Starting my morning by reading your column always make me smile😊.
As a frequent flier with Southwest, I applaud their new policy👏.
It would be a welcome change if people could accept themselves for who they are --- regardless of size --- and to stop blaming the world for their plight.😑
Americans were skinnier in the 1950’s through 1980’s when they were eating “processed” food to their hearts’ content than they are now being lectured by “health” scolds at every turn.
You’re not going to lose weight by insisting on “organic” “sustainable” potato chips, only by eating far fewer potato chips, and RFK’s nutball rhetoric is a distraction from that.
RFK is an idiot?🤣🤦♀️ I don’t believe he has ever said eating organic or sustainable potato chips is going to cure chronic disease. He wants to clean up our chemically laden food supply and get people moving their bodies. That’s “nutball rhetoric“? Mkay. Of course some people will always continue to overeat. That’s called free will. But those of us who DON’T chronically overstuff our faces would certainly appreciate cleaner food options.
If you think processed foods in the 1950's were as bad as processed foods now and RFK is a nutball, then there's no hope to engage in a debate with you.
Correct! RFK is a loon, everyone sane knows this, his prescriptions will do nothing to make anyone healthier, and, well, no, I don’t expect anyone who’s a devoted follower of his to agree. Just wasn’t going to let “people are fat so we need RFK!!” to pass without comment, whyever it showed up in my feed.
People are launching idiotic crusades against “processed foods” and the like to avoid accepting the obvious fact that the issue is self-control and the lack thereof. That’s why Grandma ate Twinkies and baked with Crisco and was healthier than we are.
You might want to read the book "Salt Sugar Fat" to see how the food industry has intentionally chemically altered our food at the molecular level to make it more addictive than crack (see studies of sugar's addictive qualities).
When McDonald's first opened and for several years after, the french fries had 3 ingredients: potatoes, salt and lard. Now, there are almost 20 ingredients.
And fhe research indicating that gut dybiosis (caused by - amongst other things - emulsifiers, stabilisers, gums, artificial colours/flavours) leads to rats becoming fat whilst their control group counterparts do not...?...? (Naughty rats: they should exercise more self-control)
Not Southwest, but I once had to move a Field and Stream magazine from a checked bag to a carry on because the checked bag was over weight by 3 ounces.🤣
I knew a woman who frequently travelled to Ecuador, and got into the habit of collecting kids clothes to give to local families there. She often travelled with hockey bags which were well over the limit. She developed a routine where, when challenged on the bags' weight, she would explain that it was only clothing for poor children, and begin to remove clothes, saying, "I'll just throw some out. Let me know when I've tossed enough."
Oddly, the weight limits were never a problem at that point.
P.S. Around that time we came to realize kids clothes were also most welcome in the Dominican Republic.
I flew once and my bag was slightly overweight. I opened the bag, removed a pair of jeans and calmly put them on underneath my dress. Zipped up the bag and the weight was a few ounces under. Good to go!! The folks behind me applauded the idiocy of the entire scenario.
We’ve done that several times on mission trips to Kenya, moving items from one bag to another, adding to carry ons, wearing more than needed, begging officials, or just paying extra for an overweight bag.
Years ago traveling internationally with my 3 children in Business Class, on top on a 747, I strapped my 5 year old son next to a man, who had a ‘growl’ on his face…(first off I would never subject my fellow travelers to unruly kids)…..when we landed he came up and apologized. He was embarrassed for his demeanor. Complimented me on my sons behavior and said he didn’t realize how nice not to have a much larger passenger next to him!
Freight and postage are billed by weight, would only be fair if travel charges were done the same way. Takes less fuel to haul 120 lbs of human than say a plus sized 320 pound individual,
This is actually brilliant! Set a ticket price based on an "average" weight person and then adjust it up or down by weighing the person when they check in! I wonder just how skimpy the clothing choices would become then?
