Airplane experiences

I fly all the time for work. United has never made me buy a 2nd seat. If you need a seatbelt extender, just ask the flight attendant for one. They tend to be very discrete about getting one to you. I used to phrase it "When you have a moment, may I have an extender?" The polite no pressure approach works best. For the flight itself, wear comfy clothes. Don't fly in a new, possibly constrictive outfit. It can get VERY restrictive.

Now getting through security. Take off your jacket and shoes. If you travel with a laptop, it comes out of the bag and goes in a separate bin. All liquids, creams and lotions go in a quart sized zip loc baggie... no item can be more than 3 ounces. They don't put everyone through the bodyscan... it's every 7th or 8th person or so. Just follow the instructions. Whomever is reviewing the scans is in a separate area of security. It's not like everyone can look over his shoulder at the imagery. If you get singled out for a pat down, again, just follow instructions. It will only be as big an issue as you make it. If you go in with an "Oh well, guess it was my turn" attitude, it's a no brainer. If you go in with a "How dare you touch me?" attitude, it becomes an ordeal. And remember, they only pat down if something unidentified shows up on the scan that they can't figure out.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask... I fly a couple of times a month.

Hey there! I think I'm a bigger girl than you - and have big hips. I fit in the seat just fine. I do have to use a seatbelt extender, though. I usually ask for it right as I board so that I can be just about as discreet as possible. I highly doubt you would have to pay for an extra seat because at the very least, you'll be right next to your husband and you won't take up anyone's seat. As for security, I've had both the pat down and the screener. The pat down wasn't all that bad - or maybe the security person wasn't as thorough? I never saw any outline of myself anywhere on any screen, so I doubt anyone else other than security noticed it, and I'm sure they've seen it all. I agree with the previous post: pack those liquids and any items that might bring attention to you accordingly. Other than that, have a great trip! San Diego is a wonderful town!

I also worry about the seats on airlines. I checked out United Airlines, depending on what air craft they are using, their seats (armrest length) are about 17 to 18 inches. I am using the 17 inch armrest as a goal for me to comfortably fit in by the fall. Hope I accomplish that by then!

I'm a math nut and I actually calculated what the diameter of my hip should be to fit into the 17 inch armrest. (I know it wasn't the best way because hips are not perfectly round but i used the circumference formula). I am estimating that my hip needs to be roughly 53 inches to fit comfortably into the seat.

also I have tried to buy a second seat before and have been refused- for the most part though I have been fine and I am much larger than you!

Wow, I thought I was the only one who ever worried about whether I'd be squishing a stranger LOL. I have only flown a couple times without my huband so I do the same thing, if we're sitting in a 3 seat row, he goes in the middle and I take the aisle or window seat. Kinda sucks for him because he never gets the window seat unless we're in a 2 seat row. Seat-belt extenders are a life-saver (literally, really!) and like everyone's said, they *usually* are discreet about giving them to you. I'm American but I live in Scotland so I fly home to the US about once a year to visit my family. It's a long flight, but I usually don't have any problems. Btw, you know what I'm scared of? The toilets! I have *never* used an airplane toilet. It's quite funny because most of the time I seem to have a weak bladder but when I'm on an airplane I can hold it (without discomfort) somehow until I'm off the plane and can get to a normal rest room.

Last time we went to the US we flew United and I had no problems whatsoever, except the plane having problems and the flight getting delayed 6 hours (4 of those we were sitting ON the plane) THAT was not fun. They ended up finding another plane so we had to get off and onto another plane, I was really hoping the plane they found us would be bigger because the one we'd been on was quite small for an overseas flight but the new plane was the same exact type of plane . We ended up sitting next to someone because the seat arrangement was 3 and 3 and the flight was PACKED so we had no choice.

Actually, our flight TO the US that time was awesome, it was a huge plane and the flight was only 3/4 full so as soon as everyone was seated the flight attendants told us if there was any other seats we preferred we could move. We took the bulkhead middle seats but it turned out there was 2 other people sitting there and we thought we were going to be cramped, but then the attendant told the guy sitting next to my husband that we had vacated our row and he could have 2 seats to himself if he wanted and he jumped at it LOL. Then we were able to move over and have an empty seat between us and the other person in the row, which was great because as everyone has said, the in arm trays don't work for a large person. I had to put my stuff on the tray in the empty seat. The legroom was awesome though, and I was able to easily stand up and walk about a bit, which I don't normally do on flights because getting in and out of the seats is not easy for me. I currently weigh over 300 btw, just started my diet this week.

Good luck and have fun!

Valerie