South
‘Plus-sized’ woman is criticized for sharing her travel tips on how to snag plane seats for free
Southwest Airlines celebrated for plus-size policy
A policy by Southwest Airlines is gaining attention online. Southwest’s policy states customers whose bodies “encroach” past the armrest are entitled to an extra seat, or two, free of charge.
A “plus-sized” woman was slammed on social media for posting very specific travel tips.
Kirsty Leanne is a 30-year-old woman based in the U.K., who regularly shares videos about her travel experiences as a “plus-sized person,” as she refers to herself — and has over 4.6 million likes on her account.
She recently shared tips on getting a second plane seat for free with her nearly 130,000 TikTok followers.
In one of her most popular videos, she discussed “one of the most daunting things about flying as a plus-sized person” — which she said is not knowing how much room she will have in her economy seat.
Leanne advised others to ask a flight attendant at the gate if there are “any seats where there’s two seats next to each other free.”
She noted that it doesn’t work on every flight — especially fully booked flights — but said that it’s worth the ask.
In another video, Leanne shared a video of herself spread out across all three plane seats.
She included additional tips in the caption, such as looking for a neighbor-free or customer-of-size airline policy, checking in late to see what additional seats are free — and choosing seats in less-desirable spots on the plane for a better chance at finding an empty seat in the row.
She also noted that “airlines make it so hard to book a second seat, and so, over the years, I’ve had to find ways to increase my chances of getting an empty seat next to me.”
The travel inspiration content creator and blogger noted in another TikTok video that although buying another seat is the most recommended option, it’s not always possible for many different reasons.
“It costs a lot (especially if you have to pay to allocate your seat) and not everyone can afford to do this,” she said.
She also said airlines tend to overbook flights — so a second seat could be given away.
TikTok users took to the comments section of one of her most viral travel videos — which has over 6.6 million views.
One user wrote, “Someone said eat double, pay double.”
Another said, “How is this not a wake-up call?”
Other users said Leanne should be charged extra since the bags must be overweight.
“Other customers deserve to be comfortable, too,” another user wrote.
One TikTok user slammed the poster directly, saying, “Top tip: put the fork down occasionally.”
Leanne’s online blog is called Plus Size Travel Too — which shares her experiences of traveling across the world as a larger-sized woman.
Examples include how to do a plus-sized-friendly trip to Bali and a cruise ship plus-sized friendly review.
Fox News Digital reached out to her for further comment.
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