'Mortified' BA passenger 'hoisted' out of first class seat after getting stuck

31 July 2023 , 04:32

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The man was seated in British Airways' first class section (Image: Getty Images)

An overweight passenger had to be hoisted out of his first class seat after realising he was stuck when the plane landed.

The man was reportedly "mortified" at the situation, which unfolded in front of hundreds of people disembarking following a six-and-a-half-hour British Airways flight on Sunday morning.

Seated in 1A for the duration of the trip from Nigeria to London, the passenger is said to have enjoyed the food, wine and comfort of the £7,000 suite - until it was time to get up.

When the plane landed at Heathrow at 5am, he realised he was trapped in his seat and would need assistance to leave the plane. Members of the flight crew sprang into action to free the man while keeping him "calm" throughout.

First class and business class provide passengers with a lot more space than economy (Getty Images)

The Sun reports that an engineering note written during the incident reads: “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.” "Volumetric" in this context appears to be a euphemism for overweight.

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A BA insider said the ordeal "sounded funny" but passengers felt "sorry" for the man who was clearly "mortified" by the "abject humiliation".

"It’s astonishing because the seats are the most spacious available," they told the Sun. "It was as embarrassing as it can get for him — especially when a door in the cabin had to be removed... Crew members did all they could to calm the man.”

The subject of larger passengers on planes is a contentious one. In May a TikTok of a woman being weighed before being allowed to board went viral, provoking heated debate over whether the airline was "cruel" or simply trying to keep to the aircraft's weight limit.

Last year Australian-American political commentator Sydney Watson claimed she was "sandwiched" between two 'overweight' travellers on a three-hour flight.

"I am currently - literally - wedged between two obese people on my flight," she wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of herself between the other passengers.

"This is absolutely NOT acceptable or okay. If fat people want to be fat, fine. But it is something else entirely when I'm stuck between you, with your arm rolls on my body, for 3 hours."

The official Twitter account of American Airlines responded: "Our passengers come in all different shapes and sizes. We're sorry you were uncomfortable on your flight."

Sophie Bateman