Headline of The Day: "Airline policies juggle larger passengers"
Any FTers quoted?
(CNN) -- You pay for checking your baggage, for snacks and for extra legroom. Word is one airline has even toyed with charging you to use the toilet. So it makes perfect sense to some fliers that heavier passengers should pay for spilling over into the next seat.
Frequent flier Ross Murphy, 54, has been sandwiched between larger fliers in coach, and he believes they should have to shell out for a second seat.
The argument that tall passengers can pay extra for E+ seats but it is only a fraction of the price for a full seat is not entirely without merit. In both cases airlines would be using revenue if they either made larger seats or longer gaps between seats. In both cases we are talking about body size.
But in the length dimension, we have little to no influence. It would be interesting to know how many obese people are obese because this is in their genes and if the obesity could be avoided despite of the genes. Then there are obesity cases due to sickness or disease.
In the end, to be not discriminatory, one would have to be even more discriminatory and say: all those whose own fault it is that they are fat, pay more. The others get a second seat for less or for free. This would be a "fat fine" so to say. And it would be judging character at least partly. Not a funny proposition. On the other hand, promoting obesity by tolerating it and doing nothing against it, is not good for the health of the nation as a whole.
I think it is really an interesting ethical and economical problem.
He can't do that. Because he can't affordable the ticket. He is not allowed to purchasable second seat for obese. I don't ever good idea for him to keep away from the aircraft. I knows he must followed the airlines regulations. He didn't obey the rules at all. I think he would eventually banned for flying any commercial airplanes for rest the lives. I believe he will have to drive somewhere else instead of put onboard the aircraft. This is not specific time for him.
I think he won't take disdvantage of him to put inside the aircraft. Because he will be too much weight restricted any aircraft. This is not good timer for him. Airlines will be denying to be denied him for boarding into the aircraft.
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In the end, to be not discriminatory, one would have to be even more discriminatory and say: all those whose own fault it is that they are fat, pay more. The others get a second seat for less or for free. This would be a "fat fine" so to say. And it would be judging character at least partly. Not a funny proposition. On the other hand, promoting obesity by tolerating it and doing nothing against it, is not good for the health of the nation as a whole.
Till
How are airlines suppose to determine who is fat by their own fault and who isn't?
I will say it again. If we mandate by law a minimum seat width that matches a cheap office chair the problem will go away.
Sure there might be a few less seats on a plane and some folks say prices might go up a bit (They wont. Under a free enterprise system a seat will sell for what a seat will sell for).
If they can legislate how much room a dog must have while on board why do people count for less?
It is too bad we must legislate common decency.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SirFlysALot
I will say it again. If we mandate by law a minimum seat width that matches a cheap office chair the problem will go away.
Sure there might be a few less seats on a plane and some folks say prices might go up a bit (They wont. Under a free enterprise system a seat will sell for what a seat will sell for).
If they can legislate how much room a dog must have while on board why do people count for less?
It is too bad we must legislate common decency.
i agree but you where weight/being as light as possible is everything when in comes to the aircraft, know that there is some bean counter somewhere justifying things like
the average weight of a pax is...
the seat at x" wide weights x pounds where the seat at x+y inches wide weighs more
and so on and so on
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeafFlyer
How are airlines suppose to determine who is fat by their own fault and who isn't?
It's not a perfect solution, but perhaps they could require a doctor's note of some sort certifying that it's a medical condition or disability. Not sure if that would violate any equal protection laws or anything, though.
The increasing obesity of America is the single largest issue facing us.
How can obesity be growing in such alarming proportions? We must find a solution. If we do not, the health care system will surely collapse and we all will suffer for it.
The increasing obesity of America is the single largest issue facing us.
How can obesity be growing in such alarming proportions? We must find a solution. If we do not, the health care system will surely collapse and we all will suffer for it.
Not necessarily. Some obesity-related deaths are instantaneous and do not call for long medical care. A quick death from, say, a heart attack can be less expensive than whatever the same person, if s/he lost weight and avoided that problem, would otherwise die from years later - after months or years of care with expensive treatments (having perhaps collected a pension and Social Security in the interim as well).
While I do not recommend obesity (or any other cause of a higher death rate) as a cure for the fiscal problems of U.S. health care, we should not rush to equate a health problem with increased health care costs. Some problems reduce health care costs.
Add to the complexity of this issue, the fact that being somewhat obese at a steady state level might well be LESS harmful than yo-yo-ing between obesity and normal and back to obesity.
Well, if we believe the economic principle that says that those who drive the costs should pay for the costs, together with the fact that weight drives fuel consumption drives costs, then just as in the case of cargo, the only fair way to charge customers is to charge them by their weight and/or the space they displace that could generate revenues (i.e. the second seat).
Given that the weight and balance standard calculations used by airlines, even after their recent updating of the standard passenger weight, are nothing more than wishful thinking, it would also be in the interest of flight safety if everyone and their cabin luggage were weighed at check-in and charged accordingly and seated dynamically for proper weight and balance, especially on smaller aircraft where clinically obese passengers have a higher impact on fellow passenger safety and comfort.
Weigh in at checkin could provide either an additional charge or "cash back" depending on one's weight relative to the standard weight included in a base ticket.
A few? 1/5th fewer seats on a DC9/MD80/B717 (~25-30 seats), 1/6th fewer seats on other mainline narrow-bodies. Even worse on regional aircraft (1/3rd to 1/4th).
Quote:
folks say prices might go up a bit (They wont. Under a free enterprise system a seat will sell for what a seat will sell for).
Market price is determined by demand and SUPPLY. Cut supply from 1/6th to 1/3rd with constant demand and price will most definitely go up because the airlines will not have the excess seats that they previously had to offer cheaper tickets to sell.
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I have no interest at all in yet another article or FT discussion about customers of size. But I do appreciate the post, I got a good chuckle from the headline. Thanks, OP.
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Good article on obese passengers
(a "genius")
