I lived in the Middle East when I was a kid and I vaguely remember getting weighed on flights in Saudi Arabia.

Colleen writes (emphasis added):

Yes, I do remember this. About 20 years ago Harbor Airlines, a small island commuter airline in the Pacific Northwest did this for all flights. In order to properly fly the small planes they needed an exact weight for fuel between islands. They asked for your weight on the phone when you booked your reservation. When you checked in, if the weight looked questionable, you and your luggage hopped on the scale together. This way it was not so embarrassing and no on else saw or knew if you, your luggage, or both were overweight. They did not charge by pound, but if the total person and luggage weight was over 300# you were charged an extra $50.

Perhaps this is what a weight-based fare system would need to look like today — enter your weight when you book online? Still seems impractical in an age of online check-in and carry-ons.

Ed writes:

i do remember PRINAIR. from sju to sxm early morning. all pax had to step on the scale. in case certain combined weight had been reached other passengers had to wait till next flight around 10 am. in these days (1978?) the airport hotel at sju did not hand out room keys to guests. so after you left your room you could not return. i left always my handkerchief between the room door lock to be able to return to bed in case the plane was “full”

That hotel sounds more like an airport locker!

And Elissa writes:

I flew a puddle jumper in the mid-80s, I think from Boston to Nantucket. I think it held 10 passengers or fewer. I wasn’t weighed per se, but I was asked what my weight was.

Thanks to everyone for writing in, both via e-mail and in commments! (And Claire, I like the spin you’re using to “justify” the elimination of snacks on board… )

I was surprised not to be weighed for a similar Chatham Islands flight this year.

I do recall the odd period when airlines have weighed passengers in order to update their standard weight estimates. More recently on Flyer Talk a regular posted about being asked to be weighed for a Hong Kong to Singapore flight

In a country where a large proportion of obese people are so because of their own laziness and negligence, we should have no problem making people pay for the inconvenience their lard causes others. What’s stopping us from this, and other progressive ideas such as making driving exams much harder and keeping smelly people off buses is political correctness. Political correctness is a manifestation of communism that somehow got allowed into a free country.

Let the flaming begin!

Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com

On the last flight I took with them, the plane was full (9 pax); the ground crew specifically pulled the larger guys out of the line and had them board first so they sat closest to the front.

See http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2004/AAR0401.htm and http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/usair.htm