Rumeysa Gelgi, stands at 7 feet, 0.7 inches tall. She was named the world’s tallest living woman by Guinness World Records last year. She has a rare condition called Weaver Syndrome, which causes, along with other symptoms, rapid growth. Besides being named the tallest living woman, she also holds the titles of largest hands (female), longest fingers (female), longest back (female) and previously held the title of tallest living female teenager.
However, Gelgi, a resident of Türkiye (you know it’s not Turkey anymore, right?) is trained as a web developer and wanted to fly to the U.S. to look for employment, hopefully in the San Francisco Bay area. But when you’re over 7 feet tall, that’s, if you’ll pardon the expression, a pretty tall order.
Because of the issues associated with her syndrome, sitting on a plane for the 13-hour journey from Türkiye to California would be impossible (she had been too large to fit in plane seats since childhood). So Turkish Airlines stepped up to the plate. They modified one of their planes by removing 6 economy seats, thereby allowing her to lie on a stretcher for the flight. She deemed it a success.
From her Instagram:
Before her flight:
Mid-flight:
And after she had landed in California:
Translation:
A flawless journey from start to finish with @turkishairlines 🕊 I have so many people to thank.. @airclinic officials and officers, @igairport staff, @turkishairlines team, all cabin staff including our cabin supervisor, @flysfo officers and medical team, customs police and many other departments that I can’t count. But unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to know the names of many people 🥰 who helped me with their kindness and dedication for 13 hours in the air for 19 hours in total and organized a “first flight” celebration above the clouds. Therefore, I would like to thank firstly Mr. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of @turkishairlines and then Mr. Ramazan Yaşa, the Manager of Customer Relations of @turkishairlines who personally organized this whole process. This was my first plane ride but it certainly won’t be my last. From now on it will be a great honor and pleasure to fly to different parts of the world with @turkishairlines A heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has been a part of my journey. With my love. 🙏🏻🤫: I can’t post detailed visuals/videos of my journey for now. But soon you’ll see every detail. 👀
Turkish Airlines’ reply:
Hello Ms. Rümeysa, we are very happy that your flight went smoothly and your valuable feedback. We always want to do what we can for you and our work continues in this direction. Whenever you need us, we are here for you as Turkish Airlines. ✈️🤗
I’m not sure how many 7-footers have flown in the U.S., but there have been plenty of people who don’t fit in airlines’ too-narrow seats (here are U.S. airlines’ respective responses to that predicament), or who are just too tall for the current pitch of airline seats. Yet I have yet to see any of them volunteer to remove seats for them.
I’ve been watching Gelgi’s Instagram site since her arrival and she hasn’t mentioned landing a job yet. Fingers are crossed for her.
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