'Average’ size Ryanair passenger hits out at ‘fat phobic’ belt after barely being able to fit
A beautician has called out the tightness of seatbelts on Ryanair flights after complaining that she barely fit into one.
Ayr-based beautician Katie Higgins was flying from Glasgow to Cork to visit family in Ireland and used the budget airline.
However, when the 33-year-old boarded the flight she ended up having a very uncomfortable experience as she felt her seatbelt was so tight that it 'lassoed' her into her seat.
Katie said that if the seatbelt had been any tighter she would have had to ask for an extender since she had barely an inch of room left on the belt.
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She said that as a size 16 she matches the profile of the average UK woman and while she acknowledged that she was a 'bigger woman' she couldn't understand what had happened since she'd lost two stone in weight and the belts had fit before.
Taking to social media, the 33-year-old asked 'how in holy hot hell is this normal', writing that many people would 'feel ashamed' and 'embarrassed'.
She added: "These kind of incidents can be so harmful to one's self esteem, mental health and the rest.
"People have had to request extender belts. They've felt mortified and like it's been just them so I'm letting you know IT'S NOT JUST YOU.
"Why should we be made to feel s**te because we don't fit the mould?"
Accompanying the post were pictures of Katie showing how tight and uncomfortable the seatbelt was, as well as what she said was an attempt 'to give Mickey Leary the sly two finger salute'.
The beautician said that having seatbelts that fit properly and don't cause discomfort for the wearer are a 'safety issue' and she thought that it could be seen as 'fat phobic' by some passengers.
She said: "I was lassoed by the seat belt. It just fitted, but if it had been digging into me anymore, I would have been very uncomfortable.
"But if someone else was a different shape or a different size, they might not be able to tie it. With other airlines, you can usually pull the length of the belt a little and try to adjust it, but there was none of that.
"I'm not delusional, I know I'm a bigger woman. But there has to be some bit of give, especially since I lost two stone in weight.
"Because it just fit, I didn't say anything. I didn't want to take one of the extender belts from someone who might need it. It's very frustrating."
Katie continued: "There must have been other people on the flight in a worse position than me. If it just fits, even if it's a bit tight, I'll let someone else use the belt.
"I think anyone who has experienced fat phobia could see it that way - I have unfortunately experienced a lot of this kind of thing."
LADbible have contacted Ryanair for comment.
Joe Harker