EasyJet bumps 19 passengers off flight because plane is ‘too heavy’ (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 1 year ago by really@lemmy.world to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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[-] EinfachUnersetzlich@lemm.ee 47 points 1 year ago

Yes, this is a thing that can happen. When temperatures are high the air density means that planes need to achieve a higher speed to take off. Same for increased weight. Same for high altitude airports. Same when there's less headwind to take off into.

If enough of these factors are bad enough, you have to change what you can. Can't change the airport elevation or the weather, so that leaves you with the weight.

[-] zoe@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

isnt hot air less dense than cold air ?

[-] offbyone@feddit.uk 27 points 1 year ago

Yes, less air means less lift. Same issue with altitude.

[-] InverseParallax@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It also means less air, as in density, so the fans and compressors are able to pull in less air to burn with. The fadecs compensate for this automatically but it means the output is derated till you get far enough off the ground to get speed.

[-] zoe@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

i see. that makes sense now. thanks.

[-] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

[-] 133arc585@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You realize localized weather is not always predictable far enough in advance to do much? Moreover, airlines don't require passengers specify their weight when they purchase a ticket, so they can't really plan ahead for going over a specific weight that is itself tied to local weather conditions. Mind you, this could be avoided by building in more wiggle-room, but that is not going to be accepted as a solution because it results in waste much of the time if, for example, you have empty seats because you wanted to be sure that you wouldn't run in to the issue of going over weight.

[-] ibroughtashrubbery@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

...right. But, of all airlines this could happen to, it did happen to the one known to cheap out in about every other metric. So, I'd say, shitty planning is also in the mix. Moreover, no more airlines flying that same day/time were affected, otherwise the headline would have been different.

[-] EinfachUnersetzlich@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

The headline would only be different if someone had told the paper. Most people probably wouldn't bother and just claim the money or compensation.

[-] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Poor capitalists trying to squeeze every cent of margin they can't possibly plan for things that's too hard

[-] 133arc585@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

I get what you're saying, but it's not just monetary efficiency that I meant there. It's fuel/emissions efficiency that would suffer as well. And that should be of concern to everyone.

[-] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml -3 points 1 year ago

If that's the concern use a fucking train

[-] 133arc585@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

You're right, the transatlantic train should be good enough for anyone. Who needs planes when a train gets you across the ocean with much less pollution!

No need to be aggressive mate. Your replies are rather antagonistic.

[-] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml -4 points 1 year ago

Aggressive would be shooting down jets until everybody stops flying on fossil fuels, which would be good to do by the way

[-] relevants@feddit.de 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ok..? Why is this news?

[-] porkins@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

Agreed. This is clickbait. They want people to think that they kicked off the fat passengers.

[-] fluke@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Well that would be the logical thing to do.

Kick of the heavier passengers and they don't have to remove as many total people. Which is overall better as you're creating travel problems for fewer people.

Although unless you're like 20st then it's unlikely that it would matter a great deal whether you pick the weightier people since they'll be making the calculation based on a formula that attributes a set value to passenger weight.

[-] Chup@feddit.de 7 points 1 year ago

No one gets kicked off or picked. This is a quite regular occurrence in air traffic and the crew is then simply asking if someone would be willing to take a later flight. Those passengers also get some money for their inconvenience. This happens all the time.

[-] kalleboo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Yeah I got $700 cash in hand and an upgrade to business class for volunteering to give up my seat on a flight from the US to Europe.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

But they probably should, no? It would be interesting to get a combined weight of the passenger and all luggage and factor that in to the price. If a flight is relatively empty, all prices should be the same, but as it nears capacity, it should absolutely be a factor.

Unfortunately, people are very sensitive about their weight and there would be a massive uproar if any airline did it.