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.