Airlines Threaten To Put Fat Passengers On Scale At Gate If They're Flying On Single Seat. This photo shows a big man sitting on a plane seat with hands crossed on a belly. Photo Credit: victorass88.
Months after causing an uproar by announcing proof of vaccination may be mandatory to travel, some airlines have considered implementing a policy that weighs fat passengers due to concerns aircrafts may be overloaded. And no, this is not a drill.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering implementing the policy because Americans are getting fatter and overloading the aircraft can cause a safety hazard as it relates to weight and balance, according to the Daily Mail.
“Increasing obesity rates in the United States, however, dictate that the standard numbers used by the airline industry to average out passenger weight is likely outdated and therefore, unsafe to use,” the Daily Mail reported.
By weighing select passengers, the FAA will be able to “establish a more accurate number for average passenger weight so the number of seats available on flights can be adjusted accordingly.” The current wight limits are outdated, the report states.
The obesity rate among Americans had risen to 42.4 percent in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. To combat this issue, airline passengers could be weighed at the gates.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 74: Jamarlin Martin
Jamarlin returns for a new season of the GHOGH podcast to discuss Bitcoin, bubbles, and Biden. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. Are broader financial markets in a massive speculative bubble?
Passengers, however, would have the opportunity to opt out of getting on the scale as the process would be voluntary.
Twitter users weighed in with their thoughts on airlines weighing fat passengers. “Making passengers weigh in to get on a flight is not an invasion of privacy but asking if they have had a COVID-19 vaccine is? Sheesh,” user @sidman1960 wrote.
“Annoyed me for YEARS, when only 8st, that I was charged the same for excess baggage as someone who weighed 20st. Another downside of being small, was flying long haul in economy & being squashed into 1.5 seats, with hubby, while some BIG person occupied half of my seat,” @julia_reid tweeted.
“I am trying to lose weight for my own health, but I refuse to let my choice to be healthy cause me to become so heartless,” @ninetiesarmy wrote. “Losing weight is hard and bigger people deserve the right to travel. It’s an issue that needs sensitivity and resolve, but your attitude doesn’t help.”
“I see it from both sides sorry how about they make more realistic size seats? We ain’t all a size2,” user @HArleyCQuin chimed in.
