United Airlines blocks seats as passengers get heavier

United Airlines, the third-largest US carrier, is unable to sell some seats on its flights due to the increased weight of the average US passenger.

The carrier began blocking three to six middle seats on each of its Boeing 757s earlier this week, according to travel blog Live and Let’s Fly.

“The temporary change is a result of the increased average customer winter weights as prescribed by the FAA. To be compliant with the current B757 weight and balance requirements, United will block specific seats between November 1 and April 30, 2023,” the airline said, according to the website. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) imposes weight limits and balance requirements on airlines.

The affected seats are apparently covered with red sleeves and a sign that reads “This seat is temporarily out of service – do not occupy.” The seat belts are zipped together.

United will have to keep the seats out of service until April 30, as the FAA requires airlines to account for higher average passenger weights during winter months, when people wear heavier clothes. The agency raised the base weight averages that carriers use for their calculations in 2019, reflecting the expansion in the size of Americans.

Averages during the summer months, including carry-on baggage, increased from 145 pounds (65 kg) to 179 pounds (81 kg) for female passengers and from 185 pounds (83 kg) to 200 pounds (90.7 kg) for men. Airlines add an extra 5 pounds (2.2 kg) for clothing during the winter months as they balance their loads for safety reasons.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the average adult American male weighs 199.8 pounds (90.1 kg) and has a waist circumference of 40.5 inches (102.87 cm). This compares to 166.3 pounds (75.4 kg) in 1960. The average woman weighs 170.8 pounds (77.5 kg), up from 140.2 pounds (63.6) in 1960, and has a round height of 38.7 inches (98 cm).

These figures are based on data from 2015 to 2018 and therefore do not include the weight that many Americans have gained during the Covid-19 pandemic. A New Mexico State University study found that 48% of American adults said their weight had increased in the first year of the pandemic. A separate study by the American Psychological Association found that the average weight gain among those who reported increases was 29 pounds (13 kg).

More than 42% of American adults are obese. The obesity epidemic is so severe, in fact, that nearly 71% of Americans born after 1997 are ineligible for military service, most often because they are too fat to be eligible, Pentagon data shows.