Sorry, I know this may sound really mean but I am sick and tired of having to kiss everyone else’s ass because of poor decisions they make!! If you’re fat just own up to it and buy a first class seat or two seats back in steerage. You know you’re fat so stop inflicting your gelatinous self onto others and expecting them to just suck it up. On a 12 hour flight from Phoenix to Madrid I was squished in between two fatties. One of which has psoriasis plaques all over her BARE ARMS. Seriously? Wear a fucking long sleeve top. The FA saw my dilemma and with a knowing nod handed me two blankets so I could cover up. Once we were in the air she came back and asked me to follow her…directly into first class where she gave me the only empty seat.
I’m 6’ tall. My husband 6’4”. We pay extra for rows with more leg room or we fly first class. Nobody accommodates our special needs. Not do we expect them to.
Ok, your comment about kids who look nothing like either parent cracked me up because I have one of those. I’m blonde haired and blue eyed, my husband is dark haired and blue eyed, and I gave birth to a redhead with grey eyes. Thankfully he’s post-puberty now and has his dads facial bone structure and my hair (although a different color), but still doesn’t look a lot like either of us, and his siblings still call him ‘throw back’ on occasion. (Don’t judge, it’s how we show affection in our family).
As a former teacher, I’ve seen lots of kids with ginger traits from having a blonde and a brunette parent. I’ve often wondered if the genes just said, “I can’t decide. I’ll just park it somewhere in the middle.”
It’s hard to carry a child for 9 months only to have them not even look like you. My girl got the best of both grandmothers, though—red hair and smaller nose from one, thick hair and deep blue eyes from the other. She didn’t even have my blood type! (An issue when she had to have open heart surgery at 6 months old.)
I have 2 sons, and they look nothing alike. The older one looks like me and the younger one looks like my husband. If you saw them side by side, you'd never know they were brothers. My husband's eyes are blue and mine are green. The younger one who looks like him has my green eyes, while the older one has his father's blue eyes. Yeah, genetics is a funny thing. You never know how combining the genes of two parents will turn out.
That is basically me and my family. My older sister is a carbon copy of my mom, and my younger brother is the spitting image of my dad. I don’t faintly resemble any of them. In fact it was common for people to say when they saw us as a family, pointing to me, “where did SHE come from?” My mom would laugh and say “the mailman.“ When I was little, I thought that meant the kind carrier had simply dropped me off on the doorstep… You can probably imagine how horrified I was when I got older and realized what she was implying.🤣🤣🤣🙈🙈🙈
Your parents must have been very secure in their relationship for her to have said that with a laugh. These days that comment might trigger a paternity test.
LOL unfortunately, they mostly couldn't stand each other (they finally divorced when I was in college). I think she was trying to goad him (or make him jealous?) and he'd be like, "The mailman can have ALL OF YOU." (That part is sort of a downer so I left it out initially... but it's probably why I'm funny. ;)
My parents hated each other but never divorced. That may be why I'm not funny. If my mother had said that bit about the mailman, it would have just given my father more ammunition to use against her.
I too have a sister who was born with almond shaped eyes. We had nicknames for each of us (1 of 5). I’m sure we can guess what her nickname was (is). Anyway, she was also labeled the milkman’s child. BTW, my nickname is catfish because I liked to fish.
Thanks 👍🙂 for this comment on the miracle of recombinant DNA 😂. My maternal aunt happens to be whiter than everyone on both sides of her family, and in my generation I, too, happen to be whiter than all of the already very white Germans, Dutch, Swedes, & British on both sides of my family: cousins, aunts & uncles, grandparents, plus I’m whiter than both Mom & Dad, despite all the blue & green eyes on both sides, all the blond & red hair on both sides.
I am unapologetically tired of being politically correct and inclusive on this topic. If you are obese lose weight. It’s the healthy thing to do. It’s time we stop making excuses for it and apologizing for other people having a problem. I’m really not trying to be hateful or mean, I promise you. But we gotta be honest here and say that if you’re so big that you take up two seats on an airplane, you need to lose weight. you need to make some changes in your life.
And the very reason I will never fly again.....the entire industry is in disarray and I refuse to participate. I'll drive my comfortable truck and see the countryside as my bonus.
