Hollywood Good

There has been a lot of talk about corpulent behinds overflowing into two seats on aircraft when flying. I have experienced this myself often when flying.

My belief is the whole weight thing on aircraft is damn absurd. It has happened that on occasion (usually when visiting kids overseas because I travel with minimal luggage), I am a few kilos, say two or three, over the limit.

I am told I have to pay overweight. When that happens, I unpack my case in public at the counter and take out a few garments which I proceed to put on, one on top of the other.

So I am then wearing four shirts and three jerseys.

Now, as I have said, I am a small person and I weigh about 58kg. Then I look behind me in the queue and I see a tree of a man (or woman for that matter) - huge, obese, with a belly as large as a beer keg. He weighs at least twice as much as me. Probably three times as much, yet only his suitcase is taken into account.

This is absurd. Why the hang don't airlines check the weight of passengers and baggage together?

As a small, slight person, I feel discriminated against. My luggage and I together, including my carry-on bag, weight less than 88kg. The guy standing behind me with his suitcase, I reckon weighs at least 150kg. Who knows, possibly 200kg?

And yet, they still want to charge me for a few kilos overweight. The only word I can think of to describe this is in Afrikaans and is perhaps not polite, so I'll substitute with twaddle.

Surely there is a more logical way of weighting departing airplanes? I re-iterate, passengers and their luggage should be weighed together.

It seems to me that a combined weight would be more logical. I understand that corpulent, huge passengers would then have a lower luggage allowance. Too bad.

I just believe there should be equity aboard aircraft.

And, to get back to the corpulent person who takes up more than one seat. That really is appalling and totally unacceptable.

I know from bitter experience that there is nothing worse than being squashed between two hugely plump people for 10 or 11 hours on a long-haul flight.

I appreciate that people are built differently and that a tall, large-boned person will weigh more that a diminutive one. However, somehow, that has to be factored into the weight scale.

The fact is that at the moment, there is unjust disparity.

Yes, airlines definitely need to re-think their weight strategy.