Airlines to start weighing passengers..

[Xordium]

Would people consider it more fair to charge based on ideal weight rather than actual. Since I am 6ft3 and 90kg, I can hardly be blamed for having more bones than next to a girl who is 5ft and 60kg, it's just nature. However if she is 5ft and 90kg, then she should pay more??

Is this going a bit nazi'ish?

And it's nature that she needs more clothes and shoes than you but I don't see her getting a free ride in that department.

If she is 5 ft and 90 kg she can afford to save up the extra by cutting down on the amount she eats. That's real blimp territory.

 

[Freefaller]

Of course, their self inflicted muscular deformity is preventable and treatable with correct counselling. No different to obesity, one is self inflicted over abundance of muscular tissue and the other an over abundance of fat tissue. Both are overweight so why should the bodybuilders be an exception, it's just pandering to their vanity.

I'm not a bodybuilder in fact I have never been uber lean, and I couldn't think of anything worse than parading myself on stage. However, after a dozen years of playing rugby and following on doing weightlifting I hold onto a fair bit more muscle mass. I'm not huge, in fact I'm relatively slim, but I weigh a fair bit, but I am also a little over 6'.

I think weighing people is daft, if you can fit in the seat then that's all that counts. A plane can easily cope with lots of 100kg+ passengers, even with a load of baggage it isn't an issue.

It is just another mechanism by which airlines can "tax" passengers.

 

[Energize]

Thought commercial aircraft had load sensors in the landing gear so they should already know this, so how could they go over the maximum

Not the passengers fault then, the cockpit crews.

It wasn't the fault of the crew in Air Midwest Flight 5481 as they were using the official estimates for passenger weight.

 

[Amp34]

I'm not a bodybuilder in fact I have never been uber lean, and I couldn't think of anything worse than parading myself on stage. However, after a dozen years of playing rugby and following on doing weightlifting I hold onto a fair bit more muscle mass. I'm not huge, in fact I'm relatively slim, but I weigh a fair bit, but I am also a little over 6'.

I think weighing people is daft, if you can fit in the seat then that's all that counts. A plane can easily cope with lots of 100kg+ passengers, even with a load of baggage it isn't an issue.

It is just another mechanism by which airlines can "tax" passengers.

Then why limit hold baggage to 20kg, when the max single bag weight is about 32kg. Why not just say one bag up to 32kg.

Then there's the Hand luggage issue, which is generally not weighed.

 

[hyperseven]

It wasn't the fault of the crew in Air Midwest Flight 5481 as they were using the official estimates for passenger weight.

But if the planes instruments tell you it's overweight, its overweight?

Does the flight crew not have final say if the aircraft is fit to takeoff?

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

A ticket should be for a total Max weight, including luggage.
It's easier on the airlines for planning and fuel usage/weight tolerances, and means that if you are a heavier you have to take less stuff.
Then we all pay the same and can carry the same total weight.
It's as fair as it is going to get!
Currently slim people are getting a raw deal on luggage allowances due to the old school rules.
The spilling over the seat issue is interesting, I fly a lot mainly around europe and have only had that situation once or twice. In many hundreds of flights.
Short of putting passengers into a metal slot (like hand luggage) and charging for a double seat if they touch the sides, its a hard one to know before a flight. As if a person suddenly needs 2 seats, what if the flight is full? Either you have to offload luggage and delay them, or offer an offload compensation to another passenger. Either way it costs the airline time and money.

 

[memyselfandi]

I ...

I think weighing people is daft, if you can fit in the seat then that's all that counts. A plane can easily cope with lots of 100kg+ passengers, even with a load of baggage it isn't an issue.

It is just another mechanism by which airlines can "tax" passengers.

Don't forget it also gives GD another excuse to bash anyone who is over their idea of what people should weigh (no matter if they live on pies or if they have a high muscle mass) and how realistic that figure may be because its something they can get away with unlike being racist. Its been the same here time and time again.

I'm flying long haul next year and a a bit heavier than I should be ... will that affect anyone sitting next to me .... no, as I'm not flying economy on some budget airline. As such I also don't have to worry about the person sitting in front of me having their seat in my face so I'll have shell type seat and won't affect anyone next to me.

Then why limit hold baggage to 20kg, when the max single bag weight is about 32kg. Why not just say one bag up to 32kg.

Then there's the Hand luggage issue, which is generally not weighed.

Again why the assumption that hold luggage is always limited to 20KG. My baggage limit is 2x 23KG + 1x 10KG with excess baggage fees not being excessive to take it to 2x 32KG. So that means a base of 56KG of luggage to work from (rising to 74KG on the payment of a small excess).

 

[Energize]

But if the planes instruments tell you it's overweight, its overweight?

Does the flight crew not have final say if the aircraft is fit to takeoff?

Yes but there wasn't any instrument to tell them it's overweight. Most planes do not have weight sensors.

 

[Freefaller]

I've been on many flights where 32kg is the limit. So agreed it just depends on the airline.

 

[Amp34]

Don't forget it also gives GD another excuse to bash anyone who is over their idea of what people should weigh (no matter if they live on pies or if they have a high muscle mass) and how realistic that figure may be because its something they can get away with unlike being racist. Its been the same here time and time again.

