02-16-2010
08:12 AM
I used to work for an airline. There is also the matter of LOADING which means that the weight of passengers is calculated and cargo is distributed accordingly so ensure the stability of the aircraft in the air.
This means that seats are calculated at average weights of a passenger. From memory, the average weight of a man is 85kg, and a woman is 65kg and so on. It is so crucial that even if a 20kg suitcase is removed along with a passenger (ie if they didn't turn up at the boarding gate) that the paperwork is reissued by the pit supervisor and given to the captain, and as such, cargo might be redistributed to maintain balance of the aircraft. This is aeronautical science, and a big part of why an aircraft stays in the air when in flight.
If a person is very overweight, then the reason they might have to pay for two seats on certain type of aircraft might be because of loading - it is not only for the comfort of other passengers!
People of any weight or size should be more aware of aircraft safety and start thinking about what goes on behind the scenes when flying. Remember you are in a metal tube thousands of feet in the air, where the smallest oversight on behalf of pit crew, cabin crew and ground crew could mean your death, and all those people work very hard to make sure that passenger safety is of the highest priority - but all passengers see is that they have been inconvenienced because a plane is delayed. Get over it people, and recognise the hard work that airline staff put in, often for very little money. Every day we would be yelled at, often screamed at, for circumstances beyond our control, because we complied with airline rules. And I'm sorry, I like Kevin Smith, but perhaps he needs to spend hours behind a customer service desk at an airport, and he'll get some perspective.
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