Well, in the old small prop plane days they used to weigh the passengers and their baggage. The big airliners can take pretty much what they have to, but payload affects flying and weight distribution is important. If you put all the heavy people on one side of the plane, and all the tiny people on the other, the plane won't fly correctly. Same with the cargo. Planes have crashed from unbalanced loads. Total load also affects lift (can they clear the buildings'/trees' height fast enough) and fuel use (is there enough fuel to get to the destination and have enough if there's a diversion, stack up, etc.)

I don't think we have to worry tremendously about Uzbekistan Airway's new policy influencing US airlines. :)

The old "150 pound" average person no longer exists. Those VERY few who weigh less than 150 are far outweighed (pun intended) by the overweight or obese passengers. Calculating lift and thrust and all that, with the huge increase (in general) of passengers' weight is critical to passenger safety. I saw two HUGE people on a plane Saturday (both needed seat belt extenders) and some poor soul had to sit between them, even though both of the obese passengers were taking up most of the seat between them.

Yeah, today it might just be Uzbekistan. But you know how these things go, quicker than anyone can expect, it'll cross the big pond and become entrenched in Azerbaijan.

I was on a plane a few years ago where I was the poor soul between two obese travelers. When I got to my seat, they had the armrests up and they just about met in the middle. The worst part was they were a couple and kept leaning across me to talk or to share the food they had brought further squishing me.

On our recent flight to Block Island they asked our weight, and weighed all of our bags but it was for the purposed of balancing the load, since it was such a small plane.

In the case of Bob's flight, I don't think I would lie about my weight. ;)

Wouldn't that be considered 'profiling'? That's supposed to be illegal!

We had to do it a few years ago on a flightseeing tour in Alaska.

Well, I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. Go on a diet! Jeeze!

I have no problem with it. As others have pointed out, the weight planes can safely carry needs to be calculated and adjusted for lift, fuel consumption, etc.

I remember years ago I went on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.

The front had those bubble shaped windows all the way around so the person sitting in the front could look down and see the sites.

I REALLY wanted to sit in the front (the flight was a gift from my parents, who were both with me) but after finding out our weights, my mom had to sit in the front (180ish) and I had to sit in the back (120ish) so that the flight was properly balanced.

Was I disappointed? Sure, I was crammed in the tiny back with almost no view. Would I change it? Not on your life!

Seriously Suzi, did you just tell someone to go on a diet? Over eating is not the only cause of obesity. Time for people to educate themselves a bit before they get offensive, don't cha think?

lukkiirish- there may be other confounding factors which can make it easier for a person to gain weight or harder for them to lose it but yes.

Taking in more calories than you burn is the only real way that a person becomes overweight.

I was on a small commuter plane of about 20-25 seats once and a man boarded that was quite large. He made the plane bounce when he walked and when he sat down, the plane tilted to that side. I did feel bad for him when the pilot came out and re-arranged passengers until the plane leveled but I'm glad the plane was made safer because of it.

I've sat next to people taking up my space because of their size and, while I feel sorry for their situation, if they are using my space they should be paying for it.

I, too, have been seated between or next to extra-large passengers and have devilishly thought about asking them to pay for the portion of my seat that they were using and I wasn't able to. It may be unkind, imposing a hardship on others in itself is unkind.

I know it's not easy to lose weight. I completely understand that. But please make allowances by choosing extra-room seats.

And no, it's not profiling. Profiling assumes a characteristic of a person because they're a part of a certain group. There's no "assuming" that a person is large.

Texas, no it isn't. Thyroid disease, Graves disease, hereditary issues AND emotional issues are all problems for a lot of people who are over weight. The first two have NOTHING to do with over eating. My daughter had graves disease so I AM educated about it and don't appreciate insensitive remarks about something a lot more people than you think can't help.

Yeah, and there's no assuming about the ignorance of some people either! Maybe the ignorant should go sit in the back of the plane instead. Personally, I'd much rather sit by someone who is oversized! And Suzie, if you don't like it, you can move, why should someone else move to satisfy YOU? If you're the one that doesn't like it, find another seat. I'm so sick of people thinking they are perfect and the world revolves around them. I am absolutely sure you have an issue that bothers others, breath loudly? fidgit? bad breath? too much perfume? oversized bags? smoke? Seriously? It's time to get over yourselves.

