'Too Fat To Fly' Frenchman Banned From Eurostar

A Frenchman stranded in the United States because he was deemed too heavy to fly was finally allowed on a plane to Britain - only to be refused travel home by the Eurostar cross-channel train.

But Eurostar then said he had been refused travel because of its regulations for evacuation procedures.

"His weight meant that we would not be able to take care of this person or be able to carry him to evacuate him," a spokeswoman said.

http://news.sky.com/story/1170989/to...-from-eurostar

That was exactly the point I was making earlier in the thread. I think they are right - I cannot see how it would be safe to try to move someone so heavy, as quickly as would be necessary in an emergency situation, and it could affect the speed at which other passengers were able to be evacuated as well. It's not judgmental or discriminatory, just a matter of practicality.

But where do you draw the line?
This is typical of the way laws and rules are made - 'they' use extreme examples to sway public opinion to a particular point of view (reductio ad absurdum). Here there is argueably a case that the guy is too fat to fly. So - and this can be shown in the strength of feeling exhibited by many posters on this thread - public opinion now is receptive to a limit on weight/size for airline passengers (and indeed rail or ferry passengers).
Some airlines see a revenue opportunity and lobby for limits to be set - above which it is publically acceptable to impose a surcharge. "What weight shall we choose?" "Lets use the definition of obesity" Obesity is defined (in the UK) as a BMI greater than 30. Sounds fair?
Now think about it. For an average man of around 5'10" then he would be classified as obese (and liable to surcharge) if he weighed more than about 14 1/2 Stones .
Now imagine the scene at airport check-in. Everybody (or maybe those who have been profiled earlier) have to line up for the weighbridge. (BTW it would also sort out all those who pack their pockets with goodies to avoid the cabin luggage limits ). Incidently, how would online check-in work, would it rely on the 'honour' system? "But I was well under the weight limit before I had lunch and a few beers at the airport while waiting for the - delayed - plane!!"

But Mike, this guy is clearly an extremely large guy. It´s not that they could use a regular person???

Could the same reasoning not be applied to someone with severe physical disabilities who had to be loaded by wheelchair then assisted or placed in a seat ?

Surely someone would have to put their own life at risk to save such a person in the event of a serious emergency ?

I've been trying to find out what cabin crew are trained and expected to do in such a situation, without much succcess. Some of the comments on this forum, for example, are quite surprising:-

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo....main/4291274/

There is a suggestion that ABPs (able bodied passengers) are recruited to help the cabin crew in the event of an emergency evacuation. As someone who has, once or twice, been asked to swap seats with someone who has booked an emergency exit seat but, in the opinion of the crew, is not sufficiently abled bodied to occupy one, I suppose I might be classified as such but I wouldn't fancy being asked to try to move somebody weighing 30 stone or more.

One of my medical practice's GP's informed me that I was obese, I'm 66 years of age, six feet three and 14 stones 12 pounds (in the raw). I suggested that he had memory related problems as he constantly asks me about my smoking habit, when he knows very well that I haven't smoked since April 2010. He is in his mid 30's and very full of himself, he will meet far worse than me and realise that he commands zero respect.

My problem is that I was a very sport oriented guy who now suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and can't jog or swim well because of the acute pain. However I have little sympathy for 25 plus stones food carts who consider themselves worthy of special treatment by carriers, I will continue do my level best to work with amputees, folk in wheelchairs etc, but self inflicted weight problems are nothing to do with me.

And a silver fox?

Hope there is not too much weight as they have to get this plane back off the ground, oops

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...254_story.html

I was reading about this earlier.
I don´t understand how it can happen though what with all the computing power on one of those things!?
Should make for an interesting take off!!!

Difficult to understand how that could happen.

A two man crew looking for new jobs

I think its safe to say that has happened already, they have delayed take off while waiting for a new crew according to BBC as they have no faith in the current ones to get it off the ground.

Surely there must be some ATC or something, I thought it would land itself but what if there was another plane on the runway, you cant just land without checking surely, maybe there was a point where it was too late to back out ???

Difficult to comprehend.
"What we seem to have here is a complete and utter failure of communications."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...obese-man.html


And some people think we forum members are too harsh and judgemental!

I think the guy deserves an award for the best written customer complaint of the year.