Should weight determine flying costs?

[LSN80]

According to a recent survey done by YouGov, a qualitative research online research agency, 63% of those that took a survey felt that passengers who couldn't fully fit into seats with the armrest down should have to purchase a second seat.

http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/u-s-fliers-believe-obese-should-buy-second-seat-1C9511172

Another idea put out by YouGov was the idea of weighing passengers before entering the terminal, with options to either charge people by weight, or make them pay for a second seat if they exceeded a certain weight. According to the survey done, 4 of 10 people said they wouldn't mind being weighed before entering the terminal. Said Senior VP of YouGov Ray Martin:

“The airlines are always looking to reduce weight or the cost of carrying it, and we’re finding that more people don’t seem to mind the concept.”

The idea I've seen proposed is an "either or" type of solution. Excess weight causes a plane to fly fuller, which in turn increases the cost of fuel to fill and fly the plane. However, it would be seemingly nightmarish to implement the weighing of passengers rule. While airlines could possibly make extra money through charging people more by weight, the cost for doing so would be astronomical. It's entirely plausible that doing so could lead to the need to higher extra staffers to conduct the weigh-ins, not to mention the time dedicated to it.

And regardless of whether you're charging one passenger 30 cents a pound, and another 45 cents based on weight, the cost of hiring the extra staff, not to mention unneccessary delays, would offset any 'profits' made by the airline using this method, wouldn't it?

George Hobica of AirFare Watchdog said the following:

"A more sensible approach would be for airlines to enforce so-called second-seat rules in which passengers are charged for a second seat if they can’t fit in a single seat with the armrest down. However, such policies vary from airline to airline and are often inconsistently applied, which can further aggravate what is already an uncomfortable situation for all concerned."

Mr. Martin of YouGov weighed in himself:

"63 percent of survey respondents agreed that passengers should be required to buy a second seat if they couldn’t fit in a single seat with the armrest down. If you pay money for a seat, you expect to have use of all of it and even larger people said that if you don’t fit into one seat, you should pay.”

I really struggle with this, to be honest. It truly depends on the airline's already stated policy, for me. If the price of the ticket is for one passenger, then no, they shouldn't have to pay. The obese passenger is paying for a flight, and the seat is incidental to said flight. However, if there is nothing in the language, or if it expressly states that they're paying for one seat, then I'll begrudgingly concede that yes, they should have to pay for the extra seat.

I agree with Martin. If I'm paying for a seat on a plane, the last thing I want to do is share space with someone else. Hell, I feel the same way when I go to a movie theatre or premiere. There's been two occasions when I've gone to sold out premiere's of movies, and every seat has been filled. Once, I sat next to a rather large man who elbowed me and had me stuffed into the seat the entire duration of the movie. I'm fortunate then, even as someone who flies alot, I've never had the experience, but I don't like the thought of that experience for 5-6 hours after 2 hours of it.

The difference is that universally, movie tickets are to see the flick, not necessarily for one seat. There are airlines that do have wording that says the ticket is for one seat, not one flight, and thus, can "get away" with enforcing this policy.

I try to be as sensitive as I possibly can. It plays a role in the job that I do, for darn sure. I understand that genetics play a role in people's builds, as do physical conditions. Unfortunately, in the case of flying, those genetics or physical conditions may get in the way of others, or cause seats to be vacated because someone requires extra room. And because airlines are a for profit, business industry, if they're willing to accept the backlash, I believe airlines should be able to charge people of certain sizes for two seats, if necessary.

And the aforementioned George Hobica mentions a possible benefit to implenting either of these policies:

"A lot of people don't even weigh themselves once a year. It could be a good reality check for people and good for the health of the American public."

My wife is a health nut and weighs herself daily, attempts to keep me in shape as much as possible, and has me weigh myself at least once a week. But many people aren't as "lucky" as myself in this area, and in our culture, weight easily can get away from a person with the nature of the food available. For those who fly often and are of a questionable weight, this could be motivation not only to save money, but to keep their weight down and be healthier as well.

I'm not saying I necessarily like it. There are elements of discrimination here that bother me, but at the end of the day, I understand it.

Would you have a problem with being weighed at the airport, and charged for your seat based upon weight? (I ask this regardless of your size, simply your belief on whether this is a fair policy or not. )

Do you think people who can't fit into one seat with the armrest down should have to pay for more then one seat? Why or why not?

Other thoughts on this story are welcome.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I would rather not be weighed but its not something that wouldn't overly bother me. I'm not sure what the weight limit of an airline seat is but I think with a little common sense by looking at the person should be enough to know if they need an additional seat or not. If the weight limit is something a human could break by simply sitting in it than a scale is probably necessary.

