The heaviest flyers in the world come from North America, according to a new survey of 3,400 travellers by APEX.
Nearly one in four North American passengers weigh more than 91kg (200 pounds), while 71 per cent of Asian passengers weigh less than 68kg (150 pounds).
The survey suggests that heavier passengers tend to be less satisfied by their flight, while overall 35 per cent of passengers were “very satisfied” with their last flight.
Customer satisfaction hinges for the most part on cabin comfort, with 70 per cent of respondents naming it as the most important aspect of a fight, beating entertainment, service, and food and drink combined.
Extra leg room is the most desired cabin extra, followed by more comfortable seats and more distance between passengers. Six out of ten flyers say they would pay for extra leg room, with one third willing to pay $10 (£7) or more.
The survey also revealed that one third of passengers accessed the internet during their last flight, and that, despite the rising popularity of tablets, in-seat entertainment remains the top preference for entertainment, compared with overhead screens or personal devices.
Passengers also become more sociable as class of service increases, with three quarters of first class passengers spending time talking to other passengers during ther flights, compared with slightly more than half of economy class flyers.
Overweight passengers have long been a source of contention on the Business Traveller forum, and three separate polls of Business Traveller readers have all found a majority in favour of charging passengers differently in accordance with their size.
Sam Walsh