U.S. Airlines May Start Weighing Passengers At The Gate

[left-of-center2012]

U.S. airlines may need to start weighing passengers in order to comply with FAA rules. For safety reasons, carriers need to calculate an aircraft’s weight and balance, and it has to be within allowable limits for the plane. Americans are getting fatter, and the federal government wants airlines to find out how much fatter their passengers have gotten, at least for smaller aircraft.

The FAA says that surveys should be done at airports representing at least 15% of an airline’s daily departures in the secure area of the airport (to ensure that connecting passengers are included) and should select passengers at random. This is voluntary and passengers have to be allowed to opt out.

Not only might we start seeing this soon, but it could become a regular occurrence, since “the FAA recommends operators accomplish such a review every 36 calendar-months.” Fortunately when airlines stick scales at boarding gates for this, the FAA notes, the scale’s “readout should remain hidden from public view” to protect passenger privacy.

https://viewfromthewing.com/u-s-airlines-may-start-weighing-passengers-at-the-gate/

[Klaralven]

1. Just put one of these in the jetway.

Kinda goes with the herd immunity theme.

PEC Scales Small to Medium Animal Scale/Digital Livestock Weighing Equipment, Capacity 2000 x 0.2 lb for Calf, Sheep, Goat, Hog, Pig, etc.

[cinematicdiversions]

6. Your going to need a bigger one for Hartsfield nt

[jalan48]

2. Charging by the pound is next.

[Skittles]

3. why don't they just guess, then add 25 pounds

otherwise many people will be discouraged from flying

[rzemanfl]

4. They could get some carnival guys out of retirement Skittles.

[Skittles]

5. heh

I am notoriously bad at estimating age and weight

it shocks me how many people think I weigh, like, 100 pounds when I am usually 125

[rzemanfl]

7. Now that I am immunized I am trying work off the weight I gained while I was stuck

at home watching my hair grow down to my shoulders.

[Skittles]

12. mine has stayed the same

just walk a few miles each day

[rzemanfl]

13. I am swimming again. I have a bad knee and walking more than a couple of miles pains me.

Soon it will be too hot here to take walks except early or late in the day.

[Skittles]

18. I do most of my walking in the middle of the night

night shift worker

I have also been known to swim across lakes at midnight (fewer boats)

[rzemanfl]

16. Sorry I stuttered. n/t

[obamanut2012]

8. It happens every time I go to Costa Rico

They wear you and your carryon together.

[Bullfeathers]

27. Glad I'm not

the only one spellcheck messes with 🙋‍♀️

[BannonsLiver]

9. Already done for small planes

Will never happen on the most commonly used passenger jets.

[Maru Kitteh]

10. Fine, I'll do it. Just don't tell me. I don't want to know.

[dsc]

11. If you watch and old enough movie

or one set in an early enough era, this happened all the time. I don't know when weighing stopped (my guess from movies would be somewhere in the 1940's or so) but this was done. I think allowing people to opt out will so alter the results as to render them useless.

[Initech]

14. I'd be fucked.

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. Been there, done that.

I used to fly on LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport) a few times a year. Their planes were Havilland Herons, and we had to be weighed before seats could be assigned to balance the plane.

Once I went back to the plane because my luggage had been left in San Juan to make certain that it wasn't still onboard. The pilot was drinking a Heineken before taking off again.

[DFW]

20. I remember LIAT

Must be 40 years or so since I last flew on one of their planes.

[greatauntoftriplets]

21. They're still flying.

It's been a while since I've been down that way either. :sigh:

[alphafemale]

19. Maybe at least measure their behind and see if it fits.

I am done with people saying they are uncomfortable and raising the armrest and spilling onto me.

If you don't fit. buy the second seat.

[helpisontheway]

22. They asked me my weight for space a military plane years ago. 😳 nt

[Lemon Lyman]

23. Dang!

I wouldn’t fare well.

NSFW (language) (1st 50 seconds apply):

[pecosbob]

24. Airlines: "Hey America, put down the goddamn quarter pounders already"

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. Reposting: Tui plane in 'serious incident' after every 'Miss' on board was assigned child's weight

The departure from Birmingham airport to Majorca with 187 passengers on board was described as a “serious incident” by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

An update to the airline’s reservation system while its planes were grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic led to 38 passengers on the flight being allocated a child’s “standard weight” of 35kg as opposed to the adult figure of 69kg.

This caused the load sheet – produced for the captain to calculate what inputs are needed for take-off – to state that the Boeing 737 was more than 1,200kg lighter than it actually was.

Investigators described the glitch as “a simple flaw” in an IT system. It was programmed in an unnamed foreign country where the title “Miss” is used for a child and “Ms” for an adult female.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/tui-plane-serious-incident-every-miss-on-board-child-weight-birmingham-majorca

[betsuni]

26. There was a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where nobody flying on a private

plane with Larry David would admit their weight so he had to guess and the plane was overweight, had to make an unscheduled stop.