Linda, is that you!?! 🤣🤣🤣 (Linda and I were discussing this just days ago) Flights have gotten so bad, it’s easier to drive. Might take longer but it doesn’t make you travel to 4 different airports two of which are the wrong direction.
I used to love visiting Europe (except for the flying part). When the Covid stupidity hit, I decided I'm never going to fly again. We have a big country and driving gives you a lot more freedom.
Airline travel was once the province of those who could afford the relatively expensive cost. There were no super-saver fares, no $100 tickets. It was expensive enough that air travel was somewhat exclusive. Seats were comfortably sized, and service was customer centered. I know because I'm old enough to remember them both. Then someone got the brilliant idea that air travel should be available to everyone, and the system became what it is today. I'm sure that there were factors other than a desire to promote egalitarianism involved. But once you sell more seats to more travelers while failing to increase capacity (more planes with fewer seats), you end up with flying cattle cars. And this is why I avoid air travel today. If I absolutely had to fly, I'd buy a seat in first class. But I will never again fly coach or even business class. If wanting to fly in 100% of the seat I paid for makes me an elitist or an unfeeling jerk so be it.
You might enjoy a piece I wrote a while back about the "golden era of flying" (I had an actual RABBIT FUR MUFF that was originally purchased for just such a jaunt--and we were hardly hifalutin!). https://jennasside.rocks/p/could-dei-be-deadly
Like my wife, a nurse, told fat patients who had to move from a gurney to an operating table and expected her to help somehow, “you grew it, you move it.”
I'm fat. Yep, wide load here. (Actually I fit uncomfortably in those seats but not into the aisle) My husband books my flights, and now it's first class or find another flight. I'm happy, and comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. I am responsible for myself. And yes I feel the airlines have crammed far too many seats onto those planes but I can't change that... so I pay more for my own comfort. So far it's working out for everyone!
I don't *love* flying, but I will admit First Class does make it borderline enjoyable. :) (When I was doing a ton of public speaking, that was in my contract: my fee plus first-class travel. It was HEAVENLY. Coach--which I fly most of the time, sadly--sucks.)
Peggy, you highlight another perk of paying extra; it puts you into the position to look down upon people who were looking forward to looking down on you. Script flipt. (I wish all the plus-sizes could see their choices in a similar light.) Agreed: Brava! Bravissima!
LOL I love that, although I do not look down upon anyone :) I don't know when we, as a society, killed personal responsibility but here we are. I am not a poor put upon fat girl, I just like my food and wine. Is that someone else's fault? Hell no :) And now I love first class (where they have food and wine). Cheers!
What's it like, having 2 seats? I only know planes that have an armrest in the middle that might go up but never fully. And the seats don't form a whole either. It seems really uncomfortable to me.
I'm plus sized myself but still fit in 1 chair. I am also tall and my knees stick into the chair in front of me.
Peggy, you and I are in the same boat and I agree with you 100%. I would be okay with an extra seat in coach IF it ended up being a better deal price-wise than First Class. My guess is it would not be a better deal because you would still have added luggage costs and still be in the Coach section.
I don't need two seats -- but I have been sandwiched between two people similar or bigger than me. Flying is just not a comfortable experience anymore.
In the years I traveled regularly for business I experienced quite a variety of pleasant to unpleasant encounters. One of the worst was when there wasn’t actually any unoccupied empty space for me in my middle seat as both the aisle and window passengers were so large they each had spilled over and consumed my entire seat. Id been one of the last passengers to board and the flight was full.
Luckily for me the stewardess found one lone seat for me that was available on that packed flight. Otherwise, I would have had to deplane and find another flight.
In the Condé Nast story I referenced, one passenger was bumped up to first class for simply being WILLING to take a seat adjacent to a plus size passenger. I think that’s a pretty decent plan.
My husband would be this person. And would richly deserve the gesture. He is such a tolerant soul in this exact situation, where I am pushed to the limit by heights over 6ft, and everything else aggravates me awfully.
I traveled a lot for business and would be classified as "petite". Omg...the times in the middle...complete space invasion with no where to run, no where to hide, but to try to make myself smaller than I already was. My strategy was always window seat so I could rotate and become very familiar with the window if needed. Nightmare!
