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It was just announced that airlines are considering weighing passengers before flights as U.S. obesity rates climb.
The Federal Aviation Administration is concerned that planes may end up being overloaded. Now, industry observers reportedly say that the country's climbing obesity rates have made the numbers the airlines use for their safety calculations outdated. Weighing passengers at airports would be a more accurate way of determining if it's safe for the plane to take off. Two years ago, the FAA sent out a circular addressing issues of weight and balance for aircraft.
For the new FAA standards increase the weight of an average adult passenger and carry-on bag to 190 pounds in the summer and 195 pounds in the winter.