LibsOfTikTok founder Chaya Raichik calls out ‘massive obese guy’ who took up half her seat while gorging on cheeseburgers and fries on Southwest Airlines flight, leaving her ‘squished into the corner’

LibsOfTikTok founder Chaya Raichik called out Southwest Airlines for allowing a man she called a “giant obese man” to break their rules and take half her seat on a flight Sunday afternoon.

Southwest has been criticized in the past for what critics call a “ridiculous” policy that gives overweight passengers free seats appropriate to their height.

However, Raichik – a viral social media sensation, especially among conservatives – pointed out that the perpetrator had only purchased one seat and violated company rules by invading her space.

“I’m on a plane that’s been pushed into a corner because this huge obese man is taking up half my seat,” she wrote on X Sunday.

‘I paid for a full seat, not a half seat. He is violating @SouthwestAir’s own policies,” Raichik continued.

She posted several photos showing a man’s leg in Raichik’s seat during the flight.

‘This is not normal or fair. If you can’t fit in one seat, you have to buy two seats,” she continued, before asking the company’s X account what they could do about it.

She continued with more photos, claiming that the issues with her seatmate weren’t just limited to his weight, but also his eating and his disregard for cluttering up the small amount of space she already had.

“The guy also stuffed cheeseburgers and fries down his throat and threw his trash on the ground,” Raichik wrote. ‘Disgusting fat slob.’

She posted again after the company’s account contacted her via direct message in an attempt to make peace.

“Although we cannot hit the ‘rewind button’ and go back to resolve the issue, we still hope to welcome you back and enjoy a more favorable experience,” they wrote, before offering a $10 voucher 150 offered for a future flight.

Raichik was unimpressed with the offer and said she had an overall bad experience with the airline.

‘Worthless because I will never fly SouthwestAir again. And even if I did, that wouldn’t be nearly enough compensation for this. I have only flown Southwest 3 times in my life as a last resort. Never again.’

She concluded with more thoughts about her terrible time flying Southwest.

“The reason I hope to never fly Southwest again is not specifically because of this incident,” Raichik said. ‘Because I think it’s a terrible airline.’

‘Like I said, I’ve only flown it a few times, and all in extreme conditions. In this case, the option was a regular airline with a long layover or direct with Southwest. I’m starting to lean toward flying a regular airline, even if it has a layover over flying Southwest, if a scenario like this happens again.”

DailyMail.com has contacted a Southwest Airlines spokesperson for comment.

The airline has introduced a ‘Customer of Size’ policy, which allows overweight passengers whose bodies take up more than one seat on the plane to get ‘the required number of seats’ for free.

The policy states that customers who “occupy any portion of the adjacent seat(s)” may purchase as many additional seats as they need, which will then be refunded upon check-in.

The change has led to mixed feedback among customers.

While some body-positive shoppers have praised the policy for making it easier for obese people to travel, critics say it “panders” to the very overweight – and gives them an unfair advantage.

On social media, many have pointed out that there is no available space for customers who are very tall and need extra legroom, who travel with medical equipment or are wheelchair users.

These groups must pay – often hundreds of dollars – for extra space.

Some have also pointed out that the new rule is likely to worsen the airline’s already hectic boarding process.

Passengers cannot book seats in advance, often resulting in a scramble for window and aisle seats when customers reach the plane.

According to Southwest’s policy, customers are eligible for the free ticket if any part of their body extends beyond the armrest of the seat. “The armrest is considered the definitive boundary between the chairs,” it reads. “If you are unable to lower both armrests and/or access part of a seat next to you, you will need a second seat.”

‘Our policy is not focused on weight.’

The airline does not ask about customers’ weight or body mass index (BMI), which determine whether you are overweight or obese, according to medical guidelines.

Kimmy Garris, a Nashville TikToker who calls herself a “fat solo traveler,” posted a video in October asking about the airline’s policy for obese passengers.

In the clip, which has been viewed more than 900,000 times, the customer service representative gives her an extra ticket for the seat next to her.

She is then seen boarding the plane and placing her extra ticket on the seat next to her so that no one can sit there.

In the caption, Ms. Garris states that this policy “should be the industry standard.”

Jae’lynn Chaney, a size 6XL travel influencer with about 135,000 followers on TikTok, has often advocated for free or larger seats on planes.

In an October video that was viewed nearly 73,000 times, the text on the screen read: “Hot take: Every airline should have a major customer policy, like Southwest Airlines.”

“If more airlines adopted policies like Southwest Airlines’ customer-of-size policy, offering free or reimbursed additional seats to plus-size passengers who need more space, air travel would be much more accessible and accommodating for people of stature,” the caption read. .

Ms. Chaney also appealed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this year with a petition asking airlines to scrap their “discriminatory” policies and give obese passengers free seats.