A recent photo of a plus-sized passenger trying to fit into a tight airplane seat has gone viral and sparked a heated debate online. Many people are now questioning whether airlines should rethink how they design and assign seats.

The photo, which shows a man struggling to sit comfortably on a flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen, was first shared by Washington D.C.-based consumer advocate Christopher Elliott in September 2024. He posted it on Facebook, and later, the image was shared again by the Miami-based hip-hop group Pretty Ricky.

Pretty Ricky, who are best known for their 2000s hit “Grind with Me,” reposted the photo and shared their opinion about how airlines should better accommodate larger passengers.

They wrote: “Airlines will have to have something in place for plus-sized passengers. This image was taken recently on a flight showing how difficult it is for people who are bigger than one seat.

“It’s also difficult for those sitting next to them. It’s a difficult situation because the airline will need to think of a happy medium.”

The post quickly stirred up a big debate online, getting thousands of comments. A lot of people said that if someone can’t fit into one seat, they should have to buy two.

Reactions came in fast, with some people showing support and others being more critical. One person wrote, “If you’re using two seats, you should be paying for two,” which many others agreed with. Someone else pointed out, “Tall passengers pay extra for legroom, so why should width be treated any differently?”

”Personal choices…”

One person commented: “Easily solved, if you are this large, you need to buy two seats OR they should make oversized seats for people like this and charge them extra for the larger seat. Plain and simple.”