Plus-Size Woman Defends Not Buying 2 Seats on Airplane: 'Why Should I?'

From lack of legroom to annoying passengers, air travel can be uncomfortable for many, but one woman has taken to the internet this week to share an issue she has found with airplane seats. Kayla Logan is a plus-size woman from Toronto. On a recent Air Canada flight from San Diego back home, she filmed a now-viral TikTok video, criticizing the aircraft seating for being unsuitable.

"I'm a fat woman traveling," said Logan in the video. "And this is the seat right now. I'm literally going on top of the next person's seat." Having to squeeze into the small space for the five-hour journey, Logan shared her upset online to raise awareness of what she says is a common problem. "I do have this issue on most flights," Logan told Newsweek. "I want to share that plus-size bodies deserve access, accommodations, respect and dignity when traveling. "I know there are a lot of plus-size people who are fearful of flying because of fatphobia. They're worried about not fitting into the seat, the seat belt not fitting, needing a seat-belt extender, and honestly sitting next to someone who is cruel to them, just because they're fat." A spokesperson for Air Canada told Newsweek: "We make every effort to be responsive to all our customers' special needs, and we encourage them to contact our Medical Desk before they travel to see what accommodations are available. "For customers who require extra seating room, we do offer a second seat at no charge for flights within Canada and with no additional fees on international flights. As well, customers have the option of purchasing a larger Premium Economy or Business Class seat on flights where these cabins are available." The internet has slammed women for sharing their experiences of tight-space flying, and Sydney Watson gained viral attention for calling out "obese people" on her flight. Logan's video, which gained more than two million views, prompted further discussion on the issue, with many TikTok users suggesting that she should have purchased two seats. "If you're encroaching into someone else's seat, you should buy two seats. Everyone deserves to be comfortable," read one reply, while another viewer wrote: "It's unfair if you're taking up half of my seat that I paid for. I get squished and it's uncomfortable for both of us. Buy two seats."

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However, Logan disagreed with this idea and said: "I wouldn't consider buying a second seat because I don't know who can afford it? Why should I have to pay more because my body is larger? Why can't airlines accommodate larger bodies? Plus-size women are the majority of people today in North America, and it's time we see that represented in society." Sharing her experience online, Logan hoped that it would open up the conversation about the reality of travel for all people: "I wanted to show others that they deserve to travel and that they aren't alone in these fears they may have about traveling while fat." While there was some disagreement, others sided with Logan in the comments of her video, and one wrote: "Seats should be bigger. I don't know why that makes everyone so mad. We would all benefit from it too. Ridiculous to tell someone to buy 2 seats." "It hurts me to see you experience so much anxiety," said another commenter on the viral video, while one TikToker wrote: "I feel like they could just have a few wider seats in some place of the plane." "Seats need to be larger on planes," said Logan. "All people deserve to be comfortable while flying, not just fat people. I also want to get across that fat people deserve to take up space and be able to fly without having to pay for an extra seat. "It doesn't seem fair that fat people should have to pay more to fly comfortably. It just seems like a fat tax, having to pay more because we're fat."