A 6ft9in man who was allocated a middle seat on a Ryanair flight back to Rome found a genius solution after simply doing one thing at the boarding gate and it was free
He explained he was meant to be in the middle seat (Stock Image)(Image: Getty Images)
Flying is rarely a comfortable experience unless you’re fortunate enough to bag a first-class seat. To make matters worse, being assigned the middle seat can feel very much like you’ve drawn the short straw – and more so when you’re extremely tall.
Sure, you may technically have a claim to both armrests, but that’s little comfort when you’re wedged between two fellow passengers. And if you’re travelling solo, chances are you won’t know either of your neighbours. But what makes the middle seat an absolute nightmare is being exceptionally tall, which is precisely why one 6ft9in man was far from thrilled when he was handed this dreaded spot on a “Ryanair flight back to Rome”.
Ben Davies admitted he “barely fits with two seats” let alone when squeezed between a passenger on either side.
“If I only have a middle seat, I’m quite literally not going to fit,” he shared, revealing he was hopeful of tracking down an alternative seat on the aircraft.
Upon reaching the boarding gate, Ben said he suspected the plane would be “full”. Nevertheless, he had the bright idea of asking a Ryanair member of staff whether they could locate two seats together, given his towering height.
“Do you know if there are any two seats next to each other? Could you check for me, please?” he asked a member of staff after they questioned his height.
He said he’d “really appreciate it” if they could find him two seats next to each other, because when he flew last time, he “didn’t fit”. The staff member informed him that seats A, B and C were available in row 19.
So when he stepped onto the aircraft, he could secure the entire row for himself if fortune favoured him.
“So there’s a full empty row. Y’all know I’m taking that,” Ben enthused, revealing his strategy was to simply “go to 19” and if they requested him to shift, he’d comply.
Ben made his way to 19 without any issues, explaining he’d lie horizontally to feel more at ease during the journey.
So it just demonstrates that if you engage directly with airline staff at the airport, you might just secure yourself a superior seat without incurring any extra charges.
However, not everyone was won over by the travel tip. In the comments, someone questioned: “Being that tall, why would you not just book extra leg room?” Others highlighted that “if he can get it for free, why would he?”
Another concurred, stating: “Why should he pay more? He has no control over being tall.”
Meanwhile, another tall man remarked: “I’m 2m tall and have just accepted that I’m always gonna have to pay extra for leg room on any flight”.
In response, a travel enthusiast argued: “You shouldn’t have to, though. Airlines should be more accommodating, instead they treat us like cattle and try to squeeze as many in as possible.”