I always book the window seat. They won’t strap me to the nose or let me sit in the cockpit where I can fully enjoy the view the way I’d like to, so window seat it is! Imagine my annoyance when I paid extra $ for a window seat two days ago, and when I sat down there was a solid wall there. There was a window on the other side of the same row but for some odd reason just a wall at my window seat.
Since it wasn’t a full flight, a game of whack-a-mole ensued as I tried to snag another window that wasn’t paid for. Luckily the stewardess eventually found an empty row with window for me, bless her heart. I’m sure I was an annoyance bouncing row to row. 🤣 I have to have the view!
In my early travel days I always selected the window seat… but after a few by-then twice-weekly trips, I preferred the aisle for an easy “out”. There were occasions that I had to change my flight plans due to issues at customers sites…. And last minute bookings didnt often have the luxury of any other than middle seats. That plane trip was one of those times… and since I was headed home after a grueling week, I didn’t want to delay doing so.
The empty seat the stewardess found for me for me was right next to the bathroom door … which had a disturbing habit of unlatching when unoccupied and opening up in all its glory right by me.
"You charged me for a window seat and gave me a wall seat?" "Right."
"How are you going to make restitution?"
"I say, how do you plan to make this right?"
"Regarding resolving the clear injustice, what do you propose?"
"If Our Lord asked you to look into this, how would you resolve it?"
"If, God forbid, you were to have a stroke and appear immediately in front of the Judgment Seat--as the Church teaches is the next moment--what story will you tell about what you were 'just about to do', before the stroke, to help me?"
What about Infant/Toddler air travelers? I had little patience for screaming babies until I accompanied my daughter with her infant and toddler on a sold out cross country flight. Screaming and melt downs for 6 hours. Longest flight of my life. The nearby passengers were very patient. Thank goodness for headphones.
I gave my three all the tootsie rolls I could pack. Chewing seemed to take care of the ear popping pain and keep them quiet. Win-win. Eventually, the sugar crash would hit and 2 of the 3 would fall asleep. My eldest had major FOMO and would never sleep in case she’d miss out on something exciting (who she thought might walk intomthe
plane mid-flight was a question…) but she was my best behaved, so it worked.
I have noticed that they don't give any advice for the pressure changes encountered on aircraft! I remember as a kid getting a barley sugar to help you swallow and equalise the inner ear pressure on take off and landing! I remember on a recent flight having to explain that to a kid and his mother to try to help ease his discomfort... 🙄🧐
Jenna,
Starting my morning by reading your column always make me smile😊.
As a frequent flier with Southwest, I applaud their new policy👏.
It would be a welcome change if people could accept themselves for who they are --- regardless of size --- and to stop blaming the world for their plight.😑
Well, people today can't accept their gender, so will they accept that they're fat & need two or three seats? Nah, they're rather sue..
Americans too fat to fit in airline seats, but RFK is the devil for wanting to address the poison that our food has become.
America ftw
🎯
💯💯💯💯
RFK is an idiot.
Americans were skinnier in the 1950’s through 1980’s when they were eating “processed” food to their hearts’ content than they are now being lectured by “health” scolds at every turn.
You’re not going to lose weight by insisting on “organic” “sustainable” potato chips, only by eating far fewer potato chips, and RFK’s nutball rhetoric is a distraction from that.
RFK is an idiot?🤣🤦♀️ I don’t believe he has ever said eating organic or sustainable potato chips is going to cure chronic disease. He wants to clean up our chemically laden food supply and get people moving their bodies. That’s “nutball rhetoric“? Mkay. Of course some people will always continue to overeat. That’s called free will. But those of us who DON’T chronically overstuff our faces would certainly appreciate cleaner food options.
Good lord, this comment.
Lots of supposition.
If you think processed foods in the 1950's were as bad as processed foods now and RFK is a nutball, then there's no hope to engage in a debate with you.
🎯🎯🎯
Correct! RFK is a loon, everyone sane knows this, his prescriptions will do nothing to make anyone healthier, and, well, no, I don’t expect anyone who’s a devoted follower of his to agree. Just wasn’t going to let “people are fat so we need RFK!!” to pass without comment, whyever it showed up in my feed.
People are launching idiotic crusades against “processed foods” and the like to avoid accepting the obvious fact that the issue is self-control and the lack thereof. That’s why Grandma ate Twinkies and baked with Crisco and was healthier than we are.
You might want to read the book "Salt Sugar Fat" to see how the food industry has intentionally chemically altered our food at the molecular level to make it more addictive than crack (see studies of sugar's addictive qualities).
When McDonald's first opened and for several years after, the french fries had 3 ingredients: potatoes, salt and lard. Now, there are almost 20 ingredients.
And fhe research indicating that gut dybiosis (caused by - amongst other things - emulsifiers, stabilisers, gums, artificial colours/flavours) leads to rats becoming fat whilst their control group counterparts do not...?...? (Naughty rats: they should exercise more self-control)
lol, you support processed food.
Interesting flex- doesn't portray you as a freakin' loon or anything.
Good luck with a long and healthy life. Enjoy your twinkies.
Not Southwest, but I once had to move a Field and Stream magazine from a checked bag to a carry on because the checked bag was over weight by 3 ounces.🤣
I knew a woman who frequently travelled to Ecuador, and got into the habit of collecting kids clothes to give to local families there. She often travelled with hockey bags which were well over the limit. She developed a routine where, when challenged on the bags' weight, she would explain that it was only clothing for poor children, and begin to remove clothes, saying, "I'll just throw some out. Let me know when I've tossed enough."
Oddly, the weight limits were never a problem at that point.
P.S. Around that time we came to realize kids clothes were also most welcome in the Dominican Republic.
I flew once and my bag was slightly overweight. I opened the bag, removed a pair of jeans and calmly put them on underneath my dress. Zipped up the bag and the weight was a few ounces under. Good to go!! The folks behind me applauded the idiocy of the entire scenario.
We’ve done that several times on mission trips to Kenya, moving items from one bag to another, adding to carry ons, wearing more than needed, begging officials, or just paying extra for an overweight bag.
Our current snowflake culture is always offended by SOMETHING...if not EVERYTHING. As the Eagles' song says, "Get over it!"
Or my favorite, “Suck it up, cupcake “
That song always made me laugh. “I’d like to take your inner child and kick it’s little ass!” 😝😝
Hahaha
Years ago traveling internationally with my 3 children in Business Class, on top on a 747, I strapped my 5 year old son next to a man, who had a ‘growl’ on his face…(first off I would never subject my fellow travelers to unruly kids)…..when we landed he came up and apologized. He was embarrassed for his demeanor. Complimented me on my sons behavior and said he didn’t realize how nice not to have a much larger passenger next to him!
Freight and postage are billed by weight, would only be fair if travel charges were done the same way. Takes less fuel to haul 120 lbs of human than say a plus sized 320 pound individual,
You’re being politely generous. The guy and girl in her pics are 450-500 easy.
This is actually brilliant! Set a ticket price based on an "average" weight person and then adjust it up or down by weighing the person when they check in! I wonder just how skimpy the clothing choices would become then?
Sorry, I know this may sound really mean but I am sick and tired of having to kiss everyone else’s ass because of poor decisions they make!! If you’re fat just own up to it and buy a first class seat or two seats back in steerage. You know you’re fat so stop inflicting your gelatinous self onto others and expecting them to just suck it up. On a 12 hour flight from Phoenix to Madrid I was squished in between two fatties. One of which has psoriasis plaques all over her BARE ARMS. Seriously? Wear a fucking long sleeve top. The FA saw my dilemma and with a knowing nod handed me two blankets so I could cover up. Once we were in the air she came back and asked me to follow her…directly into first class where she gave me the only empty seat.
I’m 6’ tall. My husband 6’4”. We pay extra for rows with more leg room or we fly first class. Nobody accommodates our special needs. Not do we expect them to.
