A 6ft9in man who was allocated a middle seat on a Ryanair flight back to Rome managed to secure an entire row to himself for free after asking a staff member at the boarding gate for two seats together.
Tall Passenger's Predicament
Ben Davies, the passenger in question, admitted he "barely fits with two seats" let alone when squeezed between two fellow travellers. "If I only have a middle seat, I'm quite literally not going to fit," he shared, expressing hope of finding 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 employee whether they could locate two seats together, given his towering height.
The Question That Worked
"Do you know if there are any two seats next to each other? Could you check for me, please?" he asked a staff member 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.
Securing the Row
"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.
This 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.
Mixed Reactions
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."
