I'm going on a trip soon and I'm worried that the seat belts on the airline won't fit around me. We're flying with continental. I've only flown once in my life and that was 10 years ago.

I know some of you probably fly on a regular basis. Please tell me if I should be worried or not. I would be mortified if I had to ask for a seat belt extender in front of everyone on the plane.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I've already had a nightmare about it. In my dream I had to ask for an extender and everyone on the plane stood up and laughed hysterically at me. Then the extender was too small and I had to ask for an extender for the extender.

Hey there. I'm not sure what the standard rule is. I was on an airplane a few months ago. On the flight to texas the seat belt was tight. I had it all the way out. But then on the plane ride home it was loose. Go figure. I understand your worry though. I felt the same way. I'm curious what others have to say.

I'm taller than you but at my highest weight of 275, I was able to latch the seatbelt on Southwest and Alaska planes. It was a very snug seatbelt. I had to suck my belly in as far as I could and really pull on the belt. My a** barely fit in the damn seat but the belt snapped closed!

About a month ago I flew again on Southwest and having lost almost 20 lbs, I had a little slack in the seatbelt.
Good luck to you! I hope it all goes well. I read somewhere before that if you think you might need an extender to ask the flight attendant right as you walk on. That way they don't have to bring it to you while everyone is looking. If you don't need it you give it back.

unfortunately it depends on the airplane...some planes have bigger seats and longer seat belts, even with the same companies fleet of planes.

I've had a couple of tight flights when I was at my highest weight of 255, but I've never needed an extender. Usually I would have between 1-3 inches of extra depending on the plane.

I would say that if you do need an extender, go and ask an attendant privately, it's nobody's business but yours, you don't have ask in front of your seat mates. and you shouldn't be ashamed, you're being safe and that's what really matters.

I wouldn't worry to much. At my highest I traveled to/from the US to Europe loads. I was on every type of plane, even squeezed in the middle seat sometimes. It wasn't comfortable on most, but I was able to get my seat belt all the way around me in every one of those planes. If you are really worried, speak with the flight attendant when arriving and ask if she could discretely bring you a seat belt extender. Don't let something like this stress you out for your trip!

Even though I didn't start this thread I feel much better now about it since I'm heavier then the last time I flew. I'm flying next month which couldn't be helped but in August I'd already decided to drive to Nashville instead of fly for that very worry. I may just reconsider now. It is what it is and I need to just deal with it until I bring the lbs down. Thanks guys.

I wouldn't worry too much about the seatbelts. I usually don't need an extender even at 300 lbs... at 261 you probably won't have a problem unless it's a "puddle jumper" style airplane (less than 50 seats or so). Even then, the flight attendants are really good about not making a fuss. When I have to ride a small plane, I pause a moment as I enter, where they're greeting us, and just smile and say, "I may need a seatbelt extender, when you have a moment". They'll bring it back when you get settled. And if you find you don't need it, you can always thank them and tell them it's not needed this flight.

It also depends on your shape. I still have an hour-glass figure, even though it's a hugely expanded hourglass. Some folks don't have much waist definition, or carry a lot of belly fat. They might have more problems. But I've found that once I get below 280, I don't have a seatbelt problem.

I still get a "squishing my neighbor" problem, though. It's one of the reasons I try to avoid flying. I'm still too close to my highest weight to feel comfortable yet. But it will come.

If you are worried about the seatbelt you can always buy an extender so you don't have to ask

At my highest weight I flew a lot but it was always Southwest.

I totally understand your concerns. One time I actually went on the airline's website to see if I could figure out the seatbelt length. I never had to use one (and I flew to Europe at my highest) but it was close. I had to pull it all the way out and really squish in my stomach.

I was going to suggest what Tannee said. You can buy those extenders on the internet and then have it in your purse if you need it. It might give you peace of mind.

Try to get a window or aisle seat to give yourself a bit more room in the seat. Also, if you are travelling with your hubby or someone you know you can put the arm up between the seats to make it more comfortable. You can look on seatguru.com and look up the aircraft you will be flying in to check the seat widths. Some aircraft have slightly smaller seats in some rows.

Try not to worry, I'm sure you will be fine.

I think it depends on the airline and where you carry your weight... at about 240 I was barely able to squeeze into the seatbelt on my outgoing flight but had an extra inch or two left in the belt on my return flight...