A Reddit user recently stirred up controversy on the internet after telling a story about one of his recent flights that did not go as planned. In a lengthy post, the man says he wound up sitting next to an obese passenger that took up more than his fair share of space. Because there were no other seats available, the man decided to offer the passenger a compromise. He asked him to pay him $150 if he wished to remain in that seat for the duration of the flight, according to Fox News .
The issue of whether or not obese passengers should have to pay for two seats on crowded flights has been a controversial topic for years. While some say that forcing heavier passengers to buy an extra seat is humiliating and de-humanizing, others feel that large passengers inconvenience those around them. While most might remain silent in regards to less-than-ideal seating arrangements, this particular individual wasn’t having any of it.
In his post, the user explains that he was embarking on a five hour flight and had specifically paid for a window seat to ensure his travels would be comfortable. When the obese passenger took the seat next to him, he originally planned to make the best of the situation. However, only minutes into the flight he grew increasingly uncomfortable.
A man has split the internet over an admission that he charged an obese plane passenger $150 for a five-hour flight because the passenger was allegedly “taking up quite a bit” of the man’s seat: https://t.co/Totcu5PQyy
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) March 3, 2019
“I get up and let him in politely, wanting to at least give him a chance. Well, he sits down and is easily seeping into about 1/3 of my seat. I sit down and am pressed up against him, making me uncomfortable. After a minute, I decided to be upfront and tell him: ‘Sir, I’m sorry but this situation is not working for me, you’re taking up quite a bit of my seat.’”
The obese passenger reportedly tired to squeeze in as much as possible to avoid taking up extra room, but to no avail. The author of the post then approached a flight attendant to see if a different arrangement could be made. She informed him that it was a full flight and there weren’t any other seats. His seatmate was visibly embarrassed and apologized, but stated that he couldn’t wait for a different flight. That’s when the man offered him a deal.
“I told the guy, ‘Look, I’ll put up with this if you give me $150 — that’s half the cost of this flight and that would compensate me enough for the circumstances.’”
The man was quick to fork over the money before things escalated. Reddit users quickly condemned the author of the post for humiliating his seatmate rather than just dealing with the unfortunate circumstances.
