Weight For It Into Thin Air
Sep 19, 2024
In this discussion, traveler Brigid Quinn McDonnell shares her distressing experience of being deboarded due to a 'customer of size' policy, shedding light on the humiliation faced by plus-size passengers. Author Aubrey Gordon adds depth by discussing the everyday anxieties and coping mechanisms for fat travelers. They address systemic issues in air travel, like how airlines exploit budget models to sacrifice comfort and why passengers unfairly scapegoat others. Together, they suggest that universal design could revolutionize flying for all body types.
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Deboarded And Reboarded For Being Fat
- Brigid was seated and then publicly deboarded because a flight attendant invoked Southwest's customer-of-size policy.
- She reboarded tearful and humiliated, crying for most of the 75-minute flight.
Everyday Airport Anxieties For Fat Flyers
- Ronald and Aubrey describe pervasive travel anxieties like security pat-downs and avoiding attention.
- These minor incidents accumulate into constant pre-flight strategies to avoid humiliation.
Pack Extender And Use 'Shrink' Posture
- Bring a seatbelt extender and keep it as essential as your phone or boarding pass.
- Use posture strategies (arm across elbow, ankles overlapped) to minimize perceived intrusion on neighbors.
