Man Booted Off Longhaul Flight After Complaining About Sitting Next To An Obese Person For 12 Hours

Aug 17, 2023 by apost team

In many parts of the world, flying is the most preferred option for traveling long distances, as it cuts out long hours of road travel. Traveling by plane is also a preferred option for its safety compared to other means of transportation. Since commercial flights became mainstream in the 1950s, they have witnessed unprecedented levels of growth. They have also witnessed numerous cases of air rage that have gotten passengers kicked off flights.

Air rage is unruly or violent behavior exhibited by a passenger and crew onboard a flight that breaches the airline contract. Every airline has a contract that usually describes prohibited passenger behavior in terms such as abusive, disorderly, intimidating, threatening and offensive. Once a passenger breaches this contract, depending on the severity of the case, the flight crew has the power to boot them off the flight. 

In one such case, a Reddit user @u/L4l0_Salamanca in a March 2023 post, detailed how he was kicked off a flight for complaining about sitting next to an obese man. L4l0_Salamanca started the post by explaining that he was taking a 12-hour connecting flight on his way to his home country when he met an obese man taking up a good chunk of his seat. The original poster (OP) relayed his plight to the flight attendant, who informed him that the passenger paid for the seat and that she couldn’t offer him another seat as the flight was fully booked.

“I (18m) was travelling to my home country. On my second connecting flight, which is also by far my longest one being over 12 hours long, I had the delightful sight of an obese man that was taking up a good chunk of my seat,” L4l0_Salamanca wrote.

After listening to the attendant’s response to his complaint, L4l0_Salamanca proceeded to complain about the situation and comment on the terrible services rendered by the airplane. Per the post, he told the attendant that the airline’s services had become progressively worse over the years. 

“I asked the flight attendant how it’s possible that my seat still rendered as available if it was being used for someone’s literal rolls, as this wasn’t an american airline (non-american airlines don’t get overbooked),” he said.

“These comments prompted the flight attendant to call me rude and just made her double down on me getting kicked off the plane, though she reassured me I’d be compensated for this trouble as I told her I wasn’t travelling for vacation.”

L4l0_Salamanca's reaction to the situation got him labeled as fatphobic by the man in question and caused other passengers to look at him with disgust. He revealed that although the rest of the passengers must have perceived him as a bad person, he was paying for the indiscipline of another and the airline’s poor booking system. 

After he was booted off the flight, L4l0_Salamanca received a complaint letter from the airline, which he appealed. In the letter, the airline informed him of his temporary ban and accused him of being rude to passengers and staff. However, the ban was lifted after his appeal, and he was allowed to travel the next day. The OP wrote: 

“The airline staff sent a letter of complaint that I got appealed and the consequences in the complaint (being a temporary ban) were removed less than an hour later. In the letter of complaint it said I was being rude to other passengers and the staff.”

“Since it got appealed so quick, and I got to travel the next day anyway, I’m really not sure if I’m TA,” the OP concluded.

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Redditors on the platform took to the comment section to drop their opinion on L4l0_Salamanca’s post, with many against him for how he handled the situation.

“Hard YTA. OP behaved like a massive jerk. The fact that the poor man knew you were complaining about him tells me you were loud and rude. You are also fat phobic how do you know there wasn’t a medical issue causing him to be larger?" One user commented. 

“Yes YTA,” another wrote. “Not for being uncomfortable and wanting your seat changed, but for how you handled the whole situation. You did not need to insult the man right next to you and the airline just to get your point across. All of that makes you TA.”

“YTA,” a third user commented. "You didn't even have the decency to complain to the flight attendant privately, and wrongfully took out your frustration out on them."

“NTA for making a 'fuss' about it. It's the airline's responsibility to make sure you have the seat you paid for. Shouldn't be a problem if they do that in the first place. If someone occupied more than one seat, they should buy 2 seats. For those who tried to guilt trip you into tolerating it, they're welcome to switch seats with you,” a fourth user wrote. “YTA for making personal attacks, you should be mad at the airline and whoever handled your complaints, not the person sitting next to you. If he's occupying your seat, say that he's occupying your seat, you don't have to attack him and judging his discipline, you know nothing about his struggles,” the user added.

“YTA and just for the record airlines outside the US do overbook, on nearly every flight,” a fourth Redditor commented.

What do you think of the OP complaining loudly about his flight seat predicament? Do you think he could have handled the situation better? Let us know, and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family members and other people you think would have an answer!