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 a drag on planes.
Heavier fliers have created heftier fuel costs, according to the government
study.

Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web
sites). 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. "Our goal was to highlight one
area that had not been looked at before."

The extra fuel burned also had an environmental impact, as an estimated 3.8
million extra tons of carbon dioxide were released into the air, according
to the study.

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