Heavier Passengers 'Should Pay More' (and not michael o'leary btw!)

davet82

http://news.sky.com/story/1069283/airfares-heavier-passengers-should-pay-more

Airlines should make heavier passengers pay more for their plane tickets and lighter ones less, it has been suggested.

The controversial pay-as-you-weigh pricing scheme has been mooted by a Norwegian professor who argues that weight and space should be taken into account by airlines pricing their tickets.

Writing in this month's Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Dr Bharat P Bhatta has put forward three proposals.

The first would see fares directly linked to the weight of a person and their belongings, with a fixed rate for kilograms per passenger.

Under this method, a person weighing 60kg (132lb or 9st 6lb) would pay half the airfare of a 120kg (264lb or 18st 12lb) person.

Dr Bhatta's second proposal involves charging a fixed base rate, with an additional charge for heavier passengers to cover the extra costs.

Every passenger could have a different fare according to this option.

The professor's final suggestion is for passengers to have the same fare if they have an average weight, but this could be discounted for weights below a certain limit or added to for excess weight above it.

This option would result in three types of fares: high, average and low.

Bit controversial to say the least, could this be classed as 'sizeism' ?

smash

Sizeism? Seriously, is this a thing now?

If I have to pay extra for my slightly overweight suitcase, then they can pay extra for their seriously overweight bodies.

whomitconcerns

well not just "sizeist"...statistically women are lighter..so it would end up favouring them also...so sexist also :P

Edit: But since we pay for them a lot of the time I suppose it would benefit us too. (Joke)

davet82

smash wrote: »

Sizeism? Seriously, is this a thing now?

If I have to pay extra for my slightly overweight suitcase, then they can pay extra for their seriously overweight bodies.

yes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sizeism

and...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weightism

Shenshen

So say I weigh 15 kg more than another passenger, but while they check in 20 kg in luggage, I my luggage weighs only 5 kg...

With the current luggage system, I would pay more than them with this proposal, even though the airline will transport exactly the same weight in both cases.

Do we really want to make airline fees so complex, just so some people will not feel offended any more?

13spanner

Sounds like Dr Bharat P Bhatta was put sitting beside a fatty one too many times.

Miss Lockhart

I'd like to see a system where you and your luggage are weighed together and charged accordingly.

I overpack and I accept I should pay more than those who only carry on but I resent paying through the nose when me and my oversized case combined weigh less than many other passengers.

It would be difficult to implement for advanced payment though and even though I think it's unfair I wouldn't like to see people being made a show of in public.

kylith

While I have no problem with a price per kilo it would be impossible to enforce. You'd either have to input your weight, plus the weight of your clothes etc when you book the ticket online, or you'd have to wait until you got to the airport to be weighed for payment, which would be time consuming and inconvenient.

Nodin

davet82 wrote: »

http://news.sky.com/story/1069283/airfares-heavier-passengers-should-pay-more



Bit controversial to say the least, could this be classed as 'sizeism' ?

More weight=more fuel=more cost. They can either adjust the estimate for average passenger weight up, or charge the lard asses more.


I say this and acknowledge that I would be in the lardy-lard ass category.

Sergeant

It sounds perfectly plausible to me.

smash

Shenshen wrote: »

So say I weigh 15 kg more than another passenger, but while they check in 20 kg in luggage, I my luggage weighs only 5 kg...

Hop on the belt there with your bag Shenshen....

books4sale

If you weigh more than you pay more.....makes sense!

Back in the day, nature's way culled the herd, if you couldn't run then you were picked off by a wolf or something.

The Earth doesn't have limitless resources. Hit them in the pocket I say!

osarusan

I would say that Dr Bharat P Bhatta should find better things to do.

Combine passenger + bag weight

davet82

books4sale wrote: »

Back in the day, nature's way culled the herd, if you couldn't run then you were picked off by a wolf or something.

The Earth doesn't have limitless resources. Hit them in the pocket I say!

awh, I thought you were gonna suggest hunting them :pac:

Thud

you'd probably end up with a lot of dehydrated passengers and a huge queue for the airport jacks

seanmacc

I'm 85Kg and 1.98. (13stone and 6ft 6 for the dinosaurs).

I am by no means over weight and have an athletic build. Under these proposals I'd be punished for my genetics. Someone who is 5ft 5 and loves the pies could in theory have to pay less.

Its unworkable and unfair.

Gorilla Rising

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

I'd like to see a system where you and your luggage are weighed together and charged accordingly.

Just make sure to get to the airport at least 6 hours before your flight.

Sergeant

osarusan wrote: »

I would say that Dr Bharat P Bhatta should find better things to do.

He's an economist writing an article for a peer-reviewed journal, and has published a book on the use of choice models in the transport industry. I'd say the man is eminently suited to speak about such things.

Kinski

If you're over a certain weight you should have to travel in the hold....