I'm flying long haul next year and a a bit heavier than I should be ... will that affect anyone sitting next to me .... no, as I'm not flying economy on some budget airline. As such I also don't have to worry about the person sitting in front of me having their seat in my face so I'll have shell type seat and won't affect anyone next to me.



Again why the assumption that hold luggage is always limited to 20KG. My baggage limit is 2x 23KG + 1x 10KG with excess baggage fees not being excessive to take it to 2x 32KG. So that means a base of 56KG of luggage to work from (rising to 74KG on the payment of a small excess).

Yes, business class (and other specific tickets) allow more luggage, that's not the point though. Why limit luggage to 20-23kg when the actual limit per bag is around 32kg (actual max bag weight set by airports). Why should you pay extra for 10kg of baggage when the person sat beside you weighs 30kg more and pod the same ticket price. Extra bags men more handling charges, extra weight doesn't.

If you're so happy to pay excess fees for extra luggage, why not be happy to pay excess fees for extra personal weight?

 

[Freefaller]

If it was dangerous for a plane to take heavy bags they wouldn't charge you for excess baggage.

 

[Amp34]

I've been on many flights where 32kg is the limit. So agreed it just depends on the airline.

Obviously, it's dependent on airline policy, but that's beside the point. Why is airline policy what it is? Is it to save money on fuel costs or to make more money on excess baggage fees? If the former then why not charge larger passengers more?

I too have been allowed up to 3 bags of 32kg on some flights, it's besides the point though...

 

[[TW]Fox]

Yes, business class (and other specific tickets) allow more luggage, that's not the point though. Why limit luggage to 20-23kg when the actual limit per bag is around 32kg (actual max bag weight set by airports). Why should you pay extra for 10kg of baggage when the person sat beside you weighs 30kg more and pod the same ticket price. Extra bags men more handling charges, extra weight doesn't.

If you're so happy to pay excess fees for extra luggage, why not be happy to pay excess fees for extra personal weight?

Because it's considered to be too much of a can of warms to charge different amounts based on passenger weight, whereas most people understand and accept the need to charge more for heavier bags.

That is basically it.

 

[Freefaller]

Obviously, it's dependent on airline policy, but that's beside the point. Why is airline policy what it is? Is it to save money on fuel costs or to make more money on excess baggage fees? If the former then why not charge larger passengers more?

I too have been allowed up to 3 bags of 32kg on some flights, it's besides the point though...

Because there isn't a pricing model that makes it fair. You pay for a seat. Weight is pretty irrelevant unless you take up 2 seats.

 

[Xordium]

if weight is irrelevant how come you can't take as much weight as you want in your baggage if you keep it into a defined space measurement? Surely if it was not an issue they'd say 1 seat and a suitcase of a maximum size?

 

[Amp34]

Because it's considered to be too much of a can of warms to charge different amounts based on passenger weight, whereas most people understand and accept the need to charge more for heavier bags.

That is basically it.

That's a reasonable answer.

Because there isn't a pricing model that makes it fair. You pay for a seat. Weight is pretty irrelevant unless you take up 2 seats.

That's not.

If charging by weight isn't fair then why charge excess baggage when you only have one suitcase. The pricing model says one seat gets one bag (for most flights). There is an arbitrary limit on bag weight*, why not person weight? You've just said yourself weight is irrelevant.

*that being ~20kg excess baggage limit, the 32kg limit is an H&S weight limit.

 

[Hiijinx]

With the rapid increase in obesity around the world its a wonder the airlines haven't supplied larger seats yet.

That or a little Britain style sketch of having a special fatty section at the back behind some curtains lol.

 

[[TW]Fox]

if weight is irrelevant how come you can't take as much weight as you want in your baggage if you keep it into a defined space measurement? Surely if it was not an issue they'd say 1 seat and a suitcase of a maximum size?

Upper limit weight restrictions are there for baggage handling reasons - you can't expect baggage handlers to routinely lift 50kg weights and for carry-on I'd imagine a 25kg bag falling out of an overhead bin is a safety risk.

 

[Amp34]

Upper limit weight restrictions are there for baggage handling reasons - you can't expect baggage handlers to routinely lift 50kg weights and for carry-on I'd imagine a 25kg bag falling out of an overhead bin is a safety risk.

The weight restriction for baggage handlers is much higher than the limit most airlines impose. As I already mentioned ~32kg is the Max weight for that.

Overhead baggage is another kettle of fish. Some airlines don't have a weight limit on overhead luggage. If you can lift 30kg overhead then technically you can take it on board as hand luggage.

Eg. easyjet. BA has a 23kg limit.

 

[Xordium]

Upper limit weight restrictions are there for baggage handling reasons - you can't expect baggage handlers to routinely lift 50kg weights and for carry-on I'd imagine a 25kg bag falling out of an overhead bin is a safety risk.

Yes I know that but it counters his point that weight is irrelevant when it clearly is not. Interesting point to bring up though. How many trained first aid responders do they have on planes to move fat passengers safely within the health and safety guidelines? Let's face it obese people are more likely to have untoward incidents - are the health and safety guidelines met there?