started to travel and after telling myself for so long that I was too fat to travel, I realised I didn’t want anyone else to put off travel like I did.
‘If my tips and tricks help just one person, it will be a job well done.’