Seriously? I should move despite paying for my seat? You say "you can move" - really? What if the plane is full? And why should I move because someone else needs to use MY paid for space?

No, I'm not perfect and never alluded to being so; nor did I say the world revolves around me. But I should get what I pay for, and others should get what they pay for and not part of mine).

Why should someone else move to satisfy me? I never suggested that they do. I'm saying that if a person pays for one seat, they should use that one seat. NOT 1/2 of somebody else's seat.

Lukkirish, I'm sorry if your ox is being gorged. Nope, when I get on a plan I either read or try to doze. I think you're indicating here that the world revolves around you and that those of us who DON'T negatively impact others on the plane should cow-tow to those that do.

Before reading the article in the OP, I figured it was just about safety and knowing the average weight of passengers in 2015, and maybe for Uzbekistan airways maybe it is. But after reading the comments section of the article and all the comments about "fatties, lard asses" etc it seems like a bad idea if it were to spread to other countries like the US. Many of the commenters actually believe their plane tickets would get cheaper if larger people were charged by weight. yep, because that's what big business does, it reduces prices for thin customers to reward them. LMAO! what a wonderful fantasy land some people live in

Being cooped up on a plane where the airline tries to fit as many sardines, sorry I mean people in as possible for max profits is not an ideal situation. I agree with lukkirish that there are plenty of things to get offended about in that situation, sitting near someone overweight, with bad breath, talks too much etc etc. If airlines weren't trying to maximize profits and undercut each others prices then it wouldn't be like this. It's become a very competitive industry and any airline charging a true price for tickets would be able to accommodate people properly IMO, but everyone wants cheaper prices so this is what it leads to. Just be grateful if they are only squeezing in passengers like tin sardines into smaller seats, and hope they aren't also skimping on maintenance (which could prove to be very inconvenient). :)

The percentage of Americans who are obese due to a medical condition is miniscule. Regardless of the cause, it's time airlines assigned oversized passengers to widebody seats like those found in waiting rooms. Everybody would be more comfortable. Yesss...there would be an extra charge, just as there is for the oversized carry-on that has to be stowed in the luggage compartment. A passenger needn't be embarrassed by a fuss at boarding if he or she simply buys the oversized seat to begin with.

"The percentage of Americans who are obese due to a medical condition is miniscule"

I think it depends on what you consider a medical condition. things like depression, and mental illness are also medical conditions which lead to obesity. The way I look at it, is no one would end up terribly obese for no reason, whether it is a metabolic issue, physical pain or problem with exercise, mental or physical disability, mental illness or maladaptive eating/food addiction. No one would put themselves in a position where they are ridiculed and maligned by society unless there is something much stronger driving them. people don't wake up and decide to ruin their health and become the butt of jokes for no reason but it either happens within the body or the mind and could all be considered illness in one way or another. I think it's sad that people get blamed for being obese, yet no one blames the athlete for getting injured or guilts them for it (even though technically they brought it on themselves). I just hate this blame game that gets played out.

trance- I can't speak for others but the reason I get so frustrated by people trying to hide behind "medical condition" is that they use it as an excuse to not get better.

"I can't help it" "I don't want to be this big but there is nothing I can do about it" etc.

Yes, yes you CAN do something about it, you are simply choosing not to. Does hypothyroidism make it harder to lose weight? It sure does, but not impossible.

There is not a single medical condition which FORCES obesity on a person, if there was then you would still see obese people during famines.

The bottom line is, it really is a calorie in, calorie out formula. People who use a medical condition are simply giving excuses.

I would have a lot more respect for someone who simply said, "yeah, I'm overweight because I ate to much and didn't exercise enough."

Heck, I'm one of those people right now and I'm working on losing 60 lbs. I did this to myself. Sure, stress, depression, etc contributed but it was still my choice to eat too much.

People have been plagued by all kinds of illnesses for all time. The current pandemic of obesity is new. Adjustments are required.

