EasyJet asked passengers to get off a flight because it was too heavy to take off, offering volunteers up to $544 to disembark
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- An EasyJet plane from Lanzarote to Liverpool was considered too heavy to safely take off.
- Passengers were offered up to $544 each to disembark, to try to reduce the weight.
- EasyJet told Insider that 19 passengers opted to take the money and fly later.
EasyJet asked passengers to volunteer to get off a plane because it was too heavy to take off, offering those who did up to $544 to disembark and take a later flight.
A TikTok video shared by passenger Ryan Williams shows the pilot on flight EZY3364 from Lanzarote to Liverpool making an announcement about the situation to those on board.
In the video, the pilot said: "Because there's so many of you, it's a pretty heavy aircraft we've got today."
He added: "That heavy aircraft combined with a fairly short runway here in Lanzarote, and some winds which aren't completely favorable at the moment, mean that with the current environmental conditions here in Lanzarote, the aircraft is too heavy at the moment to depart."
The pilot said that the crew was experienced with this sort of incident, but safety precautions meant there was "no way" that they could take off at that time.
"Of course, the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter," the pilot said.
He then asked for up to 20 volunteers to choose to disembark and not continue their journey that night. Volunteers would be incentivized with up to 500 euros ($544) each for disembarking, he said.
EasyJet told Insider in a statement that 19 passengers ultimately took up the offer.
"This is a routine operational decision in these circumstances and weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons," a spokesperson said.
"In the event that a flight would exceed weight limits, we ask for passengers to volunteer to transfer to a later flight free of charge which is what happened on this occasion and volunteers are provided with compensation in line with regulations," they said.
The flight-tracking website FlightAware shows that the flight was delayed by one hour and 39 minutes.
According to Condé Nast Traveller, passengers being bumped off a flight because the plane is overweight is rarer than overbooking, but it does happen.
Weather, elevation, runway length, and slope are some of the various factors that can limit how much weight a plane can carry to safely take off.