One remembers a stylish suite, delectable gourmet food, and good wine when traveling first class on a British Airways flight. The experience though enjoyable for an overweight British Airways passenger, didn’t end as expected. After enjoying a 6½-hour flight from Nigeria to London, the tubby traveler couldn’t leave the aircraft. Not as a euphemism for his excellent experience in the skies, but literally so! Despite being seated in 1A for the duration of the trip, the man realized that he could not move once the plane landed. British Airways crew members could not help him beyond a point, and help came in the form of emergency services.
The team had to remove a cabin door to free the distressed traveler using a hoist, an ordeal that ended after three tedious hours. A source from BA stated, “The passenger was mortified. It’s astonishing because the seats are the most spacious available. It was as embarrassing as it can get for him — especially when a door in the cabin had to be removed.” He added, “It sounded funny, but, actually, people felt sorry for him. It was abject humiliation in front of hundreds of disbelieving passengers. Crew members did all they could to calm the man.”
The Sun reported the engineering note written during the incident: “A volumetric passenger is stuck in seat 1A. The plan is to remove the suite door and use a hoist to eject [him] from the seat.” The British Airways first class is the epitome of luxury travel with spacious cabin seats featuring larger personal screens, dine anytime menu, and impeccable service.
Still, stout passengers deal with discomfort despite shelling nearly $10,000 on a plane seat, as was the case of the overweight BA passenger. Last year, the world’s best airline, Qatar Airways, was ordered by a court to pay for therapy for a plus-sized Brazilian influencer who was body shamed and stopped from taking her economy seat.
