$275 Million Overweight Charge

WASHINGTON
(Reuters) – U.S. airlines spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually
in extra fuel costs to transport a heavier traveling public,
researchers estimate.

The 10-pound increase in the average weight of American adults in the 1990s means
additional expenses for struggling airlines today, according to findings published
by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that
carriers spent $275 million in fuel costs to carry the additional weight of passengers
in 2000.

But fuel costs have risen exponentially since, deepening the red ink at some
airlines. Bankrupt United Airlines said last week it will likely spend $1.2 billion
more
on fuel this year than first projected.

Recent government statistics show the average body mass
index (BMI), a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity, has
crossed into overweight territory. The average weight of an adult man
was 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women was 164.3
pounds.

from Reuters