Ryanair will be the first airline to do this.

"I think it's discriminatory that people who watch their weight actually have to pay a higher airfare because of people who are overweight."

Discrimination is when everyone is treated equally. Got it.


/Luckily for me, the American bell curve is absurdly high.

Obvious:

Do midgets get a discount? What about kids?

The_Sponge: What about kids?

Airlines could put them in big hamster wheels and use them to power the engines

Aar1012: The_Sponge: What about kids?

Airlines could put them in big hamster wheels and use them to power the engines


I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Just charge by the pound... same as they do for any other cargo.

madcan34: If someone physically takes up the space of two people then that person should pay for the extra space.

Define that please. How do you know they AREN'T taking up "one person's Space" and you, you tiny flea of a person, aren't taking up 1/2 a person's space?

Should we make the smallest person on the plane the standard and charge double for every standard deviation above that? Can you be sure airlines wouldn't hire professional midgets for every flight just to screw up the average?

/yes I sound fat

//But at -100lbs from my adult max, I don't FEEL fat, so there

///And at 6'2 with wide shoulders I ain't a never fitting comfortably into into a standard seat even if I was another 100lbs lighter

I like the ground round model of airfare. When you book your flight, you book one seat with a per-pound rate which is then applied to you and your luggage's weight. You estimate what yours will be and are charged that amount upfront, and any difference is refunded\charged when you get to the airport and check in.

"Rising fuel costs"? Have these people forgotten that fuel was near $5.00/gallon for a while there? Prices have been pretty damn stable for the last couple years.

asmodeus224: GoodyearPimp: What's the cutoff? Because if I was in tremendous shape (and I'm not), I still wouldn't clear 200. I guess it's not enough that I have limited clothing selections.

Fitness is irrelevant...weight is all that matters. It matters not if you are a 300 lb body builder or a 300 lb tub-o-lard who 'wears it well'...it is all the same to the fuel consumption, so pay up. They aren't measuring your resting heartrate.

Only if you apply that logic the other way as well and give the skinny people deep discounts and make kids nearly free. Otherwise your argument is ridiculous

Magorn: asmodeus224: GoodyearPimp: What's the cutoff? Because if I was in tremendous shape (and I'm not), I still wouldn't clear 200. I guess it's not enough that I have limited clothing selections.

Fitness is irrelevant...weight is all that matters. It matters not if you are a 300 lb body builder or a 300 lb tub-o-lard who 'wears it well'...it is all the same to the fuel consumption, so pay up. They aren't measuring your resting heartrate.

Only if you apply that logic the other way as well and give the skinny people deep discounts and make kids nearly free. Otherwise your argument is ridiculous

Not really. You need a base fare regardless of the persons size to start with. The plane can only take X number of people no matter how skinny they are, because it only has X number of seats, and you need the same amount of staff no matter how fat or skinny everyone is, plus the airlines profit.

then you just charge per pound on top of that so everyone is paying fairly for the extra fuel they use if they are fat or have a ton of luggage, and aren't subsidising other people if they are thin or flying light.

So in my example, I want to fly from NY to LA. The airline knows that the flight can hold 220 people, flys on average 80% full, and what its basic costs are for doing so (staff, gate fees, etc). They also know what kind of profit they want to make on that flight to be competitive and stay in business. So that all gets factored into your seat cost, which is the base cost for your flight.

The fuel is the big X factor, as its price changes, and how much extra or less they may need to buy to cart my ass around is variable. So that is the second option on your price.

So when you go to book online, it would look something like this: NY->LA $125 + 2.10 per pound. The base price can move up and down with demand, and the fuel price can move up and down with fuel costs.

How that isn't fair or discriminatory is beyond me.

LineNoise: Magorn: asmodeus224: GoodyearPimp: What's the cutoff? Because if I was in tremendous shape (and I'm not), I still wouldn't clear 200. I guess it's not enough that I have limited clothing selections.

Fitness is irrelevant...weight is all that matters. It matters not if you are a 300 lb body builder or a 300 lb tub-o-lard who 'wears it well'...it is all the same to the fuel consumption, so pay up. They aren't measuring your resting heartrate.

Only if you apply that logic the other way as well and give the skinny people deep discounts and make kids nearly free. Otherwise your argument is ridiculous

Not really. You need a base fare regardless of the persons size to start with. The plane can only take X number of people no matter how skinny they are, because it only has X number of seats, and you need the same amount of staff no matter how fat or skinny everyone is, plus the airlines profit.

then you just charge per pound on top of that so everyone is paying fairly for the extra fuel they use if they are fat or have a ton of luggage, and aren't subsidising other people if they are thin or flying light.

That's a pretty good idea, a flat fee for person+luggage under a certain limit (maybe 300# or whatever). Over that, pay a sliding scale on how much over.

If I fly to Charlotte for the weekend, me plus my carry-on is about 230 pounds. If I fly there for 1-week, me plus my suitcase and carry-on are probably closer to 300, so I should pay more because I'm weighing the plane down more.

Ponzholio: LineNoise: Magorn: asmodeus224: GoodyearPimp: What's the cutoff? Because if I was in tremendous shape (and I'm not), I still wouldn't clear 200. I guess it's not enough that I have limited clothing selections.

Fitness is irrelevant...weight is all that matters. It matters not if you are a 300 lb body builder or a 300 lb tub-o-lard who 'wears it well'...it is all the same to the fuel consumption, so pay up. They aren't measuring your resting heartrate.

Only if you apply that logic the other way as well and give the skinny people deep discounts and make kids nearly free. Otherwise your argument is ridiculous

Not really. You need a base fare regardless of the persons size to start with. The plane can only take X number of people no matter how skinny they are, because it only has X number of seats, and you need the same amount of staff no matter how fat or skinny everyone is, plus the airlines profit.

then you just charge per pound on top of that so everyone is paying fairly for the extra fuel they use if they are fat or have a ton of luggage, and aren't subsidising other people if they are thin or flying light.

That's a pretty good idea, a flat fee for person+luggage under a certain limit (maybe 300# or whatever). Over that, pay a sliding scale on how much over.

If I fly to Charlotte for the weekend, me plus my carry-on is about 230 pounds. If I fly there for 1-week, me plus my suitcase and carry-on are probably closer to 300, so I should pay more because I'm weighing the plane down more.

I'm saying you don't even do an allowance. EVERYONE pays per pound. So if you are flying with your 30 pound kid who has no luggage, you only pay a little over the seat cost. You estimate in advance what you think you plus your bags will weigh on the flight, and the difference is settled at check-in.