Man kicked off flight for being ‘fatphobic’ and rude

Reddit is abuzz with an airline incident that has garnered almost 6,000 reactions and over 2,500 comments. An 18-year-old traveler who goes by the username “L4l0_Salamanca” on the AITA (“Am I the a–hole“) subreddit, he was on his way to his home when things took a turn. The country he was leaving was unspecified. He had just boarded his second connecting flight, which would last approximately 12 hours before he was labeled fatphobic.

However, things took a turn for the worse when he noticed an overweight passenger taking up a considerable portion of his seat. “I had the delightful sight of an obese man who was taking up a good chunk of my seat,” he wrote in his Reddit post.

The man didn’t hold back as he continued his story, stating, “I’m not exactly a small person either. I have broad shoulders and stand at around 190 cm (nearly 6’3″), so a full seat would have already been uncomfortable for me.”

Furthermore, he informed that he had reported the issue to the flight attendant, who responded by saying that the overweight individual had paid for the seat and that the flight was fully booked. Although the man did not disclose the name of the airline, he expressed his frustration by asking the flight attendant how it was possible for his seat to still appear as available when it was occupied by another passenger’s “literal rolls.”

Accused of being fatphobic, the Redditor went on

The Reddit user commented that this particular airline had deteriorated in quality over the years, not solely due to this incident. He remarked, “It’s not just this occurrence; they’ve gone downhill in quality.” The Reddit writer further noted, “These comments prompted the flight attendant to call me rude and just made her double down on [having me] kicked off the plane — though she reassured me I’d be compensated for this trouble, as I told her I wasn’t traveling for vacation.”

“I’m having to pay for the lack of discipline of another person.” Then the Redditor provided further color: “The fat man took his opportunity to call me a fatphobic sh–. Some other people around gave me the stink eye.” The Redditor went on. “I know they think I’m a bad person for this. But on the other hand. I’m having to pay for the lack of discipline of another person as well as this sh—y airline’s booking system.”

The man continued, “The airline staff sent a letter of complaint that I got appealed and the consequences in the complaint (being a temporary ban) were removed less than an hour later.” He also wrote, “In the letter of complaint, it said I was being rude to other passengers and the staff. Since it got appealed so quick and I got to travel the next day anyway, I’m really not sure if I’m TA [the a–hole]. I know air travel can make people turn into idiots.” He went on. “AITA for my comments that have offended both the fat man and the airline staff?” Asked the man accused of being fatphobic.

Read: Delta Passenger Kicked Off Flight For ‘Offensive’ Sweater Now Planning To Sue The Airline

In the meantime, Redditors did not hold back in their responses to the initial poster’s inquiry.

“It probably would’ve been handled very differently if you had handled it differently.” Wrote one Redditor. “I know air travel can make people turn into idiots, so please everyone, don’t be that idiot.” Another added. One commenter in the section did not hold back. They directly labeled the original poster as “an a–hole” for his behavior on the plane that day.

“The statement ‘the lack of discipline’ got me to vote this way. Sure, maybe this guy had a lack of discipline. But maybe he has a medical issue that keeps him from losing weight.” Wrote another. “He says he shouldn’t have to deal with someone else’s lack of discipline. Yet he made the entire plane deal with his as he threw his baby tantrum.” They continued.

Someone else wrote, “I’m also a tall and broad-shouldered person. But learn some damn tact.” Another ranted on with: “[The original poster] WAS fat-shaming the guy. Did he even TRY asking the dude to move over a bit or did he go straight to b—-ing at the flight attendant?” They then left one last comment. “Learn some diplomacy.”

What about the airline personnel throughout this ‘fatphobic’ rant?

A Redditor stood up for the airline personnel too. “Flight attendants can’t really do much unless there is an empty seat they could have [put] him in. They don’t make airline policy.”

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