'Fat' holidaymakers asked to move

[ShadesWolf]

Thought this was an interesting article. Would people like to discuss

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...es/4356760.stm

An air hostess on a flight with too many tourists at the back asked eight fat people to move forward, a 24st passenger claims.
The Tenerife-to-Gatwick flight was taxiing on the runway when volunteers from rows 31 to 42 were asked to move.

Peter Harrison, from Herts, said: "It must have been quite humiliating."

Operators Thomsonfly denied the word "fat" was used and said people were asked to move because the plane's weight distribution was unbalanced.

Pilot's concerns

"There was an error at check-in, which meant too many passengers were seated at the back," spokeswoman Jenny Rayner said.

Postman Mr Harrison, 52, said passengers on Thomsonfly-owned Britannia Airways flight BY544B were told the captain was unhappy with the weight distribution on the aircraft.

Mr Harrison, from Arundel Drive, Borehamwood, said the air hostess was standing near him when she asked people to move.

"She said she needed eight fat people to sit nearer the front," he said, adding that he felt awkward even though he was in another row.

'Shuffled forward'

"I don't think she had a lot of time to think what she was saying.

"She was staring straight at me. At the time I thought it was funny.

"In the end eight people got up and shuffled forward before we took off. It can't have been nice for them."

Ms Rayner said people were asked to move forward because the flight was half full.

"The announcement was: 'Due to weight restrictions, can eight passengers move forward?' The word 'fat' was not used," she said.

"Thomsonfly apologise if any customers took this personally."

[The_Doctor]

And the point of this is...

[ShadesWolf]

I assume planes must have a weight limit, and it obviously cant have been reached. But is it policy to put over weight people at the back of a plane ?
or is it just down to the check in staff who sit where.

I appreciate that people can request seats, ie extra leg room

[Adrian II]

And the point of this is...

... that fatty should simply move if he upsets the plane's balance and that he should find a more worthwhile pursuit than whining about a stewardess.

[drone]

Planes have weight limits (here in the US, growing American waistlines are just now being taken into account for flights), but I believe this was a problem with the distribution. Planes have an ideal center of gravity, too much weight far forward or back cause problems with the controls and force the plane to fly at non-optimal attitudes, wasting fuel and generally causing flight issues.

Sounds like the plane was half-empty, with most of the passengers in the rear. Nothing wrong with asking for a redistribution of the cattle.

[The_Doctor]

... that fatty should simply move if he upsets the plane's balance and that he should find a more worthwhile pursuit than whining about a stewardess.

err, ok. Not sure if you be sarcastic, but ok.

[solypsist]

it's a non-issue. I've been asked to relocate on a small shuttle plane that only had eight of us on it (we were all sitting near the front and they needed 3 people to sit by the tail).

*I weigh only 185 Lbs.

[Adrian II]

it's a non-issue. I've been asked to relocate on a small shuttle plane that only had eight of us on it (we were all sitting near the front and they needed 3 people to sit by the tail).

Yup. I have been told no to smoke on planes for safety reasons or because it is a dirty habit and I have always complied just like that. No hands, Mom! What is the big deal about calling things by their proper names?

[yesdachi]

I cant determine what kind of plane it was from the article but having done the weight and balance for 727’s (and a few others) in the past I can say that a couple thousand pounds can make a lot of difference. Although passenger planes are usually so far under the max weight capacity I cant imagine it being a problem but if there were an issue where weight were mistakenly distributed incorrectly in the bellies of the plane (Luggage?) maybe. The passengers shouldn’t be called fat but if asked to move I would happily move rather than cause the plane to crash.

[AggonyKing]

I been told to wake up because my snoring is disturbing the other passengers

[Papewaio]

I thought the article was going to be about them on the beach and being asked to move for their own safety... as a Japanese Research Ship had been seen in the vicinity.

[TinCow]

Fat people can't be called fat? I thought this was a UK flight, not a US...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I watched a De Havilland Rapide being loaded for a pleasure flight at Duxford last year. As the plane was a tail dragger, it had to be carefully loaded to ensure weight was put on the rear wheel before the rest of the passengers embarked. If this didn't happen, it would simply fall onto its nose.

This is a similar thing, it seems to me. Just a basic safety procedure.

[BDC]

I watched a De Havilland Rapide being loaded for a pleasure flight at Duxford last year. As the plane was a tail dragger, it had to be carefully loaded to ensure weight was put on the rear wheel before the rest of the passengers embarked. If this didn't happen, it would simply fall onto its nose.

This is a similar thing, it seems to me. Just a basic safety procedure.

Ah, great visual images with that.

I don't see anything wrong with asking a bunch of fat people to move. I mean it beats them dying in a politically correct way.

[Ja'chyra]

If they have to move then they move, simple as that really.

On a slightly similar note, on one of my trips back to Scotland I had the seat next to someone who must have weighed at least 20 stone, after the flight I felt like asking for half of my money back as I only had half a seat for the whole flight. So, should overly fat people have to pay extra for their flights?

[English assassin]

I thought the article was going to be about them on the beach and being asked to move for their own safety... as a Japanese Research Ship had been seen in the vicinity.

Yeah, and I thought it was just going to be fat people asked to move, full stop. Because if they moved a bit more instead of sitting on their butts maybe they wouldn't be so goddam fat?

Did anyone else see the story of the woman who was told, by Manchester police, that she couldn't describe a hit and run driver as "fat" in her description to them because it was against their diversity policy? She was told to call him "of heavy build".

I must be missing something. Anyone who doesn't like being called fat has a perfectly simple choice to make IMHO.

[Ja'chyra]

I must be missing something. Anyone who doesn't like being called fat has a perfectly simple choice to make IMHO.

I quite agree.

When the wife started calling me Homer I started cycling to work and playing squash again (3 times a week) and thinking about Aikido (only had 1 intro class so far), it's working wonders.

It's not rocket science <fat = >excercise and stop eating so damn much.

[Ronin]

If they have to move then they move, simple as that really.

On a slightly similar note, on one of my trips back to Scotland I had the seat next to someone who must have weighed at least 20 stone, after the flight I felt like asking for half of my money back as I only had half a seat for the whole flight. So, should overly fat people have to pay extra for their flights?

i believe some airlines allready enforce this policy....

if you take up more than 1 seat i think it´s obvious you´ll have to pay extra for it.

[Goofball]

I been told to wake up because my snoring is disturbing the other passengers

I've been told to wake up before on airplanes and I don't even snore!

Of course, I do sleep in the nude...

[Xiahou]

I thought the article was going to be about them on the beach and being asked to move for their own safety... as a Japanese Research Ship had been seen in the vicinity.

Zing!