HeatherH

Found this article on cnn.com - looks like passengers may soon be weighed periodically to help prevent the plane being overloaded. I'm kind of curious to know how they would implement this - kind of brings a herd of cattle on the way to slaughter to mind

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/02/27....ap/index.html

flanneruk

Heather:

How could you tell that from the way we're normally treated?

gualalalisa

Do we get weighed before or after we have to take off our shoes, coats, belts, etc?

sfowler

gualalalisa -- not fair making me laugh when I'm supposed to be working

HeatherH

flanneruk - we are already being herded, but I have never yet been weighed or had my ear tagged - hmm, maybe that is next!

JonJon

Supposedly the fattest cats loll around in First Class. Since that overpriced cash cow will never be given up by some airlines I doubt weigh-ins are much of a possibility.

ira

What happens if they find the plane is overloaded? Who gets left behind?

rex

Will this lead (finally) to four year olds being charged half fare (or less) if they weigh 40 pounds? Families could end up getting a long deserved break.

Best wishes,

Rex

Anonymous

Just have each passenger step on the scale along with their luggage -- each ticket would be entitled to a maximum total weight for the passenger and all their stuff.

m_kingdom

You'd be weighed fully suited and booted of course, they're not interested in your body weight, just how much the plane will be carrying, unless of course you're one of these nudist types who like any excuse to flaunt their vile flesh.

sfowler

Actually that's not bad. It saved the embarrassment of your weight being noted. It also provides some small consolation in that the person who laps over into you seat can't also stuff the overhead bin

sfowler

Maybe we could get a famous artist to design the ear tags? Maybe Fodor's could send their left over supply of fodors pins to the airlines??

It's GOT to be Friday

highledge

Some smaler planes DO ask for the weight of passengers to properly balance out the plane (8-12 seaters for example). Had a friend who worked for Cape Air who asked at the time of boarding. He said that the hardest part of the job was NOT laughing when some passengers gave rather optimistic weights!!!

HeatherH

If I knew that I was giving my weight to help balance a plane, there is NO WAY that I would fudge, even a little!

earl30

I always thought it was odd that they charge everybody extra if their luggage is overweight, even though some of those people already weigh double another passenger who paid the same fare. seems like a double standard to me.

ellenem

Yes, highledge, for small 8-12 seaters I've both been asked my weight (ha!) for one flight and instructed to step on a standard bathroom scale next to the check-in counter for another.

Then, when you reach the airplane, the pilot instructs on which seat to take so the plane will be balanced.

alice13

Hi ellenem - me too. Classic experience on a flight from Levuka to Suva. Grass airstrip - first time in long while. One man operation. Checked in everybody's bags; weighed us all; when the incoming plane arrived, he wheeled out the trolley to unload the bags; then stood beside the 2 step ladder and handed us our seat numbers.

One of the best flights I've done as was allocated an aisle seat in the first row and could see into the cockpit of the light plane as we headed into to land.

When this happened to me it did set me thinking - if it is all about payload why should a very light person have to pay excess on luggage (not that I ever have had to) when another pax might weigh 3 times as much as me?

I can see the logistical problems - but an interesting idea all the same!

WillTravel

For starters, heavy luggage requires extra effort and the possibility of increased injury on the part of the baggage handlers. The extra charge is not for the extra fuel required, which is extremely slight. In addition, the extra weight from any given passenger, even a fat one, is negligible compared to the total weight of the plane. Any plane which is loaded so close to its tolerance level that it has to weigh passengers is not one I want to fly.

CarolA

I think that this likely to happen on commuter airlines first. Weight is a bigger issues on small planes.

Actually I believe the plan is to leave cargo behind.

TravelsWithStDavid

I flew on a small commuter plane this week with a lot of children and the steward did a lot of moving people around so as to balance the weight as well as make sure no child was in an exit row. The weather was so bad that we were all happy to see any safety precautions taken. Thankfully, the scale was not brought out.