Plus-Size Woman Sharing How to Get Two Seats on Almost Every Flight Praised

One plus-size travel blogger has amazed social-media users with her helpful tip for getting two seats on a flight, without paying for the second.

The UK-based content creator @kirstyleannetravels regularly shares advice online to help other jet-setters have an easier and more comfortable time traveling. The TikTok user has previously shared advice for picking the best hotels and plus-size swimwear and how to get the perfect vacation shot. But a video explaining her hack to get two seats to herself on a flight has gained plenty of attention.

In the video, @kirstyleannetravels says that, as soon as she's boarding, she asks a flight attendant "if there are any seats where there's two seats next to each other" that are available. The clip, which was posted in April, has been viewed more than 2.6 million times and received over 94,000 likes.

A 2020 survey conducted by Franklin Templeton and Gallup asked 10,000 U.S. adults about their preferences when it comes to flying. Evidently, comfort is a key factor for many boarding a flight. Not having to make small talk with their seat neighbor was a bonus for almost half of participants. Results showed that 47 percent of people would be willing to pay for an additional seat to assure it was left empty, as long as it was under $100. If the cost of the extra seat cost up to $149, then 29 percent of people would still be happy to pay the extra amount.

When @kirstyleannetravels posted the video of her travel hack, she also explained that "the sooner you board and ask, the better" as many free seats are snapped up "on a first come first serve basis." She also wrote "don't be disheartened" if the first person you ask says the flight is full. Sometimes, a passenger might miss the flight, so a seat becomes available at the last minute.

As a plus-size woman, this hack certainly helps the travel blogger feel more comfortable on a flight, rather than being restricted to one small seat. Some people might feel uncomfortable asking for more an additional seat, but @kirstyleannetravels says "it's always worth asking" because people of all sizes "deserve to be comfortable too."

Many social-media users may have appreciated the advice. However, Mary DeSpain is an experienced travel agent with a legal background, and she says it's better not to leave it until the last minute.

DeSpain told Newsweek: "As an experienced travel expert and owner of two travel agencies, securing two seats together at the airport may be an unwise suggestion by a blogger.

"However, based on serving clients with disabilities, I've noticed a growing trend among airlines, car rental companies, hotel bus shuttles, and other vacation services to accommodate larger and taller passengers, regardless of whether they have a confirmed disability," DeSpain said.

"Current guidelines generally state that if a passenger is unable to lower the armrests, the majority of airlines require the person to purchase an additional seat," DeSpain added. "If this request is made at the time of boarding, the price will be determined on that day. If the purchase is made at the time of the booking, substantial savings can be achieved."

DeSpain said that "waiting until boarding may lead to complications," so people with any special requests should "make the necessary arrangements in advance."

When the video was first shared, @kirstyleannetravels received many comments about her tip, both good and bad. However, after some negative backlash, the blogger later chose to turn off the comments section for that post.

An early comment that was left on the video reads: "You'll find it comfortable to know that it is actually very easy to book a second seat." Following this, @kirstyleannetravels posted a follow-up video explaining the common difficulties with trying to book a second seat in advance.

From this secondary video, the globetrotter received hundreds more comments from social-media users about her advice.

One commenter wrote: "It's not fair that people should have to pay more just to have a comfortable flight."

Another person posted: "so I think we should advocate for a policy to let more people buy 2 seats."

However, there was also some negativity towards the TikTok user, as some feel that she shouldn't get two seats due to her size.

One person responded to the video with: "if you use 2 seats you have to pay 2."

"If you encroach into the next person's seat – you need to pay for two tickets," wrote another TikTok user.

Newsweek reached out to @kirstyleannetravels via email for comment. We could not verify the details of the video.

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