United is referring to a 2019 FAA circular that updated average weight requirements: To be compliant with the current B757 weight and balance requirements, United will block specific seats between November 1 and April 30, 2023. The temporary change is a result of the increased average customer winter weights as prescribed by the FAA. This winter, you will notice a number of seats permanently blocked onboard United’s 757 series of aircraft. United Airlines Blocks Middle Seats On 757 Savvy travelers, however, can take advantage of this to ensure an open middle seat on their flight. With the average weight of an American rising, United Airlines has been forced to block a number of seats onboard its Boeing 757 aircraft. My original story, from November 3, 2022, is below.Īs Americans Grow Larger, United Airlines Forced To Block Seats On Boeing 757 If you were hoping to score a guaranteed empty middle seat this winter on a United Airlines 757-300, you’ll have to try a different strategy… That blocking began last month and continued until yesterday, December 6, 2023.īut in a memo shared with Live And Let’s Fly, United has determined:Īfter further collaboration with Boeing regarding our weight and balance adjustments, seat blocking for winter calculations will no longer be required.Īll placards have been removed and the six middle seats above are now assignable on the 757-300. This year, only middle seats on the 757-300 were blocked, including: Last year, middle seats were blocked on both the 757-200 and -300 aircraft. As Americans become more obese, historic average weights based upon decades-old estimates no longer proved reliable. United Airlines Determines Winter Seat Blocking No Longer Necessary On 757-300įor the last two years, United has blocked seats on select Boeing 757 aircraft during the winter months to account for the higher average weight of Americans coupled with travelers wearing winter coats and other accruements that add to the aircraft weight. United Airlines will stop blocking six middle seats on its 757-300 aircraft this winter after determining such seats blocks are no longer necessary despite the higher average weight of passengers.

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