[slackline]

Do we need bigger seats on planes?

No as the article says they can buy an extra seat.

I can't take more than my allocated weight allowance on plane without paying extra, just because some people carry extra weight around with them doesn't mean they should have special dispensation.

[Tris]

So should airlines price it differently? You get say 100Kg of total allowance, if you only weigh 60Kg - you can put 40Kg of suitcases in... 

[tomtom]

So should airlines price it differently? You get say 100Kg of total allowance, if you only weigh 60Kg - you can put 40Kg of suitcases in... 

YES! please! save all this check in weight bollocks. Just get you and all your bags on a scale then charge you accordingly - after all more weight = more fuel consumed...

[slackline]

Yep, I think thats exactly how it should be.

[SA Chris]

If they want to make wider seats for fatties, why doesn't anyone over 6ft have a special seat with extra legroom?

[tomtom]

Having now emailed/tweeted this picture to most people I know I've noticed two things.

1. the armrest on the aisle side is not up - so he must be sitting on it  (whether thats a  for the armrest - poor thing or a  for the fat fella I'm not sure..)

2. The whole seat is warped - e.g. twisting down slightly to the left - probably because it has 20+ stone on one armrest...  or its been shopped (I think the former..)

[Jaspersharpe]

I've been banging the total weight allowance drum for years. How can it not make sense? Fat cunts. And I agree on the legroom thing Chris. Why discriminate against the tall but not the fat.

[magpie]

Apparently the bag weight thing is not only to do with fuel, it's to do with the amount of weight a baggage handler can lift without help or causing damage.  Although I don't see why I can't take 2x15kg bags rather than one 30kg in that case.

Fatties should pay for an extra seat, if I have to cut out 4 pairs of shoes to save on weight or pay extra to take them then they can bloody well cut out the cakes or pay more to take their guts! 

AND, don't be letting your fat leg spill onto my seat or asking if the armrest can go up so you can share mine.   

[superfurrymonkey]

Looks to me like he was in the two empty seats behind and he's sat on the arm rest in front to chat to his friend 

[BB]

Although I don't see why I can't take 2x15kg bags rather than one 30kg in that case.

Ah, but 2 bags would take twice as long as one bag to load and unload, shirley.

[Tris]

I watched one of the Plane Crash Investigation programs on the discovery channel a while ago. Basically the fatties had caused a plane in America to crash. The pilots know how much the baggage weighs as each suitcase gets weighed. But they have no idea about passenger weight, they do have the total passenger number so they multiply it by an average figure to get a rough estimate for total weight of the plane (including fuel weight which they know the weight of).

Anyway, the upshot was that they were using average weight figure from like 1980. Since then the average weight of an American has increased by a large percentage and therefore the weight calculations were way out - plane took off and crashed almost instantly as it was too heavy.

Moral of the story - if you see lots of fatties on your plane, get off 

[Sloper]

That'll be an urban myth as as I recall from my rather tedious aviation law course the CAA / FAA provide for decent margains of error, hence routinge dumping of excess fuel on the approach to landing.

[Tris]

That'll be an urban myth as as I recall from my rather tedious aviation law course the CAA / FAA provide for decent margains of error, hence routinge dumping of excess fuel on the approach to landing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/us/faa-reviews-rules-on-passenger-weight-after-crash.html

[dave]

its a semi-myth.

[Tris]

Fair enough - bloody scaremongering!

[Jaspersharpe]

For those interested in (and perhaps surprised by) the verdict in the Meredith Kercher murder trial, this is worth reading to understand why they don't do things the same way in Italy!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/06/amanda-knox-meredith-kercher-trial-perugia

[slackline]

Free State-run Intenet Cafe's or "e-libraries" would be a good idea

[fatboySlimfast]

Praise be, jesus has spoken to me from a cheese flavoured maize based snack product
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2009/12/top-10-places-jesus-revealed-himself-this-year.html

[Jaspersharpe]

Free State-run Intenet Cafe's or "e-libraries" would be a good idea

Be a good idea to use current libraries for this plan. If advertised properly then it would not only offer internet access direct to local communities but promote the libraries' current services. Might even get more people reading books.

Ah now I've read it all it seems they already do this to a certain extent. So they need to extend the service and promote it better.

[slackline]

Yeah, I know post offices already have public access computers, but I was thinking that it should be extended such that rural areas where the nearest library is a bus that comes round once a month and at present individual net access isn't great could all have a free internet cafe if it really is the governments plan to have everything online.

Probably all get wanked away on some "commission" to look at how the money could be best spent (which invariably ends up being on themselves  ).

[Jaspersharpe]

How cynical slackers. And probably spot on.

[john horscroft]

The daily Steve Bell fix:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/cartoon/2009/dec/09/tony-blair-iraq-steve-bell

[Houdini]

Irresponsible airline to let this guy on in the first place.  He's a danger to everyone around him in the event of evacuation.

[chillax]

What a dick

[Tris]

Maybe American Airlines should adopt this:

United Airlines Obese Passenger Policy

Criteria

• are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin;
• are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or
• are unable to put the seat's armrests down when seated.

If unused seats are available on the ticketed United or United Express flight, then a customer meeting any of the above criteria will be reaccommodated next to an empty seat.

If no unused seats are available on the ticketed flight, then the customer must either purchase an upgrade to a cabin with available seats that address the above-listed scenarios, or change his or her ticket to the next available flight and purchase a second seat in addition to the one already purchased. If a customer meeting any of the above-listed criteria cannot be accommodated next to an empty seat and chooses not to upgrade or change flights and purchase a ticket for an additional seat, he or she will not be permitted to board the flight.