A belated entry to the e-newsletter; this was passed to me by Padmassana whilst the Beetle was working away in SE Asia.

Padmassana heard on the radio that a Thomsonfly a stewardess said she needed “eight fat people” to sit nearer the front because the captain of a half-full London-bound Thomsonfly flight was unhappy about the weight distribution and therefore the handling of his plane. Passenger Peter Harrison, who weighs 24-stone, said the request for people to move was made as the plane taxied to take off from Tenerife to Gatwick last Saturday. Mr Harrison added: The stewardess said there were too many passengers on the back of the plane and she needed eight fat people sat in rows 31 to 42 to sit near the front. Mr Harrison, a postman, was not in those rows but felt awkward. He said: “In the end eight people got up and shuffled forward before we took off.