Submitted by LouSayners t3_yht29s in Showerthoughts
Comments
Ryimax t1_iufwthr wrote
I'm pretty sure it's not to do with discrimination but that it specifically is illegal if I'm not mistaken
Emergency-Doughnut88 t1_iufxart wrote
Yes, against the law =illegal
Ryimax t1_iufxsfh wrote
But if I'm right then it's not general anti discrimination. Especially since I know that on amusement rides and what not they can reject you because of weight
Khaylain t1_iuhf36o wrote
On amusement rides they can reject you because of weight because they have an exception to anti-discrimination laws for reasonable grounds. Those reasonable grounds are human safety.
This link shows that airlines also can reject you for being overweight if it will have effects on the balance of the plane or making the load of the plane outside accepted limits. That's improbable on most commercial flights, however, as a single person has little effect on a large plane.
dyandela t1_iuhsc9f wrote
I think you’re right, in general, about the effect of one person’s weight, but I was on a weirdly empty cross Atlantic flight and they reassigned everyone’s seats and told us we couldn’t move until after takeoff because they needed the plane to be balanced.
Khaylain t1_iuhsn80 wrote
Well, that's the difference between an empty flight and a mostly full flight. The more people the less difference one person makes. The less people, the more difference one person makes.
dyandela t1_iuht6ys wrote
Absolutely. Wasn’t trying to disagree, just thought I’d share my weird experience where it did matter.
Emergency-Doughnut88 t1_iug00uw wrote
Ok, I see where you're going with that. Rejecting someone that can't safely ride is a little different than charging someone more just because they're fat though.
an0nch33k t1_iuhjm0m wrote
and aside from being illegal, it is discriminatory and violates the human rights
Canuckistanian71 t1_iufmbpu wrote
If the person has enough extra kilos on their body, they're liable to be charged for a second seat.
that_other_goat t1_iug0bl0 wrote
>that's if they do not fit safely into the dimensions of a standard seat.
Weliveanddietogether t1_iug5nyi wrote
Bagage handlers can only handle a certain amount of weight without breaking their backs. It's not about how much the airplane can carry. That's why you can get stuff out of your luggage and put in in your hand baggage
dyandela t1_iuhskui wrote
Exactly. That’s why they put a “heavy” sticker on the bag even if they don’t charge extra.
RainbowFireFall t1_iugb9zc wrote
Cause then they'd have to set a 'standard' weight and charge extra from there, but does that mean that the people who weigh less than that get a cheaper price?
Say three people who had an ED boarded the flight, One weighs more than the standard weight thus reaffirming their beliefs and worsening their disorder, then someone who weighs less than the standard would get hit with the belief that its working and their weight loss is a good thing, which worsens their disorder
Then the person who weighs the standard, still thinks their fat cause they can get cheaper tickets if they just lose a bit more weight.
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It'd promote unhealthy weight loss.
fuyu1989 t1_iuhcl87 wrote
did you know that cabin crew or flight attendants have a weight standard or requirement? and i think it takes into account the capacity that the airplane has
Berlin_Blues t1_iuhf3fe wrote
If they widened the seats and charged per kilo of human, a lot of us would enjoy flying more.
By charging per kilo of human they no longer need to stuff as many humans as possible onto the plane.
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[deleted] t1_iufkdz4 wrote
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dali01 t1_iuftbo9 wrote
Probably because they don’t have to physically lift the human into the plane.
Emergency-Doughnut88 t1_iufx166 wrote
They still have to physically lift the human into the air though. The more weight, the more fuel needed.
Realistic_Ad3795 t1_iujld4e wrote
The empty weight plus fuel weight of the most common domestic jets represent 75-85% of the weight at takeoff. The variance in weight of a few humans will not have a great impact on the overall weight.
173141zack t1_iuix90f wrote
and i also think it takes into consideration the flight ticket, it's a marketing strategy to make them pay for more luggage
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Emergency-Doughnut88 t1_iufl4op wrote
Probably something to do with federal anti-discrimination laws