Seems about time for Americans to cut out the high calorie/fatty fast foods so that we can reduce dependence on foreign oil. Less TV/video games and eating just for the sake of eating would help too.
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Fatter passengers drive up airline fuel costs
November 5, 2004
ATLANTA -- Heavy suitcases aren't the only things weighing down airplanes and requiring them to burn more fuel, pushing up the cost of flights. A new government study reveals that airlines increasingly have to worry more about the weight of their passengers.
America's growing waistlines are hurting the bottom lines of airline companies as the extra pounds on passengers are causing heftier fuel costs, according to the study.
Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 just to carry the additional weight of Americans, the federal agency estimated in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
''The obesity epidemic has unexpected consequences beyond direct health effects,'' said Dr. Deron Burton of the CDC.
The extra fuel also had an environmental impact. An estimated 3.8 million extra tons of carbon dioxide were released into the air, the study said. The agency said its calculations are rough estimates.
Air Transport Association of America spokesman Jack Evans said the agency's appraisal ''does not sound out of the realm of reality.''
With most airlines reporting losses blamed partly on fuel costs, airlines are doing all they can to lighten the load on all aircraft.
Bulky magazines are gone. Metal forks and spoons have been replaced with plastic. Large carry-ons are being scrutinized and even heavy materials used in airplane seats are being replaced with plastic and other lightweight materials.
''We're dealing in a world of small numbers -- even though it has a very incremental impact'' to reduce a 60- to 120-ton aircraft's weight by bumping off a few magazines, Evans said. ''When you consider airlines are flying millions of miles, it adds up over time.''
http://www.suntimes.com/output/health/cst-nws-fat05.html
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Fatter passengers drive up airline fuel costs
November 5, 2004
ATLANTA -- Heavy suitcases aren't the only things weighing down airplanes and requiring them to burn more fuel, pushing up the cost of flights. A new government study reveals that airlines increasingly have to worry more about the weight of their passengers.
America's growing waistlines are hurting the bottom lines of airline companies as the extra pounds on passengers are causing heftier fuel costs, according to the study.
Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 just to carry the additional weight of Americans, the federal agency estimated in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
''The obesity epidemic has unexpected consequences beyond direct health effects,'' said Dr. Deron Burton of the CDC.
The extra fuel also had an environmental impact. An estimated 3.8 million extra tons of carbon dioxide were released into the air, the study said. The agency said its calculations are rough estimates.
Air Transport Association of America spokesman Jack Evans said the agency's appraisal ''does not sound out of the realm of reality.''
With most airlines reporting losses blamed partly on fuel costs, airlines are doing all they can to lighten the load on all aircraft.
Bulky magazines are gone. Metal forks and spoons have been replaced with plastic. Large carry-ons are being scrutinized and even heavy materials used in airplane seats are being replaced with plastic and other lightweight materials.
''We're dealing in a world of small numbers -- even though it has a very incremental impact'' to reduce a 60- to 120-ton aircraft's weight by bumping off a few magazines, Evans said. ''When you consider airlines are flying millions of miles, it adds up over time.''
http://www.suntimes.com/output/health/cst-nws-fat05.html
