LibsOfTikTok founder Chaya Raichik criticized Southwest Airlines for allowing a man she called a “huge obese guy” to violate its rules and take up half of her seat on a flight Sunday afternoon.
Southwest has come under fire in the past for what critics have called a “ridiculous” policy that gives overweight passengers free seats to accommodate their size.
However, Raichik, a viral sensation on social media, especially among conservatives, pointed out that the criminal had only purchased one seat and was violating company rules by invading their space.
“I’m sitting on a flight squeezed into a corner because this huge, obese guy takes up half my seat,” she wrote on X Sunday.
‘I paid for a full seat, not 1/2 seat. “It’s violating @SouthwestAir’s own policies,” Raichik continued.
LibsOfTikTok founder Chaya Raichik criticized Southwest Airlines for allowing a man she called a “huge obese guy” to violate its rules and take up half of her seat on a flight Sunday afternoon.
Raichik, a viral sensation on social media, especially among conservatives, noted that the offender had only purchased one seat and was violating company rules by invading their space.
“I’m sitting on a flight squished in the corner because this huge, obese guy takes up half my seat,” she wrote on X Sunday.
He posted several photos showing a man’s leg approaching Raichik’s seat on the flight.
‘This is not normal or fair. If one seat doesn’t fit, you need to buy two seats,” he continued, before asking company account X what they could do about it.
She continued with more photos and claims that the problems with her seatmate were not limited to just his weight but also his food and his disdain for littering in the little space she already had.
“The guy was also shoving cheeseburgers and fries down his throat and throwing trash on the floor,” Raichik wrote. “Disgusting fat bum.”
She posted again after the company account contacted her via direct message, attempting to make amends.
“While we cannot hit the ‘rewind button’ and come back to fix what happened, we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for a more favorable experience,” they wrote, before offering a $150 voucher for a future flight.
Raichik was unmoved by the offer and said she had overall had a bad experience with the airline.
‘It’s worthless because I will never fly with @SouthwestAir again. And even if he did, that wouldn’t be enough compensation for this. I’ve only flown to the southwest like 3 times in my life as a last resort. Never more.’
He continued with more photos and assures that the problems with his seatmate were not limited to just his weight.
Raichik reposted after the company account contacted her via direct message, attempting to make amends.
Raichik was unmoved by the offer and said she had overall had a bad experience with the airline.
He concluded by adding more thoughts about his terrible time flying with Southwest.
“The reason I hope to never fly Southwest again is not specifically because of this incident,” Raichik said. “It’s because I think it’s a terrible airline.”
‘As I said, I only flew it a handful of times, all in extreme circumstances. In this case the option was a normal airline with a long layover or direct with Southwest. “I’m starting to lean toward flying a regular airline, even if you have a layover at Southwest if a scenario like this happens again.”
DailyMail.com has contacted a Southwest Airlines spokesperson for comment.
The airline has instituted a “Customer of Size” policy, which allows overweight passengers whose body occupies more than one seat on the plane to obtain “the necessary number of seats” for free.
The policy states that customers who “encroach on any part of the neighboring seats” can purchase as many additional seats as they need, which will then be refunded at check-in.
The change has caused mixed reactions among customers.
While some positive customers have praised the policy for allowing obese people to travel more easily, critics say it is “pandering” to very overweight people and gives them an unfair advantage.
Southwest says in its policy that customers qualify for free additional seats if any part of their body extends beyond the armrest of the seat. Weight and BMI are not taken into account.
Kimmy Garris of Nashville, who describes herself as a “fat solo traveler” on her TikTok profile, posted a video last October detailing how to use Southwest Airlines’ unique “customer of size” policy.
Jae’lynn Chaney, a plus-size travel influencer with around 135,000 followers on TikTok, has frequently advocated for free or larger seats on airplanes.
On social media, many have pointed out that the free space is not available for customers who are very tall and need extra legroom, who travel with medical equipment or are wheelchair users.
These groups have to pay – often hundreds of dollars – for additional space.
Some have also noted that the new rule is likely to worsen the airline’s already hectic boarding process.
Passengers cannot reserve seats in advance, often resulting in a fight for window and aisle seats when customers arrive on the plane.
Southwest policy states that customers qualify for the free ticket if any part of their body extends beyond the armrest of the seat. “The armrest is considered the definitive boundary between the seats,” she reads. “If you can’t lower both armrests and/or encroach on any part of the seat next to you, you need a second seat.”
“Our policy is not focused on weight.”
The airline does not ask customers for weight or body mass index (BMI), which determines whether you are overweight or obese, according to medical guidelines.
Kimmy Garris, a TikToker from Nashville who calls herself a “fat solo traveler,” posted a video in October of herself asking about the airline’s policy for obese passengers.
In the clip, which has more than 900,000 views, the customer service agent gives him an extra ticket for the seat next to him.
Raichik said he was done with the airline, having had a “terrible” experience even before this case.
She is then seen getting on the plane and putting her extra ticket on the seat next to her so that no one can sit there.
In the overlay headline, Ms. Garris states that this policy “should be the industry standard.”
Jae’lynn Chaney, a size 6XL travel influencer with around 135,000 followers on TikTok, has frequently advocated for free or larger seats on airplanes.
In an October video, which reached nearly 73,000 views, the text on the screen read: “Important take: Every airline should have a customer policy the size of Southwest Airlines.”
“If more airlines adopted policies like Southwest Airlines’ size customer policy, offering free or refunded extra seats for plus-size passengers who need more space, air travel would be much more accessible and accommodating to people of size,” the caption said. .
Chaney also appealed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this year with a petition asking airlines to scrap their “discriminatory” policies and grant free seats to obese passengers.