Airlines to weigh passengers before boarding

[B3ck89]

www.thesun.co.uk/travel/8895844/airlines-weigh-passengers-save-fuel/?utm_campaign=sunmainfacebook040919&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1567623178

Spotted this in the sun.

Many allow 88kg (13.8 stone) for men, 70kg (11 stone) for women and 35kg (5.5 stone) for children

This bit confused me a little bit, is that their estimate they use for calculating fuel consumption? My partner and children weigh more than that estimate

I wonder what their weight limit will be? 🤔
And I can see shit will hit the fan when/if this does come into force, and passengers are excluded from the flight

Have any of you actually read the article?

It's all about enabling airlines to calculate fuel requirements more accurately! The weight would be measured discreetly with pressure pad technology at the check in. I think it's an excellent idea.

Also, it was originally reported by the Independent

is this real???

I'm hoping that because I weigh 9 stone, that means I get to take 2 stone more with me 😂

Fatted I can remember being weighed before flying on a mostly-empty, small plane in the 90's. We were also told not to move from our nominated seats until after take-off, because the passengers' weight had been carefully balanced in the plane

Yeah, I thinking that - at my height 11stone is still within the healthy range, so are they taking height into account?

What's more, my husband is the same height in his head - he's actually slightly shorter, and gets almost 3st more allowance!

I can see the reasons for it, but it needs to be a bit more sophisticated IMO. I pack very light, so total including baggage seems fair (though it spoils the approach of putting your big winter coat on!).

Oh Fuck! I am a women and weight over 13st so should probably identify as a Rhino!

I can see it now, I shall be crated up at the airport.

As I fat fuck I find this horrifying. How embarrassing.

@tabulahrasa

To be honest, I had 12 on my gym weigh out slip, but the first google result said 11.5, and as people can be so merciless about any question of excessive weight, I stuck to the lower one!

Not that I'm actually 11.5 or 12st...

Those Isles of Scilly flights also have to weigh the dogs - it can be a bit of a challenge to persuade a big dog to get on the scales! Fun to watch, though.

It is pretty standard on small planes. The check-in people just type it into a computer - it isn't normally displayed like the luggage ones are.

When I was hoping to fly back to Sydney at short notice from rural Oz, there was a tense few minutes while the ground staff figured out whether they could transport me AND a farmer's cherries for market.

I didn't bother to read the article, but I imagine that the cost of having everybody check in and get weighed for an Airbus or Boeing (all the extra staff and extra space for queues) would outweigh any fuel cost savings.

The article doesn't say anything about excluding anyone or charging extra. It's a suggestion made so they can use the correct amount of fuel.
They mention pressure pads at check in. Not scales with your weight shouted out and it doesn't seem anyone cares if you're a healthy weight or not.
It's simply about fuel consumption.

I've been weighed in the past when we were flying on a tiny plane between isalnds in Fiji. We were then allocated seats according to our weight (it was about a 20 seater and for a trip taking less than half an hour). Some South Sea Islanders are big built - think Rugby! - and we were told that it was to ensure there was a proper weight distribution.

My DH ended up in the front seat next to the pilot, who said to him "ok, mate - I'll take her up and you can bring her down".

The Sun usually holds a bunch of lies held together by thin threads of manipulated truth.

However, if there was truth in this, I wouldn't be flying, discreet weighing pad or not. Anyone who's been through an Eating Disorder or known anyone who has knows exactly how triggering this can be and how anxious it could make those with an Eating Disorder about checking in. It would be a terrible thing to introduce. Calculating fuel doesn't cut it as a reason for me.

When you take little puddle jumper prop planes in the Caribbean they always ask you how much you weigh and seat you to balance out the plane. Once a somewhat overweight woman started shouting "I lied! Sweet Jesus I lied! I'm sorry but you gotta add 20lbs to what I said!" As we taxied.

Oh come on, this is not going to happen. Yes it happens in tiny planes because they have to distribute the weight for safety. For large planes they just need an average/ Some people are less than this, some people more.

That's bullshit. My Dh is 6'4" and so is never going to be an average weight for a man. I'm 5'10" and weigh 11st 8lbs and I'm still in a healthy weight. I will not be paying extra to fly

Won't people who weigh more, just be given less luggage allowance?

as pitterpatter and kaytee say it would help if people read the article before getting into a tizzy. It's only talking about weighing people discreetly to calculate fuel. It sounds like the passengers wouldn't even be able to see the weight. No talk of banning people from planes. All quite sensible really (especially for a sun article ).

It's in the sun... it must be true ;)

This is a good idea, so would charging them extra mainly because it would help to un-normalise being grossly overweight. Why should those with healthy weights and BMI pay the same as obese people? The stigma around calling out people’s weight has a lot to answer for, fortunately the laws of physics could bring some logic to the argument of we all pay the same. It’s extremely unhealthy and causes many illnesses and issues later in life.

Discrimination against tall people! I'm 5'10" and the men in our family are all about 6'3" + tall. It's bad enough for them flying in such cramped conditions but it's not our fault that we're all tall (and therefore weigh more than "average"). We all have healthy BMIs

"Why should those with healthy weights and BMI pay the same as obese people?"

70kg is within the healthy weight range for women over 5'6". Why should tall women be penalised for weighing more due to their height?

I think this would be very tricky to introduce. DH is 6'6" and 95kg. He's a healthy weight, he can't help being tall. On the other hand, I weight a lot less than 70kg - maybe they could do combined weights?

If it's a non-judgemental system that is just looking at fuel calculations etc. then why have different allowances for men and women? Surely there should just be weight bands in, say, 10kg increments.

Has anyone actually read the article 🙈

@24Deathraystare
"Oh Fuck! I am a women and weight over 13st so should probably identify as a Rhino!
I can see it now, I shall be crated up at the airport."

That sounds a good deal. You'll have enough space and be fed and watered.

Rather that than most Ryanair flights.