itchybum
8th Oct 2004, 18:29
We've Been Upgraded to Jumbo
By Alexandra Smith
October 9, 2004
SMH
After checking the weight of passengers' bags, Qantas now wants to check the weight of its passengers.
Travellers at Sydney Airport are being asked to step onto the scales with their hand luggage to help Qantas update its decade-old passenger weight data.
The airline said the study was purely a statistical exercise, but the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which approves the amount of weight airlines can carry, said that the average Australian was getting heavier.
"People have been getting bigger, or should I say, more well nourished," said Peter Gibson, a spokesman for the authority.
In 1988, the average Australian male passenger weighed 82 kilograms and the average female between 66.1 and 71 kilograms, CASA figures say. Now more than half of Australian adults and a quarter of children are overweight or obese, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says.
The aircraft manufacturer Boeing has recognised the change, and has designed its new-generation plane, the 7E7, with wider seats, aisles and toilets.
A spokesman for Qantas, Simon Rushton, stressed the review was not a suggestion that passengers were fat. "This is not about obesity, it's about updating our weight data," he said.
The survey, which started at Sydney's domestic airport last week, is voluntary and no one will be forced onto the scales.
Qantas is not the only firm reviewing sizes. Standards Australia has been hosting forums on the issue for designers and retailers, including Rip Curl and Bonds. A spokesman for the body said: "We really do need anthropometric data so we know the height and weight measurements that we need to cater for in Australia."
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Sounds like a nice way of saying Australia is a nation of fat bastards. Why not just charge them for TWO seats???
By Alexandra Smith
October 9, 2004
SMH
After checking the weight of passengers' bags, Qantas now wants to check the weight of its passengers.
Travellers at Sydney Airport are being asked to step onto the scales with their hand luggage to help Qantas update its decade-old passenger weight data.
The airline said the study was purely a statistical exercise, but the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which approves the amount of weight airlines can carry, said that the average Australian was getting heavier.
"People have been getting bigger, or should I say, more well nourished," said Peter Gibson, a spokesman for the authority.
In 1988, the average Australian male passenger weighed 82 kilograms and the average female between 66.1 and 71 kilograms, CASA figures say. Now more than half of Australian adults and a quarter of children are overweight or obese, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says.
The aircraft manufacturer Boeing has recognised the change, and has designed its new-generation plane, the 7E7, with wider seats, aisles and toilets.
A spokesman for Qantas, Simon Rushton, stressed the review was not a suggestion that passengers were fat. "This is not about obesity, it's about updating our weight data," he said.
The survey, which started at Sydney's domestic airport last week, is voluntary and no one will be forced onto the scales.
Qantas is not the only firm reviewing sizes. Standards Australia has been hosting forums on the issue for designers and retailers, including Rip Curl and Bonds. A spokesman for the body said: "We really do need anthropometric data so we know the height and weight measurements that we need to cater for in Australia."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sounds like a nice way of saying Australia is a nation of fat bastards. Why not just charge them for TWO seats???