'I get heckled all the time': Obese man who was 'fat shamed' by Qantas reveals the cruel taunts he faces in public - and how 'belittled' he felt to be told to 'buy two seats next time'
- Darren Beales, 36, says he was fat shamed on a Qantas flight on Friday
- The Geelong man was told he couldn't have the exit row seat and had to move
- After he was moved, he was then told he should buy two seats next time
- Mr Beales said he felt 'small' and 'belittled' during the exchange
Darren Beales, 36, was travelling on a Qantas flight on Friday when he was 'fat shamed' by a flight attendant, he says
A man who was fat shamed and forced to move seats on board a Qantas flight says he often doesn't leave his Geelong home for fear of being abused about his weight.
Over the years, Darren Beales, 36, has been tormented by people in passing cars, had his weight pointed out by children as their parents snickered, and been stared at as he walks down the street.
He has been big all of his life.
The 36-year-old, who lives with his partner and his dog Bailey, said having a slow metabolism runs in his family.
Having been heckled over his weight for so long, Mr Beales prefers to stay in, and uses online video games as his main source of social interaction.
'To tell you the truth, I don't really leave my house,' he said.
'I'm not scared to go out there, but every time you walk down the road you've got people looking at you or shouting out of their cars "lose some weight you c***".'
On Friday, Mr Beales was forced to walk from his booked seat in the exit row of a plane to another seat five rows back, and told by a flight attendant he should 'book two seats for himself next time'.
He says the comment made him feel 'belittled', and likened his stroll to a new seat on the plane to a 'walk of shame'.
'I felt very low and embarrassed,' he said.
'Everyone was seated and it was a pretty full plane. I got moved back, this guy took my spot and I took his.
'Everyone was looking at me trying to work out what was happening.
'Walking down the lane way, you feel like you're doing the walk of shame.'
Mr Beales was travelling to meet one of his online friends for his birthday, and says the incident on board his flight made him spend the next two days unable to concentrate on anything but how he would board his flight back home.
The man, from Norlane in Geelong, says he was told he could not sit in an exit row seat because he needed a seatbelt extender, and was then told by a flight attendant he should buy two seats for himself in future
He says there is more to him than his appearance, and wishes people could see past the numbers on a scale.
'People out there, they don't know me,' he said. 'They only see the way I look - they don't know me by walking in my shoes, they don't know what I do for the community.
'I don't see those people out there helping the community like I do. The world has just gone to hell.'
Mr Beales says someone else had booked his airline ticket for him, and simply asked if he wanted extra leg room, to which he had readily agreed. This was his first time sitting in the exit row.
The Geelong man said he passed the first ticket inspection without a problem, but when he showed his ticket to the flight attendant inside the plane, was told there was an issue.
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The attendant began to direct him to the correct aisle when she realised he was in an exit row and said he simply would not be allowed to sit there.
'She said sit down in the seat you were allocated, and when everyone is seated we will get you up and put you in a different seat,' he explained.
After everyone had boarded the plane, Mr Beales said the woman returned with an extender belt and moved him five rows back on the plane.
'She came down with an extender belt and said can you move to this location, and the other guy was there, so I had to get behind the guy and he sat in my seat and I sat in his,' he said.
Mr Beales said he felt 'belittled and small' during the ordeal. The 36-year-old has been big his whole life and says he often does not leave the house because of the abuse he receives over his size
Mr Beales was placed in an aisle seat with a vacant seat by his side.
Incredibly, the flight attendant even recommended he purchase himself two seats next time.
'She came back to me [after I had moved] and said "it's against airline regulations that anyone who requires aid or an extended seat belt" [can sit in the exit row],' he said.
'She said next time you might want to buy a second seat, we will give it to you half price.
'All I wanted was the leg room so I could stretch out. I didn't need a second seat - it was a bit squishy but I had to make do.
'I got the seating there for leg room, not for the extra space. An extra chair wasn't required.'
Mr Beales, who volunteers at a local homeless shelter, was refunded the extra he paid for his exit row seat, but says he should have been allowed to sit there
Mr Beales said he did not agree with Qantas's policy, which dictates anyone needing a seat belt extender can not fly in the exit row, but he was most hurt by the way the flight attendant addressed the issue.
'She said all this to me when I got on the plane - she didn't pull me aside before I sat down and said I just need to briefly talk to you,' he said.
'I felt very belittled and so small.'
Mr Beales said had there been a crisis on board, he would have helped.
Qantas has defended moving Mr Beales, explaining the airline has a policy that dictates anyone who requires an aid such as a seatbelt extender must not be seated in an exit row.
A spokeswoman for the airline told Daily Mail Australia: 'CASA provides guidance to airlines on the criteria for appropriate passengers to be seated in exit rows.'
'If passengers are unable to meet this criteria airlines including Qantas will ask passengers to change seats,' she said.
Mr Beales said he was refunded $120 for the extra money he paid for his exit row, but says he has been told his complaint against the flight attendant would be dealt with internally, and he is unlikely to hear about a resolution.
Qantas' customer service department has contacted the man in regards to his exchange with the attendant, but Mr Beales said he is unlikely to hear what the result is
