Thai Airways bans obese passengers and infants from Business Class on Dreamliners

Thai Airways has enforced a waist size limit and a ban on carrying infants on laps in Business Class on its two Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Obese passengers and parents with young children have been banned from flying in Royal Silk class on Thai Airways’ new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The airline claims the reason behind the policy is that passengers with a waistline of over 56 inches (approx 142 cm) will not be able to fasten the newly installed airbag seat belts.

If extended, the belts could not be fitted with the airbags which fails US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards.

Passengers are also forbidden to carry infants on their laps for the same reason.

The seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration, convert to a fully flat bed and allow direct aisle access.

The new Dreamliners operate only a few routes, one of which is the non-stop service from Bangkok to Auckland.

This is not the first time an airline has made headlines regarding passenger weight. In 2013, Samoa Air charged passengers approximately 50 cents for each kilo that they were bringing aboard – both body weight and luggage.