Weighting for the backlash

[quisensoucie]

Weighing aeroplane passengers is not a new phenomenon, so the 'fat-shaming' trope is rather misplaced
'In the early days of air travel, Airlines frequently weighed passengers and even crew to properly balance the smaller, less sophisticated aircraft, according to the Smithsonian.

Passenger weight can have an impact on another aspect of flying: seat size.'
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/then-amp-now-a-weighty-matter-46320857/&ved=2ahUKEwi8--2O452EAxU2a0EAHa-9B8sQFnoECCsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw36nIvu41LW3mTW1jC32O9v

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/airlines-weigh-passengers-check-in-baggage-cargo-balance-a8860071.html

This is a safety issue, not about making larger people pay more. But again, the science and physics are dismissed because 'feelings'

I don't see the problem with this. If you're ashamed of your weight, then do something about it. I'm not madly overweight but I could stand to lose a stone. This would give me a bit of motivation to lose it.

A Boeing 737 (average sized aeroplane) has a take-off capacity of around 80,000kg.

Once you account for the aeroplane itself, the max fuel load it can carry, and the crew it has around 24000kg of load to spare.

The average number of people one of those is fitted out to carry is 150. meaning each passenger has an allowance of 133.3kg.

The average weight of an adult in the UK is 78.5 kg and average allowance for checked baggage is 23kg, so a per passenger total of 101.5 kg (but let's say it's closer to 110.5 kg to allow for clothing and hand luggage).

That means that, even if a 737 was exclusively filled with adults who've all checked a suitcase and carried on some hand luggage, there would still be around 7425 kg of spare capacity.

There's no issue with the weight capability of commercial aeroplanes.

I know you did, but agree with pp that it's not really helpful.

That's assuming that all the adults on the flight are from the UK and that there is an 'average' distribution of people - actual figures would be more reassuring surely?

But they dont want to carry max fuel. They want to carry adequate fuel for the total weight of the plane on that day. which will be affected by particular make up of luggage (some people pack light, some dont) - and that is checked at check in, and the particular make up of people on that day- some are way heavier than the average figures, some are babies or small children - and that bit isn't currently checked so they have to err on the side of caution add max fuel to account for every single person possibly being max weight.

Why would anyone want that to spare a few sensitive people's perceived feelings, when everyone can see what they look like anyway? It's worse for the environment and makes the airlines operating costs higher, which is reflected in ticket prices for us.

I've always wondered why they don't just weigh everybody once they're all herded onto the walkway gantry and then make the last minute adjustments to fuel then. But that would mean hanging around a bit longer before the flight which people of all shapes and sizes would moan about.

Not sure why I read posts like this that make it clear so many people are okay with completely dehumanising people for how they look, and the fact they dare want to travel while being such hideous beasts.

Does anyone want to talk about these airlines making seats smaller constantly to squeeze more people in so they make more money? Not to mention that most airlines these days charge you for even wanting to take a bag, on your holiday! Or charging you to sit with your family! There are bigger fucking issues at play than a fat person daring to want to go on holiday or travel for business. Jesus fucking christ.

Shaming people doesn't work to make them lose weight, btw. Being shamed is a fat person's life, if it worked no one would be fat.

The fuel in most situations vaporises before it hits the sea / ground.

Well, the average weight of an adult from the official fattest country on the planet (Nauru) is 100kg, so even if you found yourself on a flight exclusively filled with people from there you'd still be way below the capacity.

You'd need every single person on the plane to be around 130kg (20.5st) for there to start to be an issue.

Completely agree with this.
The weight isn't being published. But if someone's fat, it's public knowledge anyway.
And no one's going to take the blindest bit of notice. Well, the vast majority of people anyway.

If you're flying in a tiny, wind up plane then yes, you need to distribute weight and make it accurate otherwise there will be massive safety issues.

In a huge commercial airliner that is designed to carry tonnes and tonnes of weight, I don't see how a few overweight people are going to make a difference at all.