(Did you note I said, "REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE..."? )

Airlines should offer wider seats, just as they offer some with more legroom. A passenger who needs a wider seat should be able to buy one at a somewhat higher price -- just as someone pays more for a suit requiring more material and more stitching. Currently the only option is a first class seat. *Everybody* would be more comfortable if big people were appropriately seated on an airplane without being forced to pay for *services* (first class) when they only need a wider seat.

Movie theaters offer wider seats. Waiting rooms have them. Hospitals have had to buy bigger beds, wheelchairs, operating tables. Why shouldn't they be in planes?

Seems to me ALL passengers should press for appropriate seating...for everyone. Air travel is torture enough these days!

Agreed, chisue. I fear, though, that the people who "should" avail themselves of the wider seats won't opt to. Perhaps they'll say that smaller people should pay more for their own seats.

I haven't flown much since I stopped having to travel for business quite a long time ago. I suppose it's changed. It used to be that people of large girth on airplanes could be seen compacting themselves in order not to impinge on their neighbors, including ceding the armrest. Airlines routinely sell two seats to those who need more room.

I don't mind sitting next to a large person who remains in his/her own zone. I'm speaking to you, Cowboy, with your skinnya$$ gangly legs in your too tight jeans with the bony knees that you cannot help but put in my lap because you need to air your b/lls.

"the reason I get so frustrated by people
trying to hide behind "medical condition" is that they use it as an
excuse to not get better."

But why should it even bother you if they get better (i.e. lose weight or not?) I suspect many obese people probably don't know how to get better, it might seem obvious to us, but lets say someone was raised with bad eating habits and have eaten that way for years, or lets say it's one of the few comforts they have in life, how can they possibly understand what they need to be eating, or how to go about making that change to a completely different style of eating? I'm just saying a bit of compassion goes a long way and until we walk in someone else's shoes then you can't understand what's really going on. I tend to think obesity is just an outward symptom of something much deeper. It's just easy to stand on the outside and say "they should just do this" like it should be second nature but it's likely very foreign to some people.

one other thing that some people may not understand is if someone is obese then it's very likely they also have some level of insulin resistance which can make it very difficult to lose weight because they eat, the energy can't be utilized properly so the body puts it into storage instead, but it leaves the person tired and hungry, all the while their body is constantly storing energy because it can't use it, but the person is still hungry and their body is sending signals it needs food.

Suzi, don't be sorry about MY ox it is just fine, I think it's yours that is a bit out of sorts and could use the adjustment. If you don't like being crammed, fly a different airline. I am just so sick of people who think they own the world and can be insensitive because they don't share a similar situation as someone else. Are you the one that complains about crying babies or sick passengers too?

Wow, lukkirish. Simply wow.

Tranc, you are so right. Graves Disease has been on the rise and the hurdles that my daughter has had to overcome just to be in a more natural sized woman is incredible and not everyone has that ability. Drinking and drugs are considered an "acceptable disease" and obesity for a lot of people should be in that category as well.

My whole "beef" about this topic is those posters who see to have a complete lack of sensitivity towards other human beings who they seem to feel are less deserving then thinner people are which is BS. Let's just kick em while they're down shall we? All I can say is when I see people being crude about an affliction that people I care about suffer from, I am going to call them out on it. How about learning compassion ? "jeeze"

That's right suzi wow....

Thank you plllog!

I'd like to see some cites as to how much weight might make a difference in a commercial airliner.

The thing is, there's more than one way to do this. The boarding pass area could be set up with notched height indicators and the floor painted with lines showing width, so a quick estimate could be made without having to subject passengers to a weighing in.

Think outside the box.

Both of my sisters suffer from depression, hypothyroidism and arthritis. One is average weight and the other is obese. My average weight sister swims and walks, while my other sister does not exercise. As well, my average sized sister eats pretty healthy meals and average sized portions, while my heavy sister eats less healthy food (high sugar and high fat content) and larger than average portions.

texas, you said "There is not a single medical condition which FORCES obesity on a person, if there was then you would still see obese people during famines." Funny you should say that, as my heavy sister (who acknowledges her less than optimal life style choices) often says tongue in cheek that she needs to vacation in Ethiopia, where 'no one seems to have a weight problem.'

