I’m getting on a plane in two days to fly from Sydney to LA and instead of being excited for my trip I feel sick to my stomach with fear. Not because I’m afraid of flying or of forgetting my passport, but because I’m fat.
Before you tell me it’s my own fault and I should buy an extra seat or lose weight… I have. I’ve lost 55kg in seven months, and based on my previous humiliating experiences I’m still worried.
Passengers have thrown tantrums because they didn’t want to sit next to me. People have asked to be moved. Flight attendants whisper and point at me and fellow travellers have a look of fear hoping I won’t sit next to them.
I’m not too fat to fly but I am too fat to fly comfortably.
Every few months there’s talk of putting all airline passengers on a scale at check-in and charging each of us by weight. This is sure to even out the problem and penalise the flying fatties, right? In theory yes, but what if you’re two-metre tall NBA player? You’re not actually ‘fat’ – you’re just big and heavy so that’s where the ‘penalising fat people’ tactic falls down.