Tourist dragged off plane by police after demanding to sit in exit row

News.com.au

9 hours ago

A plus-size tourist has been dragged out of a plane by the belt after allegedly demanding an emergency aisle seat for his bigger frame.
The unidentified passenger reportedly complained there was not enough room in his window seat on the Thai Lion Air flight from Bangkok on Wednesday.
The man – seen wearing an orange Garfield shirt with the words 'too busy doing nothing' – allegedly threw a tantrum after his request to be transferred to the emergency exit seat was denied.
The man's outburst was said to have delayed the flight by around an hour before police arrived to drag him off the Boeing 737 aircraft.
Extraordinary footage shows officers yanking the stubborn passenger out of his seat before he then lies down, blocking the aisle in protest.
Furious passengers can be heard screaming at him to 'get out of the way' and 'get off the plane' while another calls him 'selfish' while undergoing the drag of shame.
Eventually, police were able to remove the man from the aircraft by carrying him by his arms, legs and belt.
An onlooker who caught the moment on video said: 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill. It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit.
'The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to co-operate.'
The flight took off around an hour later from the Don Mueang International Airport (DMK).
The clip, which has since gone viral, has gathered thousands of comments from furious viewers.
'How embarrassing!' said one viewer.
'More and more adults are acting like toddlers on planes,' said another.
News.com.au has contacted Thai Lion Air for comment.
The incident has once again reignited the debate about plus-size travel, with a growing number of people calling for more inclusive airline policies.
In 2023, American influencer Jaelynn Chaney launched a campaign for plus-sized travellers to be given free airline seats so they can fly comfortably.
Ms Chaney started a petition calling for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 'mandate that all airlines have a comprehensive customer-of-size policy that prioritises the comfort and wellbeing of ALL passengers'.
The petition, which had a goal of 50,000 signatures, reached just over 39,000.
U.S. based airline Southwest has had a longstanding 'customer of size' policy that aims to 'protect the comfort and safety of everyone on board.'
The policy allows plus-size passengers to purchase additional seats ahead of time and then contact the airline for a refund of the cost of the additional seating after travel.
After going viral on social media in 2023, a heated discussion was sparked over the 'fairness' of the 30-year policy.
'I'm overweight and I don't agree with this,' wrote one user.
'Why should other passengers have to foot this bill?' wrote another.
Others, were all for the initiative, branding it 'inclusive and ahead of its time.'
'Every airline should be doing this,' said one.
'Other airlines should learn from them!,' agreed another.
'Absolutely love this,' said a third.