Should airlines charge more for overweight passengers?

[kilty55]

jeso,this world is on self destruct in its lust for money

if a passenger is solarge he needs 2 seats then i yes i suppose he/she shd pay for 2

some people are overweight due to medical reasons,so i think in general a large amount of us are slightly overweight nowadays ,is this just in uk and us? the average chinaman is slightly lighter to say the least to the average american so i dont think its fair no to charge more

anyway how many people are so big they need a seat for each bumcheek?

 

[kilty55]

well the question arises if the planes are going to have to accomodate larger passengers why are they making there planes seating smaller......charging the same price to ram more people in and then saying youll be paying more because your overweight


what they should be doing is providing adequately sized comfortable seats to cover 99 percent of there passengers

 

[Colour Republic]

And why not ? If you get charged for extra baggage then why not overweight people....surely its the same thing ?

I disagree.

And thus we've been conditioned to think this way. The Government do it all the time, bring in a law that we are all outraged by but have to put up with then years latter bring in a other new law that we offer little resistance too because we've been conditioned by the first.


I remember years ago my old dear writing a programme for an airline which calculated cost of fuel for a flight in relation to payload, It was for a cargo airline but of course the same rules apply.

If all airfares were worked out on total weight of passengers and luggage then yes I suppose you could say that's 'Fair' but it's not and I can't see that ever being the case. The current system of airlines charging crazy amounts for being slightly over the allowance smacks of profiteering, I can't see why when booking your flight you cannot select the weight of baggage you'd like to board with and pay a sensible amount for. But instead we have a system where people ensure their main baggage in the hold is within limits then cram all the heavy essentials into hand luggage which is never weighed. Surely that's more dangerous?

I don't think there should be a 'fat' charge, I'm also gonna sit on the fence with regards to a passenger taking up 2 seats and if they should be charged as such. I'm sure that problem is so small it doesn't even factor in the price I pay for my ticket so why should I feel it's right they should be charged more?

 

[maniek]

I dont think such an approch is acceptable at all. Seems to be another way to rip customers off.
Once airlines start to charge for 2 seats they will be a step closer to charge overweight passengers
(who doesn't require 2 seats but are just overweight) and thats the key.
Long term politics, step by step...........

 

[hillhead]

Nothing would surprise me with airlines.
During the summer they tried to charge me £200 to change a letter in a name !!!!
They got less.

 

[Olz]

If a person cant fit in one seat without impinging on the space another passenger has paid for then yes, they should have to pay for two seats IMO, Theres nothing worse than being even more squashed up in an already small seat because the person sat next to you it taking up half of your bit aswell.

Maybe they should have a section of the plane with bigger seats which are available at a slightly higher cost, sort of economy class service with first class sized seats.

Why should I have to sit through an 8 hour flight crammed up because the person sat next to me doesnt fit in a single seat.

 

[jay]

what if a pilot or stewardes is over weight or pregnant do they get paid less:lol:

 

[Olz]

I think they have bigger seats up front anyway Jay....lol

Its not about weight for me, its about size, and courtesy for those who have to sit next to you, so if you cant fit into a single seat, which everyone knows are small, then you should have to buy two, for the sake of the other passengers. I've had to sit through flights with people who basically end up with their arms and legs all over me becuase they were two wide (not heavy) to fit into a single seat and frankly, why should I pay to fly in total discomfort for 8 hours.

 

[Deleted member 9966]

what if a pilot or stewardes is over weight or pregnant do they get paid less:lol:

I know that pregnant flight crew are automatically grounded and found a ground based job until the baby is born and they return to work after maternity leave. and as for over weight flight crew, airlines tend to have strict criteria about size, height and weight measurements otherwise you won't have a job. airlines have a legitimate business reason to impose these requirements on it's staff as it's all to do with reputation and quality. only beautiful people work on the airlines, it's a sad but true fact.

 

[jay]

agree oli i think it comes down to airlines trying to cram more in for more profit so seats get smaller or my bums getting bigger:lol: