In May 2024, Jaelynn Chaney arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expecting the wheelchair help she had requested beforehand, which had always been a regular feature of her travel schedule. However, the plus-size travel influencer claims that what transpired next was anything but ordinary.
When Chaney, 28, arrived at SeaTac, the staff member who was supposed to assist her responded visibly to her girth before turning and leaving without saying anything.
Chaney told her 140,000+ followers in a TikTok video, “She saw me, made a face, and walked away.” The other passengers were all helped. I was abandoned.
Chaney, who wears a size 6XL, can walk short distances, but she frequently asks for wheelchair assistance to go across lengthy terminals. She claims that without it that day, she was compelled to traverse the entire length of one of the longest jet bridges at the airport, a strenuous journey that almost caused her to faint.
My mouth turned white. My oxygen saturation fell. I felt dizzy. “I nearly passed out,” she remarked. I had never flown without oxygen before. That worker made a risky assumption about my physical capabilities.
Chaney used her platform to protest what she called institutional prejudice by returning to SeaTac with a sign that stated, “Wheelchair Access for All.”
@goodmorningbritain Plus-sized travel campaigner Jae’lynn Chaney is calling on airlines to allow bigger passengers an extra seat, free of charge. #Planeseats #Travel #plusize
She said in the caption, “SeaTac should put their discrimination in writing if they refuse to help fat people.” Rather, they deceive, refuse services, and abandon overweight, crippled travelers. I will not remain silent about this because it is unacceptable.
Chaney has long supported plus-size customers’ dignity and inclusive travel. In order to standardize accommodations like free additional seating, enhanced accessibility, and greater staff training, she started a petition in 2023 asking the FAA to implement a “customer of size” policy. Hundreds of testimonies and over 39,600 signatures have been collected for the petition.
Her worries have been shared by supporters: “I no longer fly after being fat-shamed by a passenger sitting next to me,” one person wrote. Another said, “Even though I’m tall, I still get bruises when I get off flights.” Airlines continue to reduce space, but we’re supposed to handle it.
Chaney sees these as part of a larger pattern rather than just anecdotes.
According to her, “plus-size passengers experience discomfort, embarrassment, and occasionally outright refusal of service.” It’s more than just uncomfortable. It’s discriminating. We are worthy of better.