A plus-size travel influencer has slammed airport workers at one of the country’s busiest airports after she got stuck between a revolving door.
Washington-based influencer Jae’lynn Chaney, 27, shared her experience with her 136,000 TikTok followers, promising to “help plus-size people explore the world with confidence.”
Despite not needing a wheelchair for daily mobility issues, Chaney decided to use one as she passed through Chicago O’Hare Airport.
‘Recently I had a disturbing experience at… Chicago O’Hare airport. As a plus-size ambulatory wheelchair user, I faced a major challenge trying to get to the baggage claim,” Chaney began.
Plus-size travel influencer Jae’lynn Chaney, 27, claims she got stuck in a revolving door at Chicago O’Hare Airport
Chaney says she used a wheelchair, although she rarely seems to use one based on her social media posts
‘The only option is to go through a revolving door. Push the button to make it slower for people with disabilities, but when we got in we got stuck,” she explained, noting that she is also claustrophobic.
‘I panicked and frantically gestured for staff to help, but they just stared at me and offered no help.’
Chaney, who is a size 6XL, posted no photo or video evidence of her ordeal and accused O’Hare airport staff of being unresponsive.
“This is my second terrible experience at O’Hare in just one trip,” she said.
“The lack of assistance was not only frustrating, but also dehumanizing, underscoring the need for airport staff to treat travelers of all sizes and abilities with the respect and care they deserve.”
But far from being sympathetic, those who responded to Chaney’s post were dissatisfied with her behavior.
Chaney criticized Chicago O’Hare airport staff, who she said did not help her
Instead of generating sympathy, those who responded to Chaney’s post were dissatisfied with her behavior
“You’re not disabled – why would you request the wheelchair service?!,” one user asked.
“Getting stuck in doors designed for humans should be a huge wake-up call,” wrote another.
“If you can stand up and pose like that, why can’t you walk???” another commenter shared.
‘Stop thinking that you are so entitled that there is nothing wrong with walking. “I was a big man and I lost weight, now it’s time for a change,” said another.
In the past, Chaney has often advocated for free or expanded seats on airplanes.
But demanding free extra seats for fat fliers has only led to more uproar.
In an October video, she wrote, “Hot take: Every airline should have a customer service 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. .
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.
Jae’lynn Chaney, a major travel influencer with approximately 135,000 followers on TikTok, has often advocated for free or larger seats on airplanes
Chaney claims this latest incident occurred at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
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 often have to pay hundreds of dollars for additional space.
Until recently, Jae’lynn traveled on supplemental oxygen and required a wheelchair rather than walking longer distances after doctors suspected she had suffered a stroke in 2019.
Earlier this month, Jae’lynn claimed she was discriminated against by an airport employee who refused to push her in a wheelchair because of her weight.
She shared her experience with a wheelchair assistant on an airplane bridge after a recent landing, this time at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
In another TikTok video, she claimed that when she tried to leave the plane, the employee who was supposed to help her started walking away when she realized she was supposed to be helping the plus-size woman and not one of the smaller passengers.
The travel influencer said that as the employee walked away with the wheelchair, she commented about her size.
Jae’lynn – who previously demanded free extra seats for fat fliers subsidized by slimmer passengers – says the ordeal left her gasping for breath.