by Renovator » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:53 pm
I like the concept for efficiency sake but don't believe that it could be practically implemented at this time based on current weight issues with aircraft, especially smaller aircraft. Over the past few years, it has been demonstrated that some of the airplane accidents/incidents are very probably at least partially due to over weight loading the aircraft. The aircraft are operating within their legal weight limits, however those limits sometimes exceed aircraft operating limits under certain flight conditions. I would like to see the weight and balance calculations that have been submitted to see how this could work for Spring airlines.
The problem in the US is the result of an ever increasing waistline of the flying population. There is a standard weight that is used in the airline industry and analysis over the past few years show that the actual weight of people exceed the standard by about 20 lbs each. Imagine if an American football team came to China and took those standing seats which are probably calculated for an average weight of about 190 lbs including passenger and luggage. The extra weight is not such a huge issue on a 747 or very large aircraft, but the smaller the aircraft, the more the weight becomes a critical factor which is why accidents/incidents based on aircraft overweight normally happens on smaller commuter airlines.
If this could be implemented in a safe fashion it would mean more profits for the airlines, more people being able to afford to fly and reduced impact per passenger on the environment. A win-win situation for everyone.
