Plus-sized passenger protests being denied wheelchair assistance

When Jaelynn Chaney touched down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in May 2024, she expected the wheelchair assistance she’d requested in advance—something that had always been part of her travel routine. But what happened next, according to the plus-size travel influencer, was anything but routine.

Chaney, 28, says that upon arrival at SeaTac, the employee assigned to help her visibly reacted to her size—then turned and walked away without a word.

“She saw me, made a face, and walked away,” Chaney recounted in a TikTok video shared with her 140,000+ followers. “All the other passengers received assistance. I was left behind.”

Though she can walk short distances, Chaney—who wears a size 6XL—regularly requests wheelchair service to navigate long terminals. Without it that day, she says she was forced to walk the full length of one of the airport’s longest jet bridges, a trek that nearly made her pass out.

“My lips went white. My oxygen levels dropped. I was lightheaded. I almost fainted,” she said. “This was my first time flying without oxygen. That employee made a dangerous assumption about what I could physically handle.”

As part of her protest, Chaney returned to SeaTac with a sign that read “Wheelchair Access for All,” using her platform to call out what she described as institutional discrimination.

“If SeaTac refuses to assist fat people, they should put their discrimination in writing,” she wrote in the caption. “Instead, they lie, deny services, and leave disabled fat travelers stranded. This is unacceptable, and I will not stay silent.”

Chaney has long been an advocate for inclusive travel and dignity for plus-size passengers. In 2023, she launched a petition urging the FAA to adopt a “customer of size” policy that would standardize accommodations like free extra seating, improved accessibility, and better staff training. The petition has gathered more than 39,600 signatures and hundreds of testimonies.

Supporters have echoed her concerns: “After being fat-shamed by a passenger sitting next to me, I no longer fly,” one person commented. Another added, “I’m tall, and I still leave flights with bruises. Airlines keep shrinking space, but expect us to just deal with it.”

For Chaney, these are more than anecdotes—they’re part of a wider pattern.

“Plus-size passengers face pain, humiliation, and sometimes outright refusal of service,” she said. “That’s not just uncomfortable. That’s discriminatory. We deserve better.”