SNAM
I stopped reading when I got to your comments about being angry when commercial considerations outweigh (no pun intended) safety.
Every airline I've been in/near state 'safety is our top priority'.
Would anyone go near them if they didn't say that?
Now guess how many fingers I would need to hold up to indicate how many airlines actually MEANT that.
I could indicate it easily even if I was Captain Hook.
The brutal reality is that aviation is cut throat and safety like everything else is negotiable.
I've flown with pilots that could barely get through the flightdeck door - they must have weighed 220 lb plus, then they have a nav bag. But we all weigh the same (wonder why we do a medical then huh?).
The assumption is that all the crew weigh the same - of course we do, that's why the health authorities are SO worried about obesity.
Our passengers too - especially in charter airlines have a set weight. If they fly BA they weigh 'x' lb/kg, if they fly on bucket holiday they weigh 'y' - the very same people. Yet load/trim sheets are calculated to the lb/kg.
When was the last time 'Standard weights' were updated despite input from the Health Authorities. A fatal commuter crash in the states was put down directly to being overweight recently - but what has been done?
It's complete rubbish. Standard weights are used for luggage and often exceeded as is cabin walk-on baggage.
Why? Because if actual weights were used, passengers might have to be offloaded, commercially unacceptable.
I asked for an aircraft to be check-weighed (pax load and baggage) on arrival from Spain once, due to a mix up with actual and standard weights which were tonnes different. I had three chances of that - fat, slim and none. It'll never happen. Company's don't WANT to know the answer. It never happened.
Flight Safety costs money, commercialism is what pays the bills.
Sad fact of life - and most of us that actually fly agree with your position, but the system doesn't back us up.
This perhaps explains why we have gross and net take off performance standards.
Whenever an aircraft takes off at performance limited weight (mass) you can bet in reality it is OVERWEIGHT.
The CEO will however still trot out 'Safety is our Prime Concern'.
Regards.