...or if you're bringing kids on the plane.

Kinski

osarusan wrote: »

I would say that Dr Bharat P Bhatta should find better things to do.

Yeah, with that name he should be recording rap records.

LuckyLloyd

Won't ever pass into law in the EU so don't worry about it.

Miss Lockhart

seanmacc wrote: »

I'm 85Kg and 1.98. (13stone and 6ft 6 for the dinosaurs).

I am by no means over weight and have an athletic build. Under these proposals I'd be punished for my genetics. Someone who is 5ft 5 and loves the pies could in theory have to pay less.

Its unworkable and unfair.

That would be hard to swallow but the fact is that it costs more to transport you so why shouldn't you pay more?

fortune wookiee wrote: »

Just make sure to get to the airport at least 6 hours before your flight.

Did you read the rest of my post?

Gorilla Rising

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

Did you read the rest of my post?

It wouldn't be difficult to implement in advance, it would be damn near impossible.

The only way would be to weigh people and their bags at check-in, which is why we don't state the exact weight of our bags when booking online.

Miss Lockhart

fortune wookiee wrote: »

It wouldn't be difficult to implement in advance, it would be damn near impossible.

The only way would be to weigh people and their bags at check-in, which is why we don't state the exact weight of our bags when booking online.

Oh sorry, you're interested in a game of semantics. Apologies.

Lollipops23

Can't see how they'd ever get something like that through, but it does annoy me when I struggle to pack my bag within the parameters of the airline's requirements and then see an enormous person board the plane with the same sized bag as me. He or she will clearly use more fuel than me (I'm 5'6" and a dress size 12, no idea what weight).

Gorilla Rising

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

Oh sorry, you're interested in a game of semantics. Apologies.

Nope. Just pointing out the impracticality of your suggestion. Something you pointed out yourself, but didn't seem to quite realise it.

Plazaman

Heh heh pandimonium at the airport check in where ladies are asked to step on the scales in public. All the ones behind them waiting to hear the price of the ticket either to high five each other or nervously bite nails awaiting their turn. I'm sure a lot of men wouldn't like to get onto scales either as sucking in the gut doesn't decrease weight - damn it

Caliden

kylith wrote: »

While I have no problem with a price per kilo it would be impossible to enforce. You'd either have to input your weight, plus the weight of your clothes etc when you book the ticket online, or you'd have to wait until you got to the airport to be weighed for payment, which would be time consuming and inconvenient.

Unless you're charged 50 euro up front and you're refunded when you return home and have made both of your 'weigh ins'

Miss Lockhart

fortune wookiee wrote: »

Nope. Just pointing out the impracticality of your suggestion. Something you pointed out yourself, but didn't seem to quite realise it.

No. I realised it and pointed it out. You just felt the need to argue about wording.

Did anyone watch the sky news interview this morning? That posh bird was a right stuck up b1tch!

If people were charged more for being heavier and larger, will they will get seats they can actually sit comfortably in?

Gorilla Rising

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

No. I realised it and pointed it out. You just felt the need to argue about wording.

I could go on arguing about it, but I'm really not that bothered making enemies on boards.

Dravokivich

Fúck, I wish I was a midget!

BizzyC

logistics of that idea is unworkable.

You'd have no idea what price you're paying for a flight until you check in.
Further more it's a persons size, not weight, that is the most intrusive of other passengers space.

I'm 6'2" and 16st.
I can get into a ryanair seat and not bother the people sitting next to me.

Put a 5'8" guy next to me, 15st but doesn't work out at all, and he'll be spilling over into my seat.

Why should he get a cheaper seat for taking up more room in the cabin and making the journey of the people around him less comfortable?

osarusan

The idea is that it costs more money for fuel to transport more weight - it's about weight, not bulk and discomfort to other passengers.

Dravokivich

BizzyC wrote: »

logistics of that idea is unworkable.

You'd have no idea what price you're paying for a flight until you check in.
Further more it's a persons size, not weight, that is the most intrusive of other passengers space.

I'm 6'2" and 16st.
I can get into a ryanair seat and not bother the people sitting next to me.

Put a 5'8" guy next to me, 15st but doesn't work out at all, and he'll be spilling over into my seat.

Why should he get a cheaper seat for taking up more room in the cabin and making the journey of the people around him less comfortable?

If we are talking about ass to seat ratio, surely it can be based on waist size?

Malari

I don't think it would be that much more time-consuming for check-in luggage. Presumably you would pay the regular charge for your bag and yourself at a certain limit, and can charged more within certain weight bands. Your bag and yourself are weighed at check-in. If you are overweight you are surcharged.

Whether I agree with it ethically is another thing! :pac:

Marcin_diy

MC Donalds at Dublin airport would be bankrupt quickly. Nobody would eat there before the flight.
Thats bad idea. The only situation for extra charge should be when passenger is so overweight that he/she needs two seats for their a**e.

