A 6ft9in man was allocated a middle seat on a Ryanair flight but came up with a genius solution at the boarding gate to secure extra space without paying a penny more
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 secure a first-class seat. To make matters worse, being assigned the middle seat can feel like you’ve well and truly drawn the short straw.
Technically, you may have access to both armrests, but that’s little comfort when you’re wedged between two fellow passengers — particularly if you’re travelling solo and don’t know either of your seatmates. However, being stuck in the middle seat becomes an entirely different ordeal if you happen to be exceptionally tall – something one 6ft9in man discovered when he was allocated this dreaded spot on a “Ryanair flight back to Rome”.
Ben Davies confessed he “barely fits with two seats,” let alone when squeezed between two other passengers on either side.
“If I only have a middle seat, I’m quite literally not going to fit,” he explained, expressing his hope he might be able to secure an alternative seat on the aircraft.
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Upon arriving at the boarding gate, Ben anticipated the flight would be “full”. Nevertheless, he made the shrewd move of asking a Ryanair staff member whether two adjacent seats could be found for him, given his considerable 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 queried about his height.
He added that he “really appreciate it” if they could locate two seats side by side, as he “didn’t fit” the last time he flew. The staff member informed him that seats A, B and C in row 19 were unoccupied.
This meant that upon boarding, he could potentially claim 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 to simply “go to 19” and relocate if requested to do so.
Ben made his way to row 19 without any issues, explaining he’d sit horizontally to make the journey more comfortable.
Staff were really helpful and allowed him to take the extra space (Stock Image)(Image: Getty Images)
It demonstrates that by speaking directly with airline staff at the airport, you might secure a superior seat without incurring extra charges.
However, the travel tip didn’t impress everyone. In the comments section, 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 person stated: “Why should he pay more? He has no control over being tall.”
Meanwhile, another tall passenger shared: “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.”