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Airline forced to block off plane seats because passengers are getting fatter
Airline forced to block off plane seats because passengers are getting fatter,United Airlines has had to stop travellers from booking certain seats as the increasing weight of passengers throws off balance of Boeing 757 planes this winter

Airline forced to block off plane seats because passengers are getting fatter

United Airlines has begun to block out a number of seats on flights in response to the increasing weight of passengers.

As passengers get heavier the way that people sit on planes will need to be adjusted to account for safety on board – and this means some seats must remain empty.

For planes to operate safely certain maths calculations have to be done – using the assumed average weight of each passenger – so that the carrier can balance the aircraft and fill up with enough fuel.

As people become increasingly heavier, basing these calculations on outdated assumed weights could result in incorrect results and an unsafe outcome.

In the United States, where United Airlines operates, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decides the average weight airlines use for their calculations – and these have had to be changed as people get fatter.

There are different rates for male and female passengers as well as different summer and winter weights because people wear varying amounts of clothes during colder and hotter seasons.

Happy woman ready to travel talking on the phone
The average weight of passengers has increased (Image: Getty Images)