Thank you Meagansmom! I have lost another 2 pounds this week. Like I said before, I have a
long way to go but it is the kind and compassionate DIS posters like yourself and travelgoddess, hulabird, peg2001 and others help to keep me going. Positive, uplifting and compassionate comments go allot further than cruel degrading ones.
I have been a pooh-sized traveler for many many years now and this is what I do to assure my comfort as well as the comfort of other passengers.
1) My husband and I always travel together. So when possible we choose plane types that have 2 seats together. For example an MD-80 has a 2 seat side (seats A & B) and a 3 seat side (D, E & F). A 767 has 2 seat row/3 seat row/2 seat row... We book early and reserve seats A & B. Be careful not to reserve seats in a row behind or in front of an exit row. Those rows tend to have less leg room and/or the seat won't recline. DH and I always raise the arm rest between us and we are fairly comfortable. In the past we always traveled on TWA because St. Louis was their hub. TWA has since been bought by American Airlines and all TWA planes were reconfigured to have more leg room. I can definately tell the difference.
2) Unfortunately flight times and plane types are subject to change. There have been a couple of times where we reserved seats on an MD-80 or a 767 and TWA switched the plane type to a 757 which has only 3 seat rows and some stranger was assigned the seat next to us. I check my reservations every few days to see if there are any changes. If such a change occurs I call the airlines immediately, usually TWA (now American) and explain the situation. They have switched me to a different flight
on a more size comfortable plane free of charge, if plenty of seats are available. This has only happened to us twice in 8 years time and we fly about 4 times a year. I don't know if American would do the same but I do know that TWA would. Please know that this will mean having to be very flexible about the time of day you will be flying. Very early morning flights (6am) or late at night flights (10pm or after), in my experience, tend to be less full.
3) If there are no flights available where you won't be sitting next to a stranger OR you are traveling alone, I do suggest looking into purchasing an extra seat. Having been through this many times, you will be just miserable if the passenger next to you is glaring, complaining or making rude comments. I know it is expensive but keep checking airfares several times a day before your trip and take advantage of sales. Keep in mind, you will have to be flexible with your flight days and times to find cheaper fares. Also, some fare sales will last just a few hours. For example, on Monday of this week there was a fare for $107 RT from STL to MCO on US Airways. It lasted just a couple of hours and is now gone. I have also heard recently that there are occasionally very low fares early in the morning around the 4am time. Yes I know, who wants to get up that early but it might be worth your while. After snagging that great sale go for an early morning walk. The world is so peaceful and quiet that time of day and it gives me time to think about my upcoming WDW trip.
4) I bring my own seat belt extender. Most of the time, but not always, I do need one. I carry most of my weight in the abdomen. It can save the pooh-size person time and potential embarrassment of having to request one from a flight attendant. Some of them are discreet about it, others are not. I will not post here where I purchased mine but PM me if you would like the information or have any other questions about pooh-sized travel.
Happy traveling for everyone!!!
) as well as how much space/leg room there is between rows. 
