Obese air travellers feel stares are 'more humiliating' than tiny seats: Study

Obese air travellers are bothered more by humiliating stares than by cramped seating, according to a recent study.

Participants interviewed for the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study recounted the typical challenges they encounter while boarding, in-flight and deplaning. "Most participants agreed that the way people stare at them during boarding and deplaning is humiliating, and at times even shameful," said researcher Yaniv Poria.

The researchers suggested allowing obese people to board first and deplane last and making design changes to rest rooms and seat trays which would make everyone more comfortable. Additionally, they argue for the need to offer different-sized seats.

Squeezing down aisles and into seats is particularly troublesome, the participants said, because they are unable to avoid touching other passengers. Many attempted to be first in line to board so they could easily find their seats "and disappear."

The researchers note that crew members can respectfully and discreetly make everyone's flight experience more comfortable by moving a passenger sitting next to an obese person to another seat. Survey participants indicated that African American female crew members seemed to be generally less judgmental and more helpful.

"We assumed that the greatest difficulties obese people faced on planes were caused by tight, confined spaces," Poria said, adding "We were surprised to find that the way other people reacted to them was so 'unpleasant' and 'embarrassing,' causing them to feel universally 'uncomfortable' and 'uneasy'."

The study is published in the Journal of Travel Research.