MH370 was a Boeing 777-200ER (Extended range), registration 9M-MRO, also designated 777-2H6ER, where H6 is just the code for Malaysia Airlines. It was configured for 282 passengers, 35 in business, and 247 in economy. Only 227 passengers were on board, leaving 55 empty seats.
Four passengers (initially reported as five) did not check in for the flight, Malaysia Airlines' most recent statement on this:
http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/site/dark-site.html
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/tmi/four-passengers-not-onboard-mh370-replaced-by-standby-passengers
Or was there some other reason why 55 seats were empty, such as for weight reasons?
There has been some speculation that there was a heavy cargo that limited to the number of passengers. Anyone heard of anything like that?
Four passengers (initially reported as five) did not check in for the flight, Malaysia Airlines' most recent statement on this:
http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/site/dark-site.html
Other reports are somewhat confusing:
Tuesday, March 11, 05:29 PM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - 12th Media Statement
This statement is in reference to the many queries on the alleged five (5) passengers who checked-in but did not board MH370 on 8 March 2014 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing despite having valid tickets to travel.
Malaysia Airlines wishes to clarify that there were four (4) passengers who had valid booking to travel on flight MH370, 8 March 2014, but did not show up to check-in for the flight.
As such, the issue of off-loading unaccompanied baggage did not arise, as the said four passengers did not check in for the flight. Hence, the above claim is untrue.
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/tmi/four-passengers-not-onboard-mh370-replaced-by-standby-passengers
Perhaps in "making it simple", he oversimplified, and created more confusion. Why were there standby passengers if there were 55 empty seats? Were they simply upgrade standby passengers who would have boarded anyway? (This seems fairly likely, as one of the passengers who claimed to have missed the flight is CEO Kaiden Dawson, and CEO's generally go business class)The mystery behind the four passengers who checked in but did not board the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH 370 was finally “cleared” after it was revealed that four standby passengers had taken their seats.
Following a barrage of questions on the matter, MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said of the 227 passengers, four who had bought tickets did not turn up to catch the flight to Beijing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Their places were taken by four people, who were standby passengers, he explained.
He, however did not reveal more about the four passengers.
It was earlier reported that five people did not board the plane after checking in but yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters that every person who had booked a ticket for the flight had boarded the plane.
He maintained that that is what the police found in their investigations.
"Let me make it simple, everyone who was supposed to be onboard, was on the flight," Khalid was quoted as saying yesterday.
Khalid's statement caused confusion as the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) had earlier claimed that four passengers did not get on the plane.
DCA director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman told reporters that the five had failed to board and their bags were all removed from the plane, as per the SOP, before take-off.
Or was there some other reason why 55 seats were empty, such as for weight reasons?
There has been some speculation that there was a heavy cargo that limited to the number of passengers. Anyone heard of anything like that?
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