I don't think a person should be charged by weight but if it exceeds a limit that a person needs an additional seat than yes I agree they should have to pay for a second seat. Its a little conflicting with how I think, part of me thinks its a little discriminatory but at the same time its not fair to people sitting next to a guy who is taking up half your seat as well (I've been there, it sucks). At the end of the day you gotta take care of the paying customers taking the flight, they got to be as comfortable as someone sitting in coach can be and if there is an overweight guy who is squishing them up against the window chances are they ain't flying with that particular airline again.

All in all I feel it when a person initially books the flight there should be an additional seat check mark just in case said person needs an airline, give standard chair dimensions so a person knows for sure and go with it (hell even have a calculator do it if needed. What's your weight, your height, your waist size, calculate = you need a second seat). If a person lied then they either have to pay for an additional seat or be refused service, I think that's the best way to go about it.

It may not be fair making a person pay if they exceed a certain weight but then again its not fair to the people he may be inconveniencing because he's squeezing 500 lbs into a single seat, not to mention possible safety hazards that can arise.

 

[Tastycles]

No, it's a total false economy designed to make money. The amount of fuel they saved would be negligible, and they would always fill it up the same amount anyway. The fact is, there's a fixed number of seats on the plane. If you weigh less or more, they can still only fill it once. Also, can you imagine how much of a pain in the arse it would be to weigh every passenger and their luggage at check in to make sure they aren't lying?

 

[Mustang Sally]

Do you think people who can't fit into one seat with the armrest down should have to pay for more then one seat?

Sure, why not? They charge by the seat, don't they? If your body size requires that you have two seats to yourself, having to pay for only one takes money out of the airline's pocket since they can't sell that seat to someone else.

Are you saying you don't have sympathy for the airline's plight in that situation?

Fair enough; they don't have sympathy for yours, either. With the way they've been bleeding money all these years, they'll do what they have to in order to maximize efficiency.

As for conducting "weigh-ins" at the gate, it seems unnecessary: all they need is a person who looks at each passenger and determines whether they're gonna need two seats. Sort of reminds me of the guy who runs a booth at the carnival; he guesses your weight and you win a prize of he's wrong. Also, having a person who looks at each passenger and makes a determination eliminates the extra employees needed to weigh 'em all in.

But if they ever go to a system of charging "by the pound," I feel my very low body weight should entitle me to a deep discount. Why shouldn't it work both ways?

Yes, I know that's ridiculous because I'd still need a seat to myself.....but if I'm so thin I could share a seat with an equally small passenger, could we get a two-for-one? I'll even share my package of pretzels with her.

 

[The Butcher]

I'm all for it. It'd encourage flying fatties to lose some weight or at least discourage them from flying. I've been wedged in-between a pair of airborne leviathans before, and it wasn't pleasant. Neither is getting the aisle seat getting a face full of lard ass/lard crotch as they ooze themselves down the aisle. I know I'm sounding insensitive, but this is just another example of how it's in everyone's best interest for obese people to lose weight. Don't look at this as a punishment or a cash grab; look at it as a public health initiative.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I'm all for it. It'd encourage flying fatties to lose some weight or at least discourage them from flying. I've been wedged in-between a pair of airborne leviathans before, and it wasn't pleasant. Neither is getting the aisle seat getting a face full of lard ass/lard crotch as they ooze themselves down the aisle. I know I'm sounding insensitive, but this is just another example of how it's in everyone's best interest for obese people to lose weight. Don't look at this as a punishment or a cash grab; look at it as a public health initiative.

There is a problem with this, my mother is obeese, but not by choice. Her thyroid won't work, and medication for years has failed to work. I ddon't think medical insurance company's will cover the lap band, or whatever its called now, to cut off part of your stomach. Her obesity has lead to a terrible back, and knees that are all but bone on bone. Thus making it impossible for her to work out.

The saddest part about this,'ve been eating healthy with her for almost 6 months. I've lost close to 50 lbs, she's lost less than 5. So dieting doesn't work either. Her thyroid problem isn't her fault, my grandmother, and great grandmother all have had the same problems. Before I was born she weighed under 170, still pretty big. But now she's in excess of 350. I'd love to see a plane company tell my almost 60 year old mother she had to pay for two seats.

So next time maybe think that its not totally everyone's fault, my mom has tried. But her thyroid just wont work. Other people are the same way

 

[The Butcher]

There is a problem with this, my mother is obeese, but not by choice. Her thyroid won't work, and medication for years has failed to work. I ddon't think medical insurance company's will cover the lap band, or whatever its called now, to cut off part of your stomach. Her obesity has lead to a terrible back, and knees that are all but bone on bone. Thus making it impossible for her to work out.