Wow, this conversation has taken a turn. I don't think the causes of obesity are relevant to this discussion. The point is, I pay for my seat and I should get to use my entire seat without a large person taking up part of my space. If they take up my space, they can pay for that space. I don't care if it is because they are obese or if it's because they have body-builder shoulders and biceps.

If they are obese, I'm sorry for them for that but that doesn't mean I have to pay for it.

Yeah, the odor of virtually all perfumes and lotions, hairspray, BO, bad breath, etc., are annoying but those people aren't taking up my personal space. Yeah, the Cowboy spread out into my space is annoying but I can ask him to move his legs, tell him to move, demand that he move, and then have the flight attendant order him to move his legs. His legs aren't a permanent fixture and can be moved. A large person who can't fit in their own seat no matter how they sit and infringes on my space is permanent (for the duration of the flight anyway).

I was just telling DH about this while typing and he reminded me that he was squished in the middle seat by two large people a few years back and sitting sideways for a 5+ hour flight caused his Sciatic nerve to flare up resulting in several weeks of treatment and pain. Why is a large person's right to spill over more important than someone else's comfort?

" Drinking and drugs are considered an "acceptable disease" and obesity for a lot of people should be in that category as well."

I totally agree. I think alcoholism and alcohol abuse is much more common and people are somewhat more understanding that it is an illness. I met a very obese woman about 10 years ago, and as I got to know her I learned that she had been in an abusive marriage which destroyed her self esteem. Her ex was in prison for abusing their teenage daughter. But during her marriage she became severely depressed for years and turned to food to cope. she could just as easily have turned to alcohol. She was so depressed she barely left the house.

By the time her marriage was over, she was very obese, and trying to get her life back on track, but I remember going to a coffee shop with her and the snickering etc behind her back from a couple there. It made me so angry that I turned around and stared one guy down who looked off into space as if he hadn't been doing anything, but all that some people could see was this obese woman who apparently they thought deserved to be mocked and I just thought, hasn't this woman been through enough? here she is trying to fix her broken life and she has to deal with this crap as well?

Funkycamper, you're right. You should not have to put up with anyone infringing on your seat. A lot of people who complain about fat people on planes are complaining that the person occupied his whole seat (i.e., no margins. In an 18" wide seat). You just have to be not small to occupy the whole seat, but cruel and arrogant people consider obese people as lesser and the thought that their arms might brush on the shared armrest freaks them out. That's a very different thing to someone pushing into your seat. If someone can't fit into a single seat the airline is supposed to assign him two.

Cowboy's knees really have nowhere to go because his jeans are too tight (think paint, but tighter) and there's no foot space for him to extend his legs in his usual way. He spent most of the flight where he was assigned the middle seat next to me, walking the aisle and chatting up the attendants from their jump seats. It's the same thing. It's one thing rubbing elbows on the armrest, and quite another if someone else's body is in your seat space. You have my sympathy for that.

In the pursuit of grotesque profits while crying poor, the airlines design cabin space for tweens, and overlook that an awful lot of adults don't fit. The airlines have a right to pursue profits, but I find it so unpleasant to fly, even upgraded, where you really have an entire seat all to yourself, that I just refuse to buy a ticket and contribute to said profit. Cost aside (as if I could pay for it--just covering the possibilities here), I just can't get past the environmental nightmare of flying private. So I only fly to weddings. :) Still, airliners are public accommodations and it's up to the airlines to provide seats that fit their passengers, whether they're lanky cowboys with long legs and tight jeans, or those of substantial girth. Blaming the passenger rather than the carrier is mean and unproductive.

WOW....I'm so glad I'm not a flyer....!...lol

Years ago, i worked with severely disabled people. It was often a nightmare for them to get from point a to point b. What I realized then was that changes in curb cuts and ramps to provide access and accessible transportation would also be good for those pushing baby carriages. So, not just for the disabled.

I do feel the pain of those who have issues with their weight. I have a nephew who is morbidly over weight but has now lost 100 pounds and is working on his last 70!

My pet peeve is that I don't like other people's choices affecting me. If you are over weight for whatever reason, (and I feel for you) but it's just not right for me to be uncomfortable in my seat for a long plane ride. I would love to see special seating be implemented. An obese person knows they are obese! I don't need to know why you are, I would just like you to have more room and then I can too.

