Plus Size Woman Blames Airline For Uncomfortable Flight, Regrets It
A Day Like No Other
In the life of a flight attendant, being in multiple cities on the same day wasn’t unusual. Melissa had already completed a number of flights that day. So far it had been a long but typical day in her life.
She heard a small commotion on the entry steps as the plane was about to close its doors and lower the entry bridge. Melissa was startled when recognized the passenger that was frantically trying to board in time. In an instant, she knew her day was going to be anything but regular now.
A Flourishing Career
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For Melissa Curry, soaring through the skies on a daily basis while being able to visit a multitude of exotic cities and countries was a dream come true. She had known that she wanted to be a flight attendant since she was ten years old.
Melissa had already achieved the holy grail and worked her way up to international routes. Barely in her mid-twenties, she had already seen more European cities than the average European. However, all of Melissa’s work experience could never prepare her for that particular flight.
A Solitary Life
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The glamorous side of her job aside, melissa had also discovered that it could often be a lonely life. Between her frantic schedule, Melissa spent most of her free time resting in hotels and barely ever got to visit her family back home in Colorado.
Melissa’s only entertainment on these lonely, long-stay routes was usually her smartphone and social media. Melissa particularly loved TikTok and had actually developed quite a strong emotional bond with some of the TikTokers she followed.
The Travel Bug
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Like so many millions of other people out there, Melissa could not get enough of the weird, entertaining, humorous, and wonderful personalities that TikTok offered on a daily basis. In some ways, Melissa was more of a superfan than an actual TikToker herself.
Due to the nature of her job, Melissa was usually drawn to famous TikTokers who posted travel videos. Her favorite was a famous travel vlogger. Melissa felt a strong connection to her account but had no idea just how close to it she would soon get.
Everything Changed
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On that fateful day, Melissa hurriedly left her hotel at 07:00 and was running slightly behind. Thankfully, traffic was in her favor and she managed to reach the airport in time for her flight.
She was soon settling into her first boarding of the day. As she helped passengers on and checked off names from the passenger manifest, she suddenly noticed something that made her heart beat faster.
It Was Really Her
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Melissa read and re-read the name on her list in disbelief. It read, “Amanda McCarthy”. It wasn’t an uncommon name but Melissa instantly realized that it probably really was who she thought it was.
Melissa was beside herself with excitement. She knew from TikTok that her favorite vlogger was traveling that day but never imagined that she’d be on her flight. There was just one problem; Amanda hadn’t boarded as yet and it was nearly time to close the doors and depart.
Moment Of Truth
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Melissa eagerly watched the bottom of the entry tunnel as the minutes ticked by. Amanda was the only passenger not boarded. Just as it seemed like she might miss her flight, Melissa saw her!
Melissa rushed out to help her with her carry-on, greeted her with her warmest smile, and escorted her inside. Amanda settled in and asked for a seatbelt extender; a common request for plus-sized passengers. Melissa rushed off to get it, determined to make this Amanda’s best flight ever.
It Went Well
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From Melissa’s perspective, the flight was smooth and uneventful. Being starstruck by the famous TikToker, Melissa paid extra attention to Amanda whenever she could. As a reward, she was ecstatic when she got to take a photo with Amanda before they landed.
Amanda departed and her day at the airport was over. For Melissa, she still had two domestic flights to go between Barcelona and Madrid. When they were finally over, back in her hotel, Melissa settled in and anxious logged onto TikTok to see what Amanda had posted about her flight.
There It Was
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As Melissa scrolled through Amanda’s feed, her excitement grew. Maybe she had mentioned “a friendly flight attendant” or better yet, posted the photo of her and Melissa.
Melissa finally saw it. As she always did, Amanda had posted a vlog review of her flight. Melissa’s pride and excitement from that day soon dissolved into disappointment and sadness when she heard what Amanda had to say about that day.
Amanda’s Review
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Just from the thumbnail alone, Melissa could immediately tell that the review was far from positive. Amanda’s review of the flight was told from the perspective of a plus-size woman.
Melissa’s jaw dropped as she made her way through the review. There seemed to be complaints about everything from the check-in to the airport. As Amanda got to the part of the “boarding” part of the review, Melissa’s heart began to race with fear.
More Issues
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“I was one of the last people on the plane because I was running a little late, so I felt the stares of people,” she continued. “All I could think was that they didn’t want me to sit next to them.
Thankfully, I got to my seat, and the one next to it was empty, giving me a little more room.” She also shared that there wasn’t much legroom around her. But her worst review would be for the flight’s bathroom.
The Bathroom
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“The bathroom was another issue I faced because I was running late I didn’t get to use the bathroom before I boarded,” Amanda said. “I thought I’d chance using the one on the flight, but unfortunately, it’s probably one of the smallest bathrooms I’ve ever seen.”
She said, “I decided against trying to squeeze in.” Melissa shook her head. She was about to put her phone aside when she checked the video’s comments.
The Comments
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Many of the comments on Amanda’s video were calling her out for blaming the airline’s seats and bathroom for being too small.
“Honey, it’s not the airline’s fault,” one user wrote. That was among the tamest comments on Amanda’s video. The rest told her the experience should’ve been an eye-opener for her and that she was the only one to blame in the scenario. But then it got worse.
Bad Critique
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The comments devolved from simple critique into cyberbullying. Melissa hated reading through them, knowing that most of them were coming after Amanda for different reasons that had nothing to do with the flight video.
She’d met and conversed with Amanda and could tell that she was lovely in person. She also understood where the TikToker was coming from with her views about the flight. Did she deserve such harsh treatment?
A Divide
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Amanda’s video went viral, with news outlets and other social media platforms picking it up. There was a divide between people who saw her views as absurd and those who supported her.
Melissa found herself smack in the middle of these two schools of thought. She still loved Amanda but saw some sense in the words of the critics.