Ok, your comment about kids who look nothing like either parent cracked me up because I have one of those. I’m blonde haired and blue eyed, my husband is dark haired and blue eyed, and I gave birth to a redhead with grey eyes. Thankfully he’s post-puberty now and has his dads facial bone structure and my hair (although a different color), but still doesn’t look a lot like either of us, and his siblings still call him ‘throw back’ on occasion. (Don’t judge, it’s how we show affection in our family).
😂😂😂
As a former teacher, I’ve seen lots of kids with ginger traits from having a blonde and a brunette parent. I’ve often wondered if the genes just said, “I can’t decide. I’ll just park it somewhere in the middle.”
We both have Irish ancestry, just no one has ever had red hair. He’s truly a throwback. Genetics are super cool.
It’s hard to carry a child for 9 months only to have them not even look like you. My girl got the best of both grandmothers, though—red hair and smaller nose from one, thick hair and deep blue eyes from the other. She didn’t even have my blood type! (An issue when she had to have open heart surgery at 6 months old.)
I have 2 sons, and they look nothing alike. The older one looks like me and the younger one looks like my husband. If you saw them side by side, you'd never know they were brothers. My husband's eyes are blue and mine are green. The younger one who looks like him has my green eyes, while the older one has his father's blue eyes. Yeah, genetics is a funny thing. You never know how combining the genes of two parents will turn out.
That is basically me and my family. My older sister is a carbon copy of my mom, and my younger brother is the spitting image of my dad. I don’t faintly resemble any of them. In fact it was common for people to say when they saw us as a family, pointing to me, “where did SHE come from?” My mom would laugh and say “the mailman.“ When I was little, I thought that meant the kind carrier had simply dropped me off on the doorstep… You can probably imagine how horrified I was when I got older and realized what she was implying.🤣🤣🤣🙈🙈🙈
That’s my youngest, he kind of looks adopted, thankfully he couldn’t care less… he’s very secure.
And even funnier… his dad is my 2nd husband and my older kids look more like him than his own kid does! 😂
Your parents must have been very secure in their relationship for her to have said that with a laugh. These days that comment might trigger a paternity test.
LOL unfortunately, they mostly couldn't stand each other (they finally divorced when I was in college). I think she was trying to goad him (or make him jealous?) and he'd be like, "The mailman can have ALL OF YOU." (That part is sort of a downer so I left it out initially... but it's probably why I'm funny. ;)
My parents hated each other but never divorced. That may be why I'm not funny. If my mother had said that bit about the mailman, it would have just given my father more ammunition to use against her.
“That may be why I’m not funny” is actually hilarious.
Hey, my parents waited until they were 70 to get divorced! That is a moronic idea! Neither one could "survive" without the other!
When did the stork story become the mailman story?
Complicated household you must have lived in.
Hopefully you weren’t one (of those) who the cat drug in kind of additions to the family.
Glad this is post-milkman delivery days 😍
I too have a sister who was born with almond shaped eyes. We had nicknames for each of us (1 of 5). I’m sure we can guess what her nickname was (is). Anyway, she was also labeled the milkman’s child. BTW, my nickname is catfish because I liked to fish.
Recessive genes at work.
Thanks 👍🙂 for this comment on the miracle of recombinant DNA 😂. My maternal aunt happens to be whiter than everyone on both sides of her family, and in my generation I, too, happen to be whiter than all of the already very white Germans, Dutch, Swedes, & British on both sides of my family: cousins, aunts & uncles, grandparents, plus I’m whiter than both Mom & Dad, despite all the blue & green eyes on both sides, all the blond & red hair on both sides.
Love your writing as always.
I am unapologetically tired of being politically correct and inclusive on this topic. If you are obese lose weight. It’s the healthy thing to do. It’s time we stop making excuses for it and apologizing for other people having a problem. I’m really not trying to be hateful or mean, I promise you. But we gotta be honest here and say that if you’re so big that you take up two seats on an airplane, you need to lose weight. you need to make some changes in your life.
Way way nicer than I would put it.
And the very reason I will never fly again.....the entire industry is in disarray and I refuse to participate. I'll drive my comfortable truck and see the countryside as my bonus.
We love driving places. And now that we're retired, we can take as long as we like. :)
Us too.
