![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/fatguys.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON
\n (Reuters) – U.S. airlines spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually
\n in extra fuel costs to transport a heavier traveling public,
\n researchers estimate. <\/p>\n
The 10-pound increase in the average weight of American adults in the 1990s means
\nadditional expenses for struggling airlines today, according to findings published
\nby the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.<\/p>\n
The researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that
\ncarriers spent $275 million in fuel costs to carry the additional weight of passengers
\nin 2000.<\/p>\n
But fuel costs have risen exponentially since, deepening the red ink at some
\nairlines. Bankrupt United Airlines said last week it will likely spend $1.2 billion
\nmore
\non fuel this year than first projected.<\/p>\n
Recent government statistics show the average body mass
\n index (BMI), a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity, has
\n crossed into overweight territory. The average weight of an adult man
\n was 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women was 164.3
\n pounds.<\/p>\n
from Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading