Thai Airways is banning certain people from the business class section on its Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 flights over safety concerns.
The ban will affect obese passengers and parents carrying infants, with those customers forced to use economy class on the airline's Bangkok-Auckland and Bangkok-Taipei routes.
The aircrafts' business class seats have new airbag systems and safety belts, which Thai Airways says can't be used by passengers with a waistline measuring more than 142.24cm (56 inches) or adults carrying young children on their laps.
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Flight Lieutenant Prathana Pattanasiri of Thai Airways told the Bangkok Post the rules mean the planes meet US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards.
It's not the first time overweight passengers have been targeted by airlines.
Samoa Air, which now no longer operates, began charging passengers based on weight in 2013. People had to pay a base fare which was multiplied by the total kgs they and their luggage weighed.
Thai Airways added two Dreamliner 787-9s to its fleet last year.
Newshub.
