Jump to content

Pay As You Weigh


Stuie

Recommended Posts

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/03/28/economist-proposes-pay-as-weigh-model-for-air-tickets/?intcmp=features

 

Now I am the fist to admit I am big, and a little biased, but common "Pay as You Wiegh" for airline tickets....do they not see the end result....

 

....Now Boarding flight 35 to Boston....

 

....Hold on Suzy, I am going to go vomit, so I can get the child weight rate......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is stupid. Even if I were rail skinny I'd still weigh over 200 pounds being 6'6.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with it. It costs more to fly heavier passengers, so they should pay accordingly. Fuel is one of the biggest costs the airlines face.

 

My wife's checked luggage weighs more than me for a 3 day trip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though I'm not thin, I kinda have to feel the airlines aren't really being unfair.  Just like elevators, they have weight limits.  Aircraft are designed based on average weight per seat, then some extra to cover differences.  Imagine if you're the airline and it so happens that you get a run of bigger passengers.  Do you have to give up seats and paying passengers?  Don't you have some responsibility to your stockholders to make certain as many paying passengers board each flight as possible?

 

'Rani

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is stupid. Even if I were rail skinny I'd still weigh over 200 pounds being 6'6.

Im with tyler on this, I might be on the overweight side, but even if I lost weight Id still be heavy cause Im built that way.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with it. It costs more to fly heavier passengers, so they should pay accordingly. Fuel is one of the biggest costs the airlines face.

 
My wife's checked luggage weighs more than me for a 3 day trip!

Right, but you have to pay extra for the extra bags.


Haven't read the article yet, but...
Shipping anything else is by weight so why not people. I'm a pretty small guy but heavier than I should be. Having just booked a flight, I would be willing to lose 10 lb if it would put me in a cheaper bracket. Also, my 30 lb daughter gets a full price ticket too. I realize they can't fly kids and skinny people around for $60 but I think a flat seat fee plus $X/lb would be nice. I'll be taking a trip with my daughter, wife and mother-in-law. I bet all together we weigh less than 500lb. We should at least get some bags checked for free.

On the other hand, I can see how this is really unfair to bigger people and border line discrimination.

As a side note: I am smaller than average as I said, but I am cramped in pretty tight in an airplane seat. How uncomfortable is it to fly for you bigger guys?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about if it was passanger + luggage weight. I bet people would bitch then. I hardly ever check a bag when I fly just use a carry-on and do laundry more often. The women with the 80 lbs. suitcase that weighs 100 pounds would be bitching then

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dunno. I think it will just make people feel worse. Someone close to me has an eating disorder already. How will this help in the curing process? It'll just make them feel worse cause they have to pay more which will ruin what little self esteem they may have worked their ass off to get. You have to look at it from all angles. Te bads way outweigh the goods in my opinion
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Rani on this. Granted, I desire a tolerance to accommodate some sort of reasonable metrics, but outside of small to big it's a real concern. Price discrimination makes for more efficient enterprise. Fuck the theory, though - nobody likes being smooshed up against elbows and knees. I don't think it should be directly correlated with weight, but size classes above "bigger" should affect the price.

 

/fat guy who hates sitting in the middle

//'MURICA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

heres my question, if you pay more, do you also get more room then? See the flight costs them pretty much the same with the luggage etc. on average the weight of the passengers isnt that big of a deal in the cost of the flight so it doesnt make sense to charge by weight(size) of the person unless they offer more spacious seats too.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Rani on this. Granted, I desire a tolerance to accommodate some sort of reasonable metrics, but outside of small to big it's a real concern. Price discrimination makes for more efficient enterprise. Fuck the theory, though - nobody likes being smooshed up against elbows and knees. I don't think it should be directly correlated with weight, but size classes above "bigger" should affect the price.

 

/fat guy who hates sitting in the middle

//'MURICA

 

Maybe it should be based entirely on total "flight weight".  Weight of the bags, weight on your driver's license combined.  A minimum charge plus surcharges for flight weight.  So a really skinny girl with a ton of baggage would be paying just as much as the 250 dude with a carry-on.

 

'Rani

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about just tacking on a surcharge if you + bag goes over a certain weight. 

 

Here's the problem with heavy people on planes...other people's space is impeded upon.  I've had to sit next to multiple heavy people in the past and it is the worst flying experience bc I can't move anywhere or I have to hold a posture that is uncomfortable just so I can have my own personal space.  It's like the ones I've sat next to are thinking "Yeah I'm fat, and you have to deal with it".

 

If anything, it should be somehow based on BMI...or something like how carry ons are checked.  If you can't fit in the seat without muffin topping over, add a surcharge, move to a larger seat, etc...

 

It's like planes are going to have to start widening or have less seats on a plane...reminding me of how the average width of coffins are increasing.  :(

Edited by DrSmokes
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about leaving shit alone. A 747 can shuttle a fucking space shuttle. Maybe if they made the seats slightly bigger so that someone bigger than snookie could fit and making less passangers would be a good place to start.I can barely fit my knees in between the seats and that wouldn't change if I lost 200 pounds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Southwest's approach.

 Southwest Airlines requires that passengers either fit in the 17 inches between the armrests, or they must buy a second seat.

 

If you can't fit in one seat, pay for two.  Makes sense to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The seats on planes are stupidly small. I think everyone would be fine paying 25% more if everyone got 25% more seating space

I think that's called business/first class.  Although, it's definitely not 25% more in price!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The seats on planes are stupidly small. I think everyone would be fine paying 25% more if everyone got 25% more seating space I think that's called business/first class. Although, it's definitely not 25% more in price! Yep...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

United has economy plus which is about 20-25% more and has more leg room. 
 
Of course when you're buying 4 tickets at a time thats like adding a whole extra ticket to the bill.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also doing it by weight is stupid. There's some really buff people out there that are pretty big, but they're not fat. Someone who weighs the same as them in terms of pounds (assume same height) would be much larger. How would they factor that in? Or do you have to pay extra if you work out too? So now we can't weigh too much by either fat or muscle? Seems logical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with it. It costs more to fly heavier passengers, so they should pay accordingly. Fuel is one of the biggest costs the airlines face.

 i agree with mavs here.. it is ridiculous but makes sense

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...