Airline Begins Weighing Passengers For 'Safety'

New submitter Lopsemily writes to note that passengers on Uzbekistan Airways may face a new pre-flight check: In a recent statement, the country's flag carrier announced it will weigh passengers and their carry-on luggage prior to flights to determine how much weight they'll be adding to the plane. 'According to the rules of International Air Transport Association, airlines are obliged to carry out the regular procedures of preflight control passengers weighing with hand baggage to observe requirements for ensuring flight safety,' says the airline's statement.

Comments

Just starting now?

[MagickalMyst]

Seriously, has this ever been a problem?

When was the last time that a plane had to make an emergency landing or a flight delayed because the plane simply weighed too much due to obese travelers?

This looks more like a precursor for charging extra fees for tickets based on a person's weight... kind of like charging extra for bandwidth usage or bottled air.

Re:Just starting now?

[FatdogHaiku]

Can't you get all the info you need by building sensors into the landing gear, if they're not there already. Weight change at each wheel set should give overall balance and total live load... they already know what the static load is so it's people, luggage, and fuel that vary.

Why is safety in scare quotes?

[nedlohs]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/u...

Of course the quotes are in the original article.

Sounds good to me, why should people who don't have as much weight in their luggage or their stomachs have to subsidize those that do?

Re:Why is safety in scare quotes?

[Joce640k]

If airlines charge $50 extra because your suitcase is 100 grams too heavy then they should weigh the passengers as well.

One or the other.... you can't have both.

Passenger Weight Limits

[dmatos]

I've read through the early comments here, and I see a lot of vitriol for "obese" people, and statements that people should only be allowed a weight limit of 100kg, or worse, 200lb, beyond which there should be extra charges.

Go to hell, each and every one of you that supports that idea. I'm 6'3", and my body fat percentage hovers around 15%. I _sink_ in fresh water. And I weigh 240lbs, before any luggage is included. I am healthy and fit. I already suffer with airline seats that are far too small for my frame, with my knees in the back of the seat in front of me, and the headrest sitting firmly between my shoulder blades. And now you have the temerity to think that I should pay _more_ for the privilege of flying, because you think people that weigh more than 140 pounds are fat and unhealthy, and it's their own fault?

Get real.

Why not start now..and take if further?

[cayenne8]

Actually....why NOT start basis fares on weight? It would maybe encourage people TO actually try to live and eat healthier. A heavier person does require more fuel, etc....so, it isn't a discriminating factor based on a person's looks, but upon a cold hard cash factor in that it is more $$ to fly that person than someone that weighs less. I know the money is a drop in the bucket on one flight, but it adds up significantly over the airlines' fleets.

I'd be all for that.

Re:Why not start now..and take if further?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it would be reasonable if the space I get is also proportional to what I pay. I'm about 100kg and 1.87m, if they charge me double of a 50kg girl, I'd be Ok if they give me double the space.

Re:Why not start now..and take if further?

[alvinrod]

The hormonal issues are often overstated. For instances hyperthyroidism (PDF warning) typically doesn't amount to enough weight to be solely responsible for obesity:

Since much of the weight gain in hypothyroidism is accumulation in salt and water, when the hypothyroidism is treated one can expect a small (usually less than 10% of body weight) weight loss

There are also medical treatments available for most of these issues, which a person should seek as carrying around excessive amounts of weight it hard on the body and is strongly correlated with diabetes and other medical conditions. Eventually those problems will result in a far more expensive medical bill that could be reduced or prevented by treating the initial issues.

People who have no hormonal or glandular problems will still insist that they do, because it obviously can't be them, it must be something else's fault. Just weigh everyone and charge based on total weight of person traveling and their luggage. It's far more simple that way and even if someone does have a legitimate medical condition or has been taking medication that is responsible for their extra weight, it still doesn't change the laws of physics or the need for additional fuel.

Re:Why not start now..and take if further?

[ultranova]

Actually....why NOT start basis fares on weight? It would maybe encourage people TO actually try to live and eat healthier. A heavier person does require more fuel, etc....so, it isn't a discriminating factor based on a person's looks, but upon a cold hard cash factor in that it is more $$ to fly that person than someone that weighs less. I know the money is a drop in the bucket on one flight, but it adds up significantly over the airlines' fleets.

Have you ever noticed that when people propose something purely to make someone else's life worse, they then immediately start to make excuses ("so, it isn't discriminating" = "I'm not a racist, but") thus indicating they're fully aware of the malicious bullshit nature of their own message, and knew it would be obvious to everyone else too, but chose to post it anyway?

Re:Why not start now..and take if further?

[AmiMoJo]

It would be an administrative/legal nightmare.

For example, do you include clothing weight? If so, expect passengers to start stripping when they are on the borderline of a cheaper weight bracket. Like boxers do.

What about disabled passengers? Most countries require airlines to carry their equipment, like wheelchairs and crutches, for free. Some people are overweight due to health problems which can be classed as disabilities in a legal sense. You can bet a lot of them will argue that angle, genuinely or otherwise.

How would you take payment? The passenger buys a ticket online, but isn't weighed until they arrive at the airport. You could ask for an estimate online, but would still need to check when they arrive and start demanding hefty chunks of cash if they are over the limit. Estimates will never be very good because even if people don't lie domestic scales are often not very accurate.

Even charging for two seats for people who won't fit into a single one can fall foul of these issues. It's less contentious than weight but not by much.

Re:Why not start now..and take if further?

[Dunbal]

As a doctor I can say that the "glandular" excuse for being overweight is pure BS. You treat hypothyroid patients with levothyroxine, and they maintain normal weight if they adhere to treatment. Excess weight is 100% due to overeating, eating poor quality food and/or sedentarism.

Re:Why not set a limit to total weight?

[Kjella]

If men actually weigh more, and it costs more fuel to move heavier objects by airplane, then men should pay more. That's not sexism, it's logic.

The line between bigotry and applied statistics is thin and very blurry. For example here in Norway I've heard a lot of broad generalizations of why there's so many Swedes in the restaurant/bar/nightclub business and why there's so many Poles in the construction industry, claiming they have higher work morale, less sick leave and whatnot. But if you say anything remotely like that about why you wouldn't hire immigrants from certain countries, you'll have demonstrations and boycotts and be reported to the police for racial discrimination.

We're all individuals but we're all through statistics part of various groups with positive and negative connotations. For example, by being male I'm more likely than the average person to be a rapist, simply because there's so few females. Not that they don't exist, but statistics. So all other things being equal, would you like me or a woman to drive your wasted daughter home? It doesn't matter what I would do, it's what the "statistical male that you don't know" would do. It's hardly fair to me as I know myself but anyone else would have to go with the superficial.