My niece has to fly often for work. She says a prayer to a made up saint so that a very skinny person will be seated next to her. It's an on going joke and she posts her result on FB.

I also disagree with people playing loud music in a public beach or park.Or, talking extremely loud in a restaurant. Why is my leisure time not worth the same as theirs?

Screaming babies on a plane is unfortunate. But, in a restaurant? Sorry you need to leave or take turns going outside. That is what I did.

I always look forward to taking a trip. I never look forward to the
inconveniences, annoyances and discomforts of the actual transit needed
to get to the destination. Heavy people are right up there on the list of what can make the experience a disaster but there are so many others

I began travel days with anticipating having a sub-par day
so that that whatever bad circumstances come along don't upset me. Because I
was expecting them. And if it turns out to be bad but not as bad as it could have been, I call it a great day!.

When things get really miserable - flight delays, screaming babies with inept parents, overly large person, BO, rudeness, I just smile, check the time, and figure out how much longer I need to suffer quietly. Just thinking about the passage of time can bring joy to an otherwise miserable situation.

A friend recently took a helicopter ride in Hawaii with her husband, and they were asked their weights when checking in. As one could easily lie, her husband figured out and the clerk confirmed that by stepping in a certain area as they were led to the helicopter, they were automatically weighed.

In addition to the coping mechanism Snidely describes, I've also found that when I start the trip at a crazy early hour, the actual travel process can take on a not-quite-real, dream-like quality, and bad circumstances that occur can be be forgotten as easily as a bad dream.

I have never heard or read, here or elsewhere this topic has been discussed, anybody acting like touching an obese person is gross (like sharing an armrest). Does anybody think it's catching? Sharing an arm rest is fine. Not being able to use the arm rest at all because the person next to you is using the whole thing, is a different matter.

I totally agree that one of the main problems is the seating widths and leg space on planes. They are not designed for most people and certainly not for comfort.

A few months or a year back, I read an article about the Washington State Ferry System and how they were in the process of changing their passenger occupancy limits due to the fact that people are much bigger now than when the ferries were built and, thus, capacity needs to be reduced. I think planes have done the opposite and are cramming more people in.

More people fly these days because flights are cheaper. if you compare fares to income, flying is much more affordable today than it was 40-50 years ago. The reduced fares are, in part, due to more seats being squeezed into the plane. The more flyers, the lower the cost.

To be honest, I love to fly in spite of all of this because flights take me to fun and interesting places. I usually find myself falling asleep on planes because I have so much to do to get ready to go that I'm usually exhausted by the time I board and I want to rest up so I can hit the ground running and then, when I'm on my way back, I'm exhausted from playing and exploring.

I guess, as a society, we need to ask ourselves if we're willing to pay more for larger seats and more leg room or if we want the deals so we can travel more. When it comes down to it, for me, I'll take the deals.

I just read in the paper that even though on time rates and baggage delivery rates are far improved, and people hardly ever get bumped anymore, airline compliants are way way up, and a big reason is reduced seating space, both chair width and legroom.

Count me among the people who would rather pay more for a more comfortable trip. I use my miles for upgrades.

Funkycamper, I have actually seen small people in coach get all bent out of shape from having a large person in the next seat--not obese, just large of frame and stature--so that they couldn't put four inches of elbow into that person's space because it would be in his lap. People on airplanes get bizarrely territorial and demanding, and a lot of it is due to the unrealistic dimensions of the cages they put the passengers in. We have laws in my state that don't allow you to put farm animals in such small enclosures.

But the not overly large people fit just fine ...

I have no problem fitting within the "confines" of a typical airline seat (including legroom). I'm 5'7" and weigh 150 pounds (which is overweight by my doctor's estimation, by about 6 pounds). I do buy "extra legroom" seats on transAtlantic flights, just to be able to stretch out a bit more (assuming I have enough points for the upgrade). Even without that extra space, I'm just fine for a 10 (or so) hour flight.

Chloe, your bmi is 23.5. Well within the normal range.

It's true, some people regardless are just inconsiderate. I once sat near a man who quickly put his arm on the shared armrest so that I couldn't use it at all. Luckily the flight was not filled and i moved.