Ryanair passenger hits back at ‘fatphobic’ trolls who told her to pay for ‘two seats’

A Ryanair passenger has come after trolls who targeted her on social media and told her to purchase two plane seats.

Lindsay McGlone, 26, received criticism on TikTok after she filmed her experience travelling as a plus-size person.

Her video, filmed as she boarded a flight to Bulgaria, showcased how she asked staff for a seat extender and demonstrated pulling the table down.

The TikTok was aimed to help other plus-sized travellers feel that they “deserved to travel,” as she claimed they are often “demonised” for their weight.

She told Luxury Travel Daily: “I want to show people that they can travel and advocate for people who have different body types while being considerate of the people around them.”

The video wen viral, much to McGlone’s surprise, garnering over 900,000 views and 10,000 likes.

She admitted that many people didn’t “agree” with her body type, and was expecting fatphobic comments.

“People said I should eat a salad. It’s so petty,” she said of the nasty comments, “I treat the trolls with kindness. They comment because they feel a certain way about themselves.”

She also referred to the nice comments she received: “I’ve had messages from people that the video has helped.

“One person messaged me saying that they were getting on a flight, they’re bigger and they were so relieved that they found the video.”

McGlone believes that most people cannot afford to buy two seats, and said she wished people would understand that she does not intend to make anyone uncomfortable.

She said: “I haven’t really had an uncomfortable flight but I build up the anxiety myself believing that I’ll have a negative reaction. I speak to the flight attendant and ask if there’s going to be anyone sitting next to me who I could make uncomfortable.”

She also admitted that while she may feel more comfortable in two seats, she fits in one, and that each individual person should have autonomy over their bodies.

“We don’t need other people to tell us,” she said.

McGlone added: “People demonise us and see us as needing fixing rather than as individuals.”