Overweight passengers force United Airlines to fly with empty seats

The third largest US carrier, United Airlines, has reportedly began blocking off three to six middle seats on each of its Boeing 757 planes earlier this week.

Blocked seats are apparently covered with sleeves with a sign saying: “Do not occupy.” The seatbelts are zip-tied together.

US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposes strict weight limits and balance requirements on all US commercial air carriers.

The FAA raised the base weight averages that US passenger airlines use for their calculations in 2019, reflecting Americans’ expanding waistlines.

FAA weight averages during the summer months, including carry-on items, rose to 179 pounds (81 kilograms) from 145 pounds (65 kilograms) for female passengers and to 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) from 185 pounds (83 kilograms) for males.

The average US adult male weighs 199.8 pounds (90.1 kilograms) and has a 40.5-inch (102.87 cm) waist, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That compares with 166.3 pounds (75.4 kilograms) in 1960. The average woman weighs 170.8 pounds (77.5 kilograms), up from 140.2 pounds (63.6 kilograms) in 1960 and has a 38.7-inch (98 cm) waist.

Those numbers are based on data from 2015-2018 and do not factor in the extra weight that many Americans gained during the COVID-19 pandemic period. According to the recent study, 48% of adult Americans reported weight gains during the pandemic, with the average weight increase of 29 pounds (13 kilograms).

Air carriers also have to tack on an additional 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) for warm clothing in wintertime as they balance their loads for safety reasons.

According to United Airlines, it now has no choice but to keep some seats on its flights empty, in order to comply with FAA-imposed flight weight restrictions.

“The temporary change is a result of the increased average customer winter weights as prescribed by the FAA,” United Airlines said.

The carrier will be forced to keep some seats blocked through April 30.

According to the industry experts, US commercial airlines also have the option of either asking the passengers to self-report their actual weight or weighing them on a scale prior to boarding, but that idea is highly unlikely to be implemented in the US due to all potential negative publicity and threats of legal action.