The saddest part about this,'ve been eating healthy with her for almost 6 months. I've lost close to 50 lbs, she's lost less than 5. So dieting doesn't work either. Her thyroid problem isn't her fault, my grandmother, and great grandmother all have had the same problems. Before I was born she weighed under 170, still pretty big. But now she's in excess of 350. I'd love to see a plane company tell my almost 60 year old mother she had to pay for two seats.

So next time maybe think that its not totally everyone's fault, my mom has tried. But her thyroid just wont work. Other people are the same way

Ha! Coincidentally, my mother doesn't have a thyroid, period. Her's didn't work, and yes, it led to weight gain along with a whole host of medical problems. She's been on Synthroid longer than I can remember. However, she dedicated herself to eating right and exercising, and she's dropped in excess of 40lbs. And she's over 60! So, try the sob story on somebody who hasn't seen what true dedication to eating right and working out can do-- even in the face of hypothyroidism and a resultant removal of the thyroid gland.

Weight gain and loss is a simple equation-- eat less, move more. It's been proven to work time and time again. Excuses are all Americans seem to know, and doctors (some, not all, but too many) let them get away with it because the lazy, unhealthy, and obese keep them driving luxury vehicles and living in $500,000 houses.

I'd love for an airline to have your mother buy two seats as well, so at least we agree on that.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Oh boy we have a holier than thou person, do me a favor and fuck off. My mother works out with me actually, I bought her a set of weights 3 months ago, she works with me Monday wensdays and Thursdays. She eats right under 2k calories a day, just like me, and has cut off pop almost completely. I know all this because I cook all her meals, and buy everything for the house. Not everything works for the same people. I wasn't being smarky, or an asshole. I was just letting you know. I'm done with this, I don't need to argue with a weight expert such as yourself. Some people just can't lose the weight, plain and simple. Have a nice day.

 

[The Butcher]

Oh boy we have a holier than thou person, do me a favor and fuck off. My mother works out with me actually, I bought her a set of weights 3 months ago, she works with me Monday wensdays and Thursdays. She eats right under 2k calories a day, just like me, and has cut off pop almost completely. I know all this because I cook all her meals, and buy everything for the house. Not everything works for the same people. I wasn't being smarky, or an asshole. I was just letting you know. I'm done with this, I don't need to argue with a weight expert such as yourself. Some people just can't lose the weight, plain and simple. Have a nice day.

Take a chill pill, Gilbert Grape. I wasn't being "holier than thou," I was stating a fact. If your mother and mine had eaten better and exercised in the first place, neither would likely have developed thyroid problems to begin with. You admit that you were pudgy yourself before you started training and eating right, so it's clear that the dietary choices in your household growing up weren't the greatest. Nobody, nobody, no-fucking-body puts on nearly 200 lbs. in weight because of their thyroid. Find me the medical journal that states otherwise. Your mother gained a whole person in weight after spitting out an actual person. Don't be defensive and just face facts.

This "glandular problem" excuse is a uniquely American phenomenon because we love our cop outs. I'm sure hypo- and hyper- thyroidism exist in other countries, but you don't see Canadians, Europeans, Australians, Asians, etc. clip-clopping around like so much bovine. Obesity is a public health issue in America because we've let it slide too far for too long, and made up excuses along the way to make ourselves feel good about it. I know that some people are indeed genetically predisposed to being heavier, and there are legitimate excuses for weight gain. But when you can't fit into a chair, the excuses have to stop. I work out, eat right, and fit into any and every airplane seat I've ever come across. Why should my vacation be made uncomfortable because some sedintary fried Snickers enthusiast can't fit into one? Your rights end where mine begin, and airlines are well within their rights to charge people as they see fit (or unfit as it were).

 

[Shocky]

The only problem I have with this is, what about us tall people? I'm 6'4" and have a hard enough time fitting into cars and planes as is. My frame allows me to weigh more naturally than some genetically inferior person that is shorter than me. My superior tall genes, and the ability to put on more weight, should not be punished. In all seriousness though, it is a crock that I would have to pay more simply because of my size. I fit width wise just fine in a seat, but my legs are crammed due to lack of space between the seat in front of me. If I'm paying more, someone needs to give me more leg room.

 

[HBsam31]

This is actually a pretty simple one to me. If you can't fit in one seat and need two then of course you should have to pay for both seats. I am not skinny, but I am not fat either. I am just a normal sized person who easily fits in any seat or carnival ride seat. I don't work out, but I maintain a decent weight through just no over eating. My wife is on the skinny side, but she has an overweight family. She agree with me on this one, and her own mother would be one that would need to buy two seats. I would have no problem being weighed and charged accordingly for my seat. I think as a whole people are over sensitive. How can you even argue against having to pay for two seats if one does not fit you comfortably. Why should you get that second seat for free? I know there are people who say they can't lose weight no matter what they do. It does not matter if I agree or disagree with that. TO me this is a pretty black and white question.