A young woman is calling for airlines to introduce size checks for passengers after she was left in "a lot of pain" during a long-haul flight, claiming a larger traveller used her as an armrest for hours.
A Nine-Hour Ordeal in the Air
Roksana Ashcroft, a 22-year-old from Nottingham, was returning from a month-long holiday, flying from Bangkok to London Heathrow via Kazakhstan on January 3. Her journey took a distressing turn when she found herself in a middle seat next to a passenger in the aisle seat who, she alleges, encroached on her personal space for the entire flight.
"I was sitting in the middle seat with a large lady to my right on the aisle seat who was using my hip and leg as an armrest," Roksana explained. She described feeling "pinned back" from the moment the woman sat down, leading to significant discomfort.
Confrontation and a Plea for Change
The situation escalated roughly seven hours into the Air Astana flight. Roksana, suffering from pain, politely asked the woman to let her out to use the toilet. According to Roksana, the passenger refused to stand up. After 15 minutes of waiting, Roksana pressed the call button for assistance.
"The flight attendant was very helpful and didn’t take her ‘I’m too tired to stand up’ as an answer," Roksana stated, adding that she felt "mortified" by the entire exchange. The flight left her hip and leg in pain, forcing her to lean towards her boyfriend for the duration to try and create more room.
Following the incident, Roksana took to social media to share her experience, posting a video of the sleeping passenger. Her caption read: "I’m sorry, but can we please start a petition for larger people to have to book two seats." She clarified her stance wasn't meant to be rude but was born from her painful experience.
Divided Public Reaction and Airline Response
The online reaction to Roksana's video was sharply split. While many shared similar stories of flight discomfort and agreed with her call for policy changes, others criticised her for filming a fellow passenger without consent.
One commenter argued, "Can we please start a petition to stop filming people without them knowing," while another suggested she should have purchased a first-class ticket. The debate also saw plus-size travellers sharing their own perspectives. One person commented, "I am a big lady and I always pay for two seats. It saves so many problems."
Other suggestions from the public included charging passengers by weight, similar to baggage, or implementing seat size tests akin to those used on amusement park rides.
In response to the incident, an Air Astana spokesperson said: "The airline regrets the impressions experienced by the passenger. Air Astana adheres to the principles of respectful and equal treatment of all passengers, and does not tolerate discrimination based on individual characteristics." The spokesperson also noted that passengers seeking extra space could explore alternative seating options offering enhanced comfort.
Roksana, who films travel vlogs, defended documenting the situation. "I think situations like this should be spoken about more to avoid these situations," she said. Her proposed solution is clear: airlines must either make seats bigger to accommodate all body types or introduce a check-in method to ensure passengers do not spill over into others' space, drawing a direct comparison to the checks performed on hand luggage.
