As Americans grow larger and also bring more carry-on items onboard, the FAA has instructed airlines to re-calculate average weight, previously based on decades-old assumptions that are no longer reliable. The practical impact is a number of seat blocks on United Airlines this winter onboard the 757 aircraft, which you can use to your advantage to ensure an open seat next to you.
Full article here:
https://liveandletsfly.com/united-airlines-blocks-seats-757/
hey hey
did the FAA have tape measure and scale with instructions only for americans to be weighed and measured LOL
guess rest of world is small/medium which makes up for our bigger girths.
makes for another happy day flying
aloha
Haha- If you think the airlines are going to reduce their passenger seats, you are crazy. Maybe in business, but in cattle class, nope.
This weight calculation is based on the person AND carry-on items. I wonder how much of the increase is not corporal but carried on—in part a product of the airlines' own greed in baggage fees.
Haha- If you think the airlines are going to reduce their passenger
seats, you are crazy. Maybe in business, but in cattle class, nope.
I was a little suspicious when I read the name of the thread, too. I thought it was going to be a spam post!
It's just 3-6 seats per flight, but the OP is correct... if you can choose a seat with a blocked seat next to it, that's a win!
To clarify, are they saying that the blocked seats will always show up on the seat selection menu? Then they can charge extra for the seats next to them?
Whether it's carryon or checked, the weight still goes on the same plane. But the FAAs issue and authority is strictly safety-focused - can you evacuate the plane efficiently. Too many people going to grab their giant carryons and knock you over trying to flee.
Air France already does this -- for their version of business within Europe.
I think United is simply late to the game again. They were also among the last international carriers to add a fifth class (Premium) - and they've also removed first class seating on some routes. It ain't benevolence. Fewer passengers are paying for first class, but many are willing to fork over for Premium, so United is winning in the revenue column.
British Airways does it too for their business class seating on flights within Europe on A320 planes. That way they get 2-2 seating, appropriate for business class, without installing special larger seats in the first few rows.
But Inread this as saying the blocked seats will be in the main cabin (Economy), so if there is a way to see the blocked seats on the seating chart when booking, that would be nice!
My hubby would love having the middle seat guaranteed empty—he hates having a big guy seated next to him hogging the armrest and juggling for shoulder space. But we don’t ever fly United so it won’t help us.
Which Seats Are Blocked On United 757 Aircraft?
The following seats will be blocked through the end of April:
757-224 (75S) – 24B, 27E, 30B, 24E, 37B, 40B
757-224 (75B) – 29B, 32E, 36B
757-324 (75E) – 16B, 19E, 27B, 30E, 36B, 39E
This is from the article in the link in OP.
Restrictions have been in place before - from the Washington Post, 2017
"Over three days in late June, American Airlines canceled 57 regional flights out of Phoenix due to extreme heat of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. More heat waves in the future could mean flights get canceled, delayed or have to lose some weight. That weight could be you. In the aviation business, really hot days are called “weight restriction days,” because when it’s hot, fully loaded planes can’t get off the ground. There’s only three ways for a plane to lose weight: fuel, cargo, or passengers."
There’s only three ways for a plane to lose weight: fuel, cargo, or passengers."
Maybe they could do like the SR71 and take of with minimum fuel and refuel once they get airborne.
Flights from Denver Intl to Europe in the summer don't take off until evening because it's hard to take of in the mid-day heat with enough fuel to get to Europe, even with an 11,000 ft runway.
To clarify, are they saying that the blocked seats will always show up
on the seat selection menu? Then they can charge extra for the seats
next to them?
United has not yet „monetized“ this phenomenon by charging extra for adjacent seats, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the company ultimately does this.
But the FAAs issue and authority is strictly safety-focused - can you
evacuate the plane efficiently. Too many people going to grab their
giant carryons and knock you over trying to flee.
FAA calculations on time to exit the cabin in an emergency assume that passengers will follow flight attendant instructions and leave carry on baggage and personal items behind. I remember seeing video of an evacuation where a business man went down the slide with his brief case, which opened as he went down the slide. He held up the evacuation picking up his documents from the slide.
It would be helpful if the FAA required a more realistic group of people to run their evacuation testing, and preferably with a great majority of people who haven't done a test before...
https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/FAA-airline-evacuation-tests-seat-mandate
Interesting I was just watching something on A&E about a BA flight that caught fire during takeoff(the engine). The crew was able to stop the plane and evacuate everyone but looking at the video, about half the people going down the slides had their carryon luggage with them.
(Flights from Denver Intl to Europe in the summer don't take off until evening because it's hard to take of in the mid-day heat with
enough fuel to get to Europe, even with an 11,000 ft runway.)
Why that is just plain silly. LOL
