Federal Complaints About The Practice Have Been Denied

The U.S. Department of Transportation has denied federal complaints about Hawaiian Airlines' practice of assigning seats on its Honolulu-American Samoa route based on the weight of the passengers.

Six complaints had been filed against the airlines saying the policy was discriminatory because it was only applied on that route. But the Associated Press reports that a DOT spokesperson said that the agency had determined that the police is "not on its face discriminatory."

Fortune reports that the airline will be continuing its policy in light of the DOT determination. It was instituted earlier this month after the airline noted higher than anticipated fuel burn on the route. The airline conducted a six-month voluntary survey in which passengers were weighed before boarding the aircraft. They found that on average, each passenger and his or her luggage was 30 pounds heavier than expected.

Following the survey, Hawaiian discontinued its practice of allowing passengers to pre-select seats, and assigned seats at check-in to assure weight was distributed evenly on the aircraft.

The airline's policy keeps one seat in each row open which is either left empty or filled by a child under 13-years-old, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.hawaiianairlines.com