Although we do still go to the DMV to be abused for old times' sake.
LOL!!
Linda, is that you!?! 🤣🤣🤣 (Linda and I were discussing this just days ago) Flights have gotten so bad, it’s easier to drive. Might take longer but it doesn’t make you travel to 4 different airports two of which are the wrong direction.
I used to love visiting Europe (except for the flying part). When the Covid stupidity hit, I decided I'm never going to fly again. We have a big country and driving gives you a lot more freedom.
Airline travel was once the province of those who could afford the relatively expensive cost. There were no super-saver fares, no $100 tickets. It was expensive enough that air travel was somewhat exclusive. Seats were comfortably sized, and service was customer centered. I know because I'm old enough to remember them both. Then someone got the brilliant idea that air travel should be available to everyone, and the system became what it is today. I'm sure that there were factors other than a desire to promote egalitarianism involved. But once you sell more seats to more travelers while failing to increase capacity (more planes with fewer seats), you end up with flying cattle cars. And this is why I avoid air travel today. If I absolutely had to fly, I'd buy a seat in first class. But I will never again fly coach or even business class. If wanting to fly in 100% of the seat I paid for makes me an elitist or an unfeeling jerk so be it.
You might enjoy a piece I wrote a while back about the "golden era of flying" (I had an actual RABBIT FUR MUFF that was originally purchased for just such a jaunt--and we were hardly hifalutin!). https://jennasside.rocks/p/could-dei-be-deadly
Yes! You “dressed up” to fly! Now everyone looks like they’re homeless. I’m always asking myself, “How do these people afford to fly?”
I wonder that as well. And I also remember when we dressed up to fly.
I read it and it was very entertaining, as usual. Thanks!
I too am old enough to remember the glory days of flying. Was a whole different world back then.
My husband and I choose driving as well. It's not always easy, but it beats flying.
Like my wife, a nurse, told fat patients who had to move from a gurney to an operating table and expected her to help somehow, “you grew it, you move it.”
I'm fat. Yep, wide load here. (Actually I fit uncomfortably in those seats but not into the aisle) My husband books my flights, and now it's first class or find another flight. I'm happy, and comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. I am responsible for myself. And yes I feel the airlines have crammed far too many seats onto those planes but I can't change that... so I pay more for my own comfort. So far it's working out for everyone!
Brava! :)
I fly maybe once or twice a year since Covid so it's not inconvenient. But let me tell you... even a 3 hour flight is great fun in first class!!
I don't *love* flying, but I will admit First Class does make it borderline enjoyable. :) (When I was doing a ton of public speaking, that was in my contract: my fee plus first-class travel. It was HEAVENLY. Coach--which I fly most of the time, sadly--sucks.)
indeed it does suck!
Peggy, you highlight another perk of paying extra; it puts you into the position to look down upon people who were looking forward to looking down on you. Script flipt. (I wish all the plus-sizes could see their choices in a similar light.) Agreed: Brava! Bravissima!
I responded to this but it was misplaced.
Reply to David Nelson.
LOL I love that, although I do not look down upon anyone :) I don't know when we, as a society, killed personal responsibility but here we are. I am not a poor put upon fat girl, I just like my food and wine. Is that someone else's fault? Hell no :) And now I love first class (where they have food and wine). Cheers!
You sound very much like a fat girl with a lot to offer friends. (I didn't mean anything by "a lot." I meant like "weighty" stuff.)
What's it like, having 2 seats? I only know planes that have an armrest in the middle that might go up but never fully. And the seats don't form a whole either. It seems really uncomfortable to me.
I'm plus sized myself but still fit in 1 chair. I am also tall and my knees stick into the chair in front of me.
Needless to say I'm not fond of flying.
Peggy, you and I are in the same boat and I agree with you 100%. I would be okay with an extra seat in coach IF it ended up being a better deal price-wise than First Class. My guess is it would not be a better deal because you would still have added luggage costs and still be in the Coach section.
I don't need two seats -- but I have been sandwiched between two people similar or bigger than me. Flying is just not a comfortable experience anymore.
lol!! It's hard to believe that this is even a thing. How is this a thing?!
Is it just me or does it seem like they are trying to making flying as unpleasant as possible for everyone?
Yeah I agree…hoping regular people stop flying
Then you have to define "regular" and incur new grief storms.
In the years I traveled regularly for business I experienced quite a variety of pleasant to unpleasant encounters. One of the worst was when there wasn’t actually any unoccupied empty space for me in my middle seat as both the aisle and window passengers were so large they each had spilled over and consumed my entire seat. Id been one of the last passengers to board and the flight was full.
Luckily for me the stewardess found one lone seat for me that was available on that packed flight. Otherwise, I would have had to deplane and find another flight.
In the Condé Nast story I referenced, one passenger was bumped up to first class for simply being WILLING to take a seat adjacent to a plus size passenger. I think that’s a pretty decent plan.
My husband would be this person. And would richly deserve the gesture. He is such a tolerant soul in this exact situation, where I am pushed to the limit by heights over 6ft, and everything else aggravates me awfully.
I traveled a lot for business and would be classified as "petite". Omg...the times in the middle...complete space invasion with no where to run, no where to hide, but to try to make myself smaller than I already was. My strategy was always window seat so I could rotate and become very familiar with the window if needed. Nightmare!
I always book the window seat. They won’t strap me to the nose or let me sit in the cockpit where I can fully enjoy the view the way I’d like to, so window seat it is! Imagine my annoyance when I paid extra $ for a window seat two days ago, and when I sat down there was a solid wall there. There was a window on the other side of the same row but for some odd reason just a wall at my window seat.
Since it wasn’t a full flight, a game of whack-a-mole ensued as I tried to snag another window that wasn’t paid for. Luckily the stewardess eventually found an empty row with window for me, bless her heart. I’m sure I was an annoyance bouncing row to row. 🤣 I have to have the view!
In my early travel days I always selected the window seat… but after a few by-then twice-weekly trips, I preferred the aisle for an easy “out”. There were occasions that I had to change my flight plans due to issues at customers sites…. And last minute bookings didnt often have the luxury of any other than middle seats. That plane trip was one of those times… and since I was headed home after a grueling week, I didn’t want to delay doing so.
The empty seat the stewardess found for me for me was right next to the bathroom door … which had a disturbing habit of unlatching when unoccupied and opening up in all its glory right by me.
"What's it say right there?" "Window."
"What's that a picture of right there?" "Wall."
"And what did I pay for?" "Window seat."
"You charged me for a window seat and gave me a wall seat?" "Right."
"How are you going to make restitution?"
"I say, how do you plan to make this right?"
"Regarding resolving the clear injustice, what do you propose?"
"If Our Lord asked you to look into this, how would you resolve it?"
"If, God forbid, you were to have a stroke and appear immediately in front of the Judgment Seat--as the Church teaches is the next moment--what story will you tell about what you were 'just about to do', before the stroke, to help me?"
Haha... I love being sat next to someone your size 🤣
Seems like the window and aisle seat customers should have been forced to sit next to each other.
What about Infant/Toddler air travelers? I had little patience for screaming babies until I accompanied my daughter with her infant and toddler on a sold out cross country flight. Screaming and melt downs for 6 hours. Longest flight of my life. The nearby passengers were very patient. Thank goodness for headphones.
When my girls were very young I traveled with a giant bag of earplugs which I would offer to other passengers for free if they got whiny🤣
I gave my three all the tootsie rolls I could pack. Chewing seemed to take care of the ear popping pain and keep them quiet. Win-win. Eventually, the sugar crash would hit and 2 of the 3 would fall asleep. My eldest had major FOMO and would never sleep in case she’d miss out on something exciting (who she thought might walk intomthe
plane mid-flight was a question…) but she was my best behaved, so it worked.
I have noticed that they don't give any advice for the pressure changes encountered on aircraft! I remember as a kid getting a barley sugar to help you swallow and equalise the inner ear pressure on take off and landing! I remember on a recent flight having to explain that to a kid and his mother to try to help ease his discomfort... 🙄🧐
Great tactic!