On the other side airlines change their price tickets so quickly that only few passengers pay the same money on one flight, so how to introduce fair system? and why slim small fit woman should pay less than athletic tall but not overweight man?
Maybe BMI is an option? people with BMI over 29 pay more, below21 pay less?

biko

Just put the very slim next to the very fat.
Sorted.

COYVB

smash wrote: »

Sizeism? Seriously, is this a thing now?

If I have to pay extra for my slightly overweight suitcase, then they can pay extra for their seriously overweight bodies.

You're missing something... you don't need to be overweight to be heavier than the average. What if you're taller? By default, the majority of people of 6'4+ are going to be a stone or two heavier than the majority of people of 5'10-6', so taller people will pay more while shorter people won't

COYVB

osarusan wrote: »

The idea is that it costs more money for fuel to transport more weight - it's about weight, not bulk and discomfort to other passengers.

The difference in cost between flying a flight with someone 20 stone in a seat, and someone of 12 stone instead, would be literally unnoticeable

jester77

They'll have to have extra toilets at the checkweigh-in.

Donnielighto

COYVB wrote: »

The difference in cost between flying a flight with someone 20 stone in a seat, and someone of 12 stone instead, would be literally unnoticeable

Whats your reasoning for this? Serious question btw, saw an article earlier today that said boeing recuding rivets,welds some extra panels etc was massively increasing fuel effieceny

csallmighty

books4sale wrote: »

If you weigh more than you pay more.....makes sense!

Back in the day, nature's way culled the herd, if you couldn't run then you were picked off by a wolf or something.

The Earth doesn't have limitless resources. Hit them in the pocket I say!

Also back in the day if you couldn't run due to injury or disability you would get "picked off".

So by your logic they should hike up the prices for the disabled too.

BlatentCheek

Interesting idea floated in a scholarly journal that has no chance of being implemented anytime soon gets picked up on by media and given disproportionate attention because everyone can get worked up about it: Fat people can get worried, skinny people can vent their frustrations at fat people, large but athletic people can get irate at potential discrimination against them.

If Airlines have to redesign their check in desks and procedures to weigh all passengers along with their luggage the expense, extra time wasted and resentment at the policy losing them custom to competitors would cumulatively outweigh any savings.

Already I've heard of very fat people who can't fit in one seat, I think this happened to Kevin Smith, being forced to pay for a second one that they will certainly spill over into, this seems like a more workable and reasonable solution to the problem (insofar as there is a problem important enough to require changes in Airlines policies) and yet probably attracts so much opposition that I bet many Airlines don't do it for fear of controversy

IM0

Shenshen wrote: »

So say I weigh 15 kg more than another passenger, but while they check in 20 kg in luggage, I my luggage weighs only 5 kg...

With the current luggage system, I would pay more than them with this proposal, even though the airline will transport exactly the same weight in both cases.

Do we really want to make airline fees so complex, just so some people will not feel offended any more?

no one of the cases is 20kg the other is 5kg what are you on

smash

COYVB wrote: »

The difference in cost between flying a flight with someone 20 stone in a seat, and someone of 12 stone instead, would be literally unnoticeable

I'd much rather sit beside someone of 12 stone! In fact, I'd ask to be moved if someone of 20 stone sat beside me and spilled onto my seat.

COYVB

Donnielighto wrote: »

Whats your reasoning for this? Serious question btw, saw an article earlier today that said boeing recuding rivets,welds some extra panels etc was massively increasing fuel effieceny

Speaking to people who work in the industry, the baggage regulations started all this off, and they're not there and limited at 20kg or whatever the arbitrary number is because of the weight and fuel consumption, they're set to a limit above which you have to pay because people turned out to be happy enough to pay it when they thought there was a reason. Now obviously these people could be wrong, but they maintain it makes very little difference overall, given the weight of the plane to begin with, what weight the passengers are, or what weight their luggage is

IM0

what is the cost price to an airline to transport an extra 1 kilo of weight.

currently excess is about 6€ x 1 kg?

but how much of that is profit for them and how much as I say is their cost price

Im guessing their cost price is 1/4 of **** all, **** all being 0.0001 cents


bastards :mad:

Peanut2011

davet82 wrote: »

Bit controversial to say the least, could this be classed as 'sizeism' ?

He just wanted his name in the papers to feel like he earned his doctorate!! Lets face it, you don't have to be doctor to put that forward. Michael O'Leary has been putting ideas like that out there for years now and he is no doctor.

COYVB

IM0 wrote: »

what is the cost price to an airline to transport an extra 1 kilo of weight.

currently excess is about 6€ x 1 kg?

but how much of that is profit for them and how much as I say is their cost price

To cite the people I've spoken with again who work in the industry, the cost is close to nil and the profit is pretty much total