A plus-size travel influencer has slammed airport staff at one of the country's busiest airports after getting stuck in a revolving door.
Washington-based influencer Jaylyn Cheney, 27, shared her experience with her 136,000 TikTok followers, vowing to “help plus-size people explore the world with confidence.”
Although Cheney doesn't need a wheelchair for everyday mobility, she decided to use one when passing through Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
“I recently had a harrowing experience at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I'm a plus-sized wheelchair user and had a lot of trouble getting to baggage claim,” Cheney began.
Plus-size travel influencer Jaylyn Chaney, 27, claims she was trapped in a turnstile at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Chaney says she was in a wheelchair, but judging by her social media posts, it appears she rarely uses one.
“We had no choice but to go through the revolving doors. There is a button you can press to slow it down for disabled people, but once we got in we were stuck,” she explained, noting that she is claustrophobic.
“I panicked and desperately called out to the staff for help but they just stared at me and offered no help.”
Cheney, who wears a size 6XL, did not post any photos or videos of her ordeal and blamed O'Hare airport staff for a lack of action.
“This is my second bad experience in just one trip at O'Hare,” she complained.
“This lack of assistance was not only frustrating, it was dehumanizing and highlighted the need for airport staff to treat travellers of all sizes and abilities with the respect and care they deserve.”
But rather than garnering sympathy, commenters on Cheney's post were frustrated by her actions.
Cheney criticized staff at Chicago O'Hare Airport, claiming they failed to help her. Rather than eliciting sympathy, people commenting on Cheney's post were frustrated with her actions.
“Why would you request wheelchair service if you're not disabled?” one user asked.
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“Being trapped in a door designed for humans should be a major wake-up call,” another wrote.
“If she can stand and pose like that, why can't she walk?” another commenter commented.
“There's nothing wrong with walking, stop thinking you have a right. I was a large person but I've lost weight. It's time for a change,” said another.
Cheney has frequently spoken out in the past about making plane seats free and larger.
But demands that extra seats be provided free of charge to overweight passengers have only caused further uproar.
In an October video, she wrote: “Hot take: All airlines should have a customer size policy like Southwest Airlines.”
“If more airlines adopted policies like Southwest's Large Customer Policy, offering plus-size passengers who need more space an extra seat for free or for a fee, air travel would be much more accessible and comfortable for larger people,” the caption read.
Earlier this year, Governor Cheney filed a petition with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urging airlines to end “discriminatory” policies and offer free seats to obese passengers.
Jaylyn Cheney, a plus-size travel influencer with about 135,000 followers on TikTok, frequently claims free or larger seats on planes. Cheney claims this latest incident happened at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
Many people have taken to social media to point out that the extra space is unavailable to taller passengers who need more legroom, people travelling with medical equipment or people who use wheelchairs.
These groups often have to pay hundreds of dollars for the extra space.
Until recently, Jaelin had to travel with an oxygen machine and use a wheelchair instead of walking long distances after doctors diagnosed her with a suspected stroke in 2019.
Earlier this month, Jaylin claimed she was discriminated against by airport staff who refused to push her wheelchair because of her weight.
She described an experience she had with a wheelchair attendant on the boarding bridge after a recent landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
In another TikTok video, she claimed that as she was getting off the plane, the employee assisting her realised they should have been helping a plus-size woman instead of a petite passenger, and tried to walk away.
The travel influencer said the employee made a comment about her size as he walked away with her wheelchair.
Jaelin, who has previously requested that an extra seat be provided free of charge for an overweight passenger at the expense of a thinner one, said the ordeal left her breathless.
