Air travel can be intimidating for plus-size travellers. You can be left feeling concerned that airlines will not accommodate plus-size customers and you’ll be left to squeeze into the tight dimensions of an airplane seat. This, however, should not deter you from flying, so I’m going to share with you my experience of flying with AirAsia as a plus-size traveller.
True, most airlines want to maximize earnings by packing as many people as possible into a plane; but, I am on a mission to review as many airlines as possible and help you to know what you are dealing with before you even set foot on a plane.
It’s been a while since I reviewed an airline for how plus size friendly they are, however, I think it’s about time I brought it back. So many of you find them helpful and it’s great to know a little about an airline before you travel as a plus-size traveller, even if it’s knowing that you are in for an uncomfortable few hours, or if you need to hold off going for a wee until you land.
I’m always a little worried when I fly with an Asian airline as they always seem to be naturally a little bit on the small side, however, my flight with AirAsia was overall a good experience.
When I first sat down I was seated next to a couple, but I spoke to the air assistants ( I always recommend doing this) and they managed to move me to an empty row after boarding had finished. This was a relief as I know it’s not always possible to be moved to a seat with just one empty seat next to it. This also meant that if I wanted to I could also lie down, which I’m sure many tired travellers would love to do too. The attendants were really helpful and extremely polite when I asked and that made me feel comfortable.
There were a couple of empty rows dotted around at the back and the front so others also moved around during the flight. However, I would still ask at the start of the flight to the flight attendant in my section, as they are aware of empty seats in their area.
The seatbelts on the plane were some of the smallest ones I had seen so I asked for a seat belt extender and they brought one over to me.
The seats were a squeeze and if I had had someone sitting next to me it would have been quite a struggle. I was able to lift the armrest which always helps, this included the armrest that was against the wall, I always love it when I can do this as it makes the flight so much more comfortable when you can lean against the wall, especially if you do end up on a full flight and sitting next to someone else.
I was pleasantly surprised with the fold-away tray, it pretty much went down and would definitely have been useable if I didn’t have the empty seat next to me.
The toilet situation is always a problem when it comes to taking a flight as a plus-sized traveller, and all I can say is, thank god the flight was only a short flight. The toilets weren’t plus-size-friendly at all. If you need to take a long flight this might be a deal breaker as it’s not healthy to wait for the toilet for too long.
Overall I was happy with my flight, what made it really was how accommodating the attendants were. You could tell that they really cared about how comfortable their passengers were during the flight, and hopefully this gives you a bit more confidence on flying with AirAsia a Plus-Size Traveller!