I Heard That Some Airlines Will Start To Charge Passangers By The Pound , Is This True ? Is That Even Allowed ?, Omg As If Im Not Already Freaked Out By My Weight ......
No airline is doing it (yet), though they're eliminating snacks and even olives in salads to cut back on weight. All the hoopla is about a fake ad. Read all the way to the bottom: http://flyderrie-air.com/
But it's sparked some interesting discussion all over the Internet.
They were asked if they would do that, if it was something they were considering given the rising gas prices. The responses I saw from airlines were against it, saying that the passengers would never want to pay that way. I'd link to the CNN article I read if I could get CNN to load...
That seems like a ridiculous way to calculate the price of an airline ticket -- usually people who are in favor of such pricing figure it will only effect the overweight (and the fat should be punished as much as possible) but it will also effect people who are naturally taller and heavier than most others -- like a 225lb man who's 6 feet tall. Or will they charge based on the BMI of the passenger? "Well, you SHOULD be anywhere from 120 to 140 lbs based on your height, but since you're 190lbs, you have to pay more. But this 6 ft tall guy who's 225lbs will pay less than you, even though he's heavier, because his BMI is in range."
I think it's silliness -- people weigh what they weigh; making them pay more for weighing a certain amount is ridiculous.
It is an interesting dilemma. And it's NOT ridiculous. I'm a private pilot and I know that weight is a BIG issue for airlines. It does very seriously affect cost. Even when I fly a small plane, I have to calculate every single pound carefully - up to and including the weight of the fuel I put in the plane (gas weighs 6.15 lb per gallon, btw! ). so say you have a plane that holds 170 people. If those 170 people weigh an average of 180lbs each, that's 30,600 lbs total. If you increase that to an average of 200lbs each, the weight increases to 34,000 lbs. That's quite a bit of jet-fuel to carry that increased weight load.
That's one factor. The other factor is simply that of space. I have a friend who is extremely overweight (about 2x as heavy as I was at my heaviest) and she simply cannot fit in a regular airline seat. She has gotten lucky several times with buying a single seat and having no one sit next to her, so she can take up 2 seats, but several times she's had to buy 2 seats (which makes her really angry - and while I can understand being embarassed, I don't think she really has a right to be angry about it).
It really is a very large (no pun intended) problem for airlines and one that they can't bring up easily with the public for fear of being branded as "sizeist" or "fat bashing".
.
Last edited by PhotoChick; 06-10-2008 at 11:01 AM.
The problem I have with charging people double for two seats, is that there is nothing to prevent the airlines from making smaller and smaller seats to be able to get more double fares. Also if the seats aren't bench style, then having two seats is still not going to be as comfortable as having a seat that fits. It's not fair to pay twice the price for a less comfortable seat. If I'm going to pay double, I want twice the space. If I'm being charged by the pound, I want to be buying the same space per pound than the thin customers. The idea that I could be charged double, but then crammed into an uncomfortably small space, there's nothing fair about that either.
What I wouldn't be opposed to would be an extra row or two of very extra large seats that would easily accomodate not only larger passengers, but handicapped passengers who because of joint issues may need more seat or leg room. I would have no problem paying much more for these seats, or having to take a different flight because the seats I could fit in had all been purchased. This isn't going to be practical for existing planes, but for new ones being built, I think it's a more fair alternative.
photochick , i see where your comming from , but at the same time your heavy 165 is fairly ... plump for someone your height im heavier than you so its nothing to be ashamed of .... vut despite being plump 165 is not an unhealthy weight , its better than where you started , how would you feel @ 165 having to step onto the scale at the airport and having to pay a higher fare than someone next to you who weighs only 120 .... you both only take up one seat , ..... how is that not ridiculous ??
and as for what kaplods said i think thats a great idea .... to have an extra row or two with seats designed for passangers of a larger size/height even if they did cost more , the passangers would be more comfortable making them happy and the airline happy as well .....
First of all there will be no class distinctions inside of a Derrie-Air jet. Every passenger will be treated like royalty. Every seat will be first class. There will simply be too many extras and treats on our flights to list here, but highlights will include: gorgeous air hosts and hostesses, golden-age Rat Pack films, top-shelf vodka Martinis, on-demand video blackjack, spacious private washrooms outfitted with porcelain fixtures and gilded faucets, gourmet snacks, on-board masseuses, loofah scrubs and, of course, digital cable!
I don't think they could ever charge based on weight. I know most airlines are only allowing each passenger to have one piece of luggage now instead of two to cut back on weight. If you do bring two, you pay $25 & up each way for that additional piece of luggage. I found that out the hard way a few weeks ago!
The problem would be the cut off point for charging extra.
Would it be by the pound? It certainly couldn't be by BMI - as we know how inaccurate BMI is. There really isn't a fair way to do it.
And what about going on vacation? Do you get charged the weight for the outgoing flight, or the weight on the return flight after eating 2 weeks of vacation food? Will they check both ways??
Last edited by fiberlover; 06-10-2008 at 04:13 PM.
Hey that might be a great incentive for staying on-plan during a vacation. But what about cruise-ships, will they start doing the same, and doesn't that seem a serious ethical conflict of interest, if cruise-ships charge per pound, when they're so well known for the ridiculously sumptuous food-pushing buffets. And would they charge you per pound per day (but if every pound "counts" because the ship has to haul it, if you're gaining it eating their food, wouldn't they have had to carry it anyway, and aren't they then in a position to push food even more to increase their profits).
Hey that might be a great incentive for staying on-plan during a vacation. But what about cruise-ships, will they start doing the same, and doesn't that seem a serious ethical conflict of interest, if cruise-ships charge per pound, when they're so well known for the ridiculously sumptuous food-pushing buffets. And would they charge you per pound per day (but if every pound "counts" because the ship has to haul it, if you're gaining it eating their food, wouldn't they have had to carry it anyway, and aren't they then in a position to push food even more to increase their profits).
How many pounds of food would equal a pound gained on a person though? A pound of cucumbers would have a different effect than a pound of oil, for instance...
It'd depend when they weighed you, I guess. Right after you ate the cucumbers, you'd be up a lb...but you'd be up a lb well AFTER eating the lb of olive oil, whereas the cucumber lbs would be gone very quickly.
Airfare By The Pound ?
). so say you have a plane that holds 170 people. If those 170 people weigh an average of 180lbs each, that's 30,600 lbs total. If you increase that to an average of 200lbs each, the weight increases to 34,000 lbs. That's quite a bit of jet-fuel to carry that increased weight load. 
Will they check both ways??
