Hi friends! Kirsty Leanne here! I know it’s been a while since I wrote a personal post here over on PSTT but as a recent TikTok video of mine has started going a little bit viral, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my experience with you.
So, what was the video about?
Well, on a recent trip I decided to travel as budget as I possibly could when it came to my flights. I was travelling during the Easter break and prices for my trains and hotels were already higher than I’d normally pay and so after seeing lots of ‘budget travel hacks’ I decided to give them a go to see if they’re accessible to plus size people too. These hacks included:
- Not paying for priority boarding and a cabin bag. This meant I only had a small backpack for luggage and it had to go under the seat in front of me, rather than in the overhead lockers.
- Not choosing what seat I want to sit in. I was travelling with a friend but for a 1.5-hour flight, we didn’t mind sitting alone. The risk, of course, was ending up with a middle seat.
It was obviously a big risk, but sometimes you’ve just gotta cut costs, ya know? It would have cost me more than 4x the ticket price to pay for luggage and choose seats too.
Ryanair While Plus Size Travel Review
Aisles – The aisles, quite understandably, were a little tight to walk through. As Ryanair planes are narrow-body aircrafts, they only have one small aisle directly through the middle of the plane. While I was able to walk straight-forward and not sideways, this may have been different if I had a carry on case to wheel through the aisle too. With just my backpack on, it certainly made the tight squeeze that little bit easier.
Seats – As expected, the seats were small. I’ve flown with Ryanair a number of times before so I knew what to expect, but at 17″ wide with a pitch of 30”, it was a little tighter than I remember. In terms of legroom, I had space to spare around my knees, but no room to stretch out my legs. It’s worth noting that this is mainly because I had an under-seat bag stopping me from doing anything.
The automatic check-in system assigned me a middle seat on both my outbound and return flights but luckily on both, I was able to move over to either an Aisle or window seat. I know that this isn’t going to be the case every time but I have to admit, it made the experience that little bit easier so I think, for the most part, paying to choose your seat is definitely worth it.
My legs didn’t cross over the ‘seat line’ and I was able to put the armrest down, but I feel like this may have been different if I was sat immediately next to someone. I kept the armrest up most of the time simply for comfort.
Seatbelts – I knew from previous flights that I was going to need a seatbelt extender so I asked as I was boarding. The flight attendant handed it to me right away and was very kind and discreet about it. We had a little joke about how I was the last person on the plane and that was that. Just to see if I’d fit comfortably I tried without an extender but it wasn’t even close. In comparison to other airlines, they’re definitely much shorter.
Tray Tables – If you’ve seen the TikTok video then you’ll know that the tray table was an absolute write-off. I wanted to do some work during my flight as I was going to make some notes on my journey, but I wasn’t able to get the tray table to sit in a position where I could comfortably place my notebook. Usually, I’m able to move around a little to get into a better position but with Ryanair, it just wasn’t possible.
Bathrooms – The bathroom was definitely the most disappointing part of the flight and as I’d never used a Ryanair bathroom before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Unfortunately, it was so small I chose to wait until I landed to do what I had to do. While there was a little bit of space on either side of the toilet, it would have been impossible to have widened my legs to be able to wipe.
Cabin Crew – Of course, the cabin crew onboard changes with every single flight but my experience was positive. They discreetly handed my seatbelt extender to me and were super friendly about it.
Tips And Tricks For Travelling With Ryanair While Plus Size
I know that as much as we try to avoid Ryanair often it’s the only airline available to us. As one of the biggest carriers in the UK, it’s inevitable you’ll end up flying Ryanair while plus size at some point.
To help ease any anxiety you may be feeling about flying with them, I thought I’d share some of the tips and tricks I’ve picked up from regularly flying with them:
- If you’re able to, pay the extra for priority boarding and a carry on case. Only those with priority boarding (or special assistance) are allowed to board early so if you’re worried about walking down the aisle to get to your seat, it’s worth investigating.
- Again, if you’re able to, pay to choose your seat rather than waiting for Ryanair to assign you one at check-in. It’s possible to chance that you’ll be placed in the middle and have no one to the side of you, but this may not be something you want to take a chance on if you’re nervous.
- If you do pay to choose your seat, the aisle seat tends to be a little more roomy (especially if you end up with a funny window placement).
- Avoid emergency exit seats because you’re not allowed to use a seatbelt extender here. The front row of seats is also a bad choice because the armrests do not raise.
- Ask for a seatbelt extender when you’re boarding. They keep them at the front of the plane and as everyone takes time to get to their seats, they’ll have plenty of time to pass you one. If you’re not sure if you need one, I’d recommend asking anyway. If you don’t need it, you can pass it back.
- When it comes to using the bathroom, try to go just before you board. If it cannot be avoided, try sitting at a slight angle to give yourself a little more room.
While I know that flying Ryanair while plus size is not the comfiest of experiences, I hope that this post has helped just a little. If you have any questions let me know either here or on Instagram, I’m always happy to answer.
Ryanair allows booking of 2 seats
Book “Comfort Seat “ in the passenger name field and check in two seats
They do, although I tried speaking to their team and they said that you have to pay to allocate both seats next to each other which can get pretty expensive. It doesn’t sound like a very well-rounded and fair system and there’s not a lot of info about it online so they don’t make it obvious to passengers at all 🙁
I booked my holiday with Ryanair and booked extra legroom for both me and my wife who is 83 and me 80 both walk with sticks when we got our seats I asked for a belt extension I was given one and me and my wife and another lady was told to move to another seats as these were emergency exits no mention of this when we booked and paid £56 are we entitled to our money back as other people took these seats
To anyone travelling with Ryanair, especially in smaller planes, avoid the last row (35 in my last flight). As a woman that wears 22 UK I didn’t have to ask for a extender for my outbound flight (row 12 aisle) but I had to ask for it for my inbound flight. The seat itself was smaller, I was struggling with the armrests. Luckily no one was on the middle seat and I was able to get some room.