Passengers On This Route Have No Seat Choice Because.....

[Kip Powick]

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHERAssociated Press ((CNN))

Fri., Oct. 14, 2016

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HONOLULU—Hawaiian Airlines executives had a dilemma: Their planes were burning more fuel than projected on their regular 4,184-kilometre route between Honolulu and American Samoa.

Various factors for increased fuel use, like winds, were ruled out. So the carrier asked passengers on the twice weekly flights if they wouldn’t mind being weighed before boarding.

The results of Hawaiian Airlines’ six-month voluntary survey found that on average the passengers and their carry-on bags were 30 pounds heavier than anticipated, and it’s prompted a new policy: Passengers are no longer allowed to pre-select their own seats on flights between Hawaii and the U.S. territory.

Instead, they are assigned seats when they check in for their flights at the Honolulu and Pago Pago airports to ensure that weight is evenly distributed around the jets’ cabins.

But the new policy has prompted complaints to federal transportation officials and claims that people from American Samoa are being targeted because of their weight.

“What they’re saying is Samoans are obese,” said Atimua Migi, who was seeing off his father, Mua Migi, at Honolulu International Airport Monday for the nearly six-hour flight to Pago Pago, American Samoa’s territorial capital.

“That’s an entirely incorrect assumption,” responded Jon Snook, Hawaiian’s chief operating officer.

Snook said he was surprised to see headlines worldwide about the issue, and said many media reports were inaccurate in saying that the airline was assigning seats based on passenger weight.

The row design of the Boeing 767 jets used for the flight has two seats on each side of the plane, three seats in the middle and two aisles.

Using the results of the survey, airline officials found that if adults all sat in one row of the plane, the combined weight of those passengers might exceed load limitations in crash-landing situations, Snook said.

Officials are now trying to keep one seat per row open, or at least fill those seats with children who weigh less than adults.

San Francisco-based travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the move by Hawaiian Airlines was unusual, saying he had “never heard of any other U.S. airline doing this on any other route that it operates.”

But Snook said other carriers have and that the Federal Aviation Administration establishes average weights of passengers with their carry-on luggage for carriers. The airline in an online Q&A about the seating policy said “airlines may choose to conduct their own survey in markets in which they believe weights differ materially from FAA averages.”

The airline chose to manage distribution of passengers instead of limiting how many seats could be sold, which would have driven up ticket prices, Snook added.

Daniel King, who filed one of six complaints sent to the U.S. Transportation Department between Sept. 29 and Oct. 10, called the new policy discriminatory because it only applies to the Pago Pago flight.

Most passengers on the flights “are of Samoan descent, which also begs the question of discrimination,” said King, an American Samoa businessman.

But the department decided that “Hawaiian Airlines’ policy of not offering preassigned seats on certain flights is not on its face discriminatory,” Transportation Department spokeswoman Caitlin Harvey in an email.

“What they’re doing is logistically the most sensible thing under unique circumstances,” said Gary Leff, who writes the viewfromthewing.com travel blog.

Snook said Hawaiian has conducted similar weight studies for its Asian markets, where the average weight calculated ended up being lower than previously projected, and no policy change was enacted as a result.

No complaints were lodged during the Honolulu-Pago Pago weight survey, which ended in August, said Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Alex Da Silva.

Other passengers on Monday’s flight had not heard about the new policy or were not bothered by it.

“I’m cool with it, I don’t mind,” said Jake Brown, headed to American Samoa for the first time, after receiving a seat assignment in the back of the plane, his preference.

 

[J.O.]

So it's okay for the airline to use load planning for baggage and freight to maximize efficiency but when the freight is self-loading, doing that is discriminatory.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, J.O. said:

So it's okay for the airline to use load planning for baggage and freight to maximize efficiency but when the freight is self-loading, doing that is discriminatory.

Lucky that they don't operate within Canada, the CTA would likely rule that the solution would be to allow the heavy pax to occupy two sears for the price of one as they did recently:

Highlights of one-person-one-fare policy decision

 

The Canadian Transportation Agency has a number of ongoing cases concerning accessible transportation. The following are highlights from the Agency's One-Person-One-Fare Policy Decision.

After extensive written pleadings and evidence, and two hearings, the Agency issued a Decision expected to affect some 80,000 persons with disabilities.

On January 10, 2008, the Agency ordered Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet to adopt a One-Person-One-Fare Policy for persons with severe disabilities on flights within Canada. The airlines were given up to one year to implement the Policy, which does not apply to domestic segments of transborder and international trips.

The Decision means that, for domestic services, these carriers may not charge more than one fare for persons with disabilities who:

• are accompanied by an attendant for their personal care or safety in flight, as required by the carriers' domestic tariffs; or
• require additional seating for themselves, including those determined to be functionally disabled by obesity.

[J.O.]

Hawaiian isn't charging larger passengers extra, they're simply optimizing weight and balance. If the industry continues to be pressed for doing all they can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this action is but one more logical step in the process. Optimized weight and balance can save a couple of percentage points on trip fuel burn. 

[DEFCON]

"on average the passengers and their carry-on bags were 30 pounds heavier than anticipated"

 

 

 

 

It's amazing how an air carrier's quest for efficiency, read higher profits, justifies ongoing expensive w & b analysis, but when it comes to matters of ac performance involving the same data sets, everyone looks the other way?  

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, DEFCON said:

"on average the passengers and their carry-on bags were 30 pounds heavier than anticipated"

 

 

 

 

It's amazing how an air carrier's quest for efficiency, read higher profits, justifies ongoing expensive w & b analysis, but when it comes to matters of ac performance involving the same data sets, everyone looks the other way?  

think about this, the average seat triple / double etc. is rated for a weight bearing load of XX.  I would bet on fully loaded North American flights those limits are exceeded on a regular basis. 

[boestar]

does anyone really know how much their aircraft weighs when they take off?  I mean ACTUALLY weighs.

 

[J.O.]

Modern airliners have a fairly accurate measurement based on air data and the aircraft's performance. It's not to the kilogram but when you're talking 100,000 lbs (and usually more), a 1,000 lb discrepancy is statistically anomalous. 

[DEFCON]

If the average passenger on this route is approximately 20% heavier than predicted, your payload is 20% heavier than calculated. Not to get technical, but a 20% weight variation can have a considerable impact on arm & moment, stab trim settings, control and all sorts of other performance calculations.   

[boestar]

Thanks Defcon.  That's my point.  If that 1000 pounds is all in the tail and not accounted for it can make things a bit tricky.

Figure that on a 747 the weight calculation take into account the 500 pounds of AIR the aircraft is carrying.  Is that so "Statistically Anomalous"  that they shouldn't have bothered?

Weight changes on ANY aircraft of 2% require adjustment to the aircraft weight and balance.  Changes of 5% require an aircraft reweigh.  

Considering weight as "Statistically Anomalous" can make you a statistic.

 

[DEFCON]

"Considering weight as "Statistically Anomalous" can make you a statistic."

That line is priceless!