@Inthebitterend nobody is suggesting dehumanising anyone, simply taking into account that weight does actually matter when calculating flight load (especially if it differs significantly than average!).
Also, what is a 'wind up plane' - I live somewhere with lots of small planes and they all use fuel.

You have missed the point. it is a safety issue, particularly with the increase in obesity over the past decade or so
Yes, they added more seats to get more money, but again, it remains an issue. Rather like getting in a lift; it says max 4 people but also adds a maximum weight because 4 morbidly obese people would weigh more than 4 non-obese people. That is a fact. So putting more seats in can increase the weight, but if more seats are filled with heavier people, the overall weight would be greater
Again, this is not about shaming - particularly as size is visibly obvious

So? Most isn't all and someone has to pay for the extra fuel, ultimately us in ticket prices. I'd rather pay less.

It's not just about capacity though, it's also about fuel usage!

No one is dehumanising anyone 🙄
If something can be done to be more eco friendly, then I stand for it. Doesn't mean fat people are 'hideous beasts'.

The carbon footprint is roughly 20% bigger in an obese person.

There are ways to weigh without anyone seeing - eg the floor that everyone walks over.

Surely the only safety concern is enough fuel (there was a plane that crashed as it didn't have enough fuel for the total weight) so it is possible to weigh as people walk to the place without anyone being stood on scales and weighed as individuals.

How about this; there are seats with extra legroom that passengers pay extra for even tho their height is completely beyond their control. If you want to sit together you ALL pay for extra legroom.

have a few rows of wider seats that larger passengers pay extra for. Again if you all want to sit together, again you all pay extra. The fact is that very very few cases of people being morbidly obese is down to factors other than eating too much. The reasons for eating too much could be down to trauma etc but the cause is the same. Regardless of the cause the dangers of being seriously overweight are exactly the same.

The issue with this is that there is no way of checking the size (weight, height etc) of people when booking so they could book the wrong option. Assigning these on the day wouldn't work as you may have not enough of the larger seats (or too many and standard sized folk not wanting to pay more). I suppose that issue comes with booking an extra seat too. Maybe there needs to be some sort of tick disclaimer regarding whether you are booking a standard or larger seat at the time of purchase, so you cannot then complain? I wonder if some folk would book larger seats for comfort too, even if they don't need the space?

OMG OP you need to learn some physics yourself.

If you go in a little six seater plane or something, absolutely, you and the luggage get weighed, it really matters.

On an A319 or a 747???? Absolutely not 😂😂😂 you know they can carry horses. And an entire Saudi Princess' luggage. It really doesn't matter if the average passenger weighs 70kg or 120kg. It's a commercial airliner 🫠

Once, years ago, I went on a BMI flight from (IIRC) Geneva to Edinburgh and there were like 5 passengers on the entire plane. They made us all move to the front for weight distribution at the landing. But it was truly exceptional -- in 12 years of flying for work, that was once that weight distribution mattered on a normal flight.

If you hate fat people fair enough 🤷‍♀️ but don't try and tell me the engineers at the worlds biggest aviation companies didn't design their plans right 😂😂

(Edited for typos sorry)

I wouldn't mind paying more for being large if they reciprocally allocated me more space to accommodate my larger size.

@Newusernameforthiss it's not about hating fat people, but accepting that the comfort of all passengers matters. Passengers above a certain size do often end up impinging on the seat of the person next to them.

Don't see the problem with this.

There is no basic human right to get on a plane, go on holiday or fly anywhere at all.

As a private enterprise, airlines are pretty much free to set their own rules regarding what makes their business as safe and efficient as they deem necessary...

OP says it's a safety issue 🤷‍♀️ right there in the end of her post. It isn't.

Someone impinging on your space... That's the reality of contemporary air travel... It sucks but there it is! Much prefer the train for this reason.

FWIW Important businessmen types sticking their elbows out to read papers/work on laptop/manspreading have impinged on my space far more over the years than fatties 😉

@Newusernameforthiss Please do not accuse me of hating fat people. You know nothing of my life
And are Finnair and the other airlines giving the wrong ratioale to weigh people