It is not necessarily so. There could be several operational reasons why seats are blocked off. Balance restrictions being just one of them. They may be roped off for:

VIP use
Group bookings
The crew may want to use them
IFE systems not working in that section
Some sort of malfunction with the seats (Armrests/tables etc)
Soiled seats/carpets

The situation you describe does not apply to all ‘nearly full’ B737’s. If it is a weight and balance issue, the probable reason for blocking off forward seats is due to the load in the forward hold creating a nose heavy situation with the centre of gravity of the a/c being well forward.

Thanks for the reply.

I should have said that the seats normally are unoccupied throughout the flight so that would rule out VIP, crew or group use, also there is no IFE (unless you count the magazine) and it is unlikely that the same seats would always be damaged or soiled.

I’ve only noticed it on many Ryanair, Stanstead to Hungary, flights so that may influence the amount of baggage on board.

I’d always assumed it was something to do with weight distribution.

I’m not saying the Western powers oppress directly, but rather their policies in most of the world are “claimed” to be being taken on a moral higher ground, but are in fact based on personal and national interests. For example, when it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian issue, India/Pakistan, Iran, Iraq.

Well I won’t argue with you there…

…but I wonder if, say Iran, had the economic power, technical expertise and military might of the USA, whether the Iranian leadership would be tempted to dictate more on their interpretation of ‘moral high ground’?

Because it is always western powers claiming to take the moral high ground in terms of foreign policy and preaching to other religions/cultures/countries all in the name of claiming to be morally superior…

Since we seem to be indulging in some mud slinging, I have a question.

Why are there so many Iraqi, Afghan and Iranian asylum-seekers in Britain? I mean if they are seeking asylum from oppression surely they wouldn’t be seeking asylum in one of those countries that was responsible for oppressing them? And if they are being oppressed in their own countries, who are they being oppressed by?

I know that isn’t a scientific measure of ‘high moral ground’ but don’t you think that it is a good indicator?

I don’t live in a Moslem country, and I don’t know weather you do, but do you think many British people seek asylum abroad?

Sorry, got a bit sidetracked there. 😮

Is anyone on the forum happy for his wife to wear a burkha?

I don’t know…..is she happy to wear one? :diablo:

I think the French decicion is a very controversial stance to take since it brings the state onto a collision-course with religion.

While I can’t really see any problem with anybody wearing whatever they feel comfortable wearing, those that choose to cover their face must, in the west at least, expect to be viewed and treated differently. Covering your face in western culture has associations with secrecy, disguise, shame, crime and so there are bound to be issues of trust.

So we agree then; Sikhs should wear a crash helmet if they want to ride a motorcycle, just like everybody else.

My apologies if I was being obtuse, it wasn’t deliberate; but your posts did seem, to me anyway, to support an exception to the law.

Which bit of “The law should be the same for everyone, no excuses, no exceptions.” are you struggling with, exactly?

The bit where exceptions are made for certain religions…..obviously.

No, it’s exactly the same thing.

No, it isn’t.

The law should be the same for everyone, no excuses, no exceptions.

I agree.

You can’t really criticise some (not all) Sikhs for not wanting to obey one law while you’re happy to flout another.

I’m not, I’m criticising the law for making exceptions based on the religious choice of individuals.

But along the line somewhere, Sikhs must have argued that their wish to ride a motorcycle (and not break the law) was more important that a law without exceptions.

Whether you pay the fines or not is beside the point.

No it isn’t, the law still applies to me in exactly the same way as everybody else…..no exceptions.

You didn’t answer my question. Would you be happy if because of my religion I didn’t have to obey the speed limit?