Heavier Public Costs U.S. Airlines in Fuel - Report

[jamotto]

Link

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in extra fuel costs to transport a heavier traveling public, researchers estimate.

The 10-pound increase in the average weight of American adults in the 1990s means additional expenses for struggling airlines today, according to the findings published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that carriers spent $275 million in fuel costs to carry the additional weight of passengers in 2000.

But fuel costs have risen exponentially since, deepening the red ink at some airlines.

Bankrupt United Airlines said last week it will likely spend $1.2 billion more on fuel this year than first projected.

The calculations do not measure variables like the weight distribution of the flying public or the type of aircraft flown.

But the researchers conclude the findings highlight the consequences of obesity in the United States.

Recent government statistics show the average body mass index (BMI), a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity, has crossed into overweight territory. The average weight of an adult man was 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women was 164.3 pounds.

In May 2003 the Federal Aviation Administration added 10 pounds to per-passenger weight assumptions for calculating aircraft loads.

That step followed the crash of a commuter crash in North Carolina that prompted scrutiny of aircraft weight and balance issues on small planes.

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[Guest Fox__Trot]

De plane de plane!

thats why i use trains atleast when they do crash i *might* survive... oh yeah fuel um... trains are fun? yeah.

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fox__Trot:

De plane de plane!

thats why i use trains atleast when they do crash i *might* survive... oh yeah fuel um... trains are fun? yeah.

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no offense, but why fret over which is safer?

When it is time for you to depart life as we know it, there is not much you can do about it to prevent it.

[Charles Lindsey]

I did my part. I lost almost 30 pounds. My car gets 28 - 30 MPG. That isn't quite as good as the Escort at 30 - 32 but the Altima is much nicer.

[jamotto]

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Originally posted by Cmdr Chavik:

I did my part. I lost almost 30 pounds. My car gets 28 - 30 MPG. That isn't quite as good as the Escort at 30 - 32 but the Altima is much nicer.

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Unfortunately, after I lost about 40 pounds I didn't see any improvement in MPG

I guess for jets though this is a real big issue.

[Soback]

Yeah, to make it simple, the more weight the plane carries, the more fuel it has to burn to get somewhere else. So, having a limited ammount of seats, the more weight each seat contains, the more fuel the plane will burn.

[Charles Lindsey]

The amount you would save in a car for my 30 or your 40 lbs would be tiny and unnoticed unless you went deep into the decimals. But try leaving several hundred pounds of junk in the trunk and watch what happens.

Reminds me. It's probably time for a tune up.

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cmdr Chavik:

The amount you would save in a car for my 30 or your 40 lbs would be tiny and unnoticed unless you went deep into the decimals. But try leaving several hundred pounds of junk in the trunk and watch what happens.

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Wonder how far you would have to go. I calculate down to the hundredths place.

[Charles Lindsey]

You would probably have to do a "controlled experiment" type thing. Day to day and week to week you probably wouldn't notice. That one time you simply "have" to pass someone and REALLY get into it could ruin a whole week's worth of savings.