Airlines will be reading the study by Dr Bharat P Bhatta in this month’s Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, where he has put forward three proposals.
- Same fare if the passenger has an average weight, but discounted/extra fare for low/excess weight below/above a certain limit. This option results in three types of fares: high fares, average fares and low fares;
- Fare according to actual weight: Charging passengers according to how much they and their belongings weigh, fixing a rate for kilograms per passenger so that a person weighing 60kg (132lbs or nine stone 6lbs) pays half the airfare of a 120kg (264lbs or 18 stone 12lbs) person;
- Base fare minus or plus an extra charge: This option 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
Dr Bhatta, a professor at a the Sogn og Fjordane University College in Norway, believes and recommends that there is a valid and justifiable tax levy for overweigh passengers and option 1 seeming the most viable.
‘Every extra kilo means more fuel is burned, which leads to CO2 emissions and costs’ he explains. A subtle hint on the green agenda to try and soften his discrimination against different weighted people?
We already see budget airlines charging for excess baggage (being anything that is not physically attached to you already!). Coin slot toilets on board the flight and heaven forbid you actually want a seat on the plane, well that will cost an additional £50!
Utterly disgusting – WATC Member
So if this study gains endorsement from Airlines, we will see weigh in machines next to the security barriers, or at the check in desk you can hear just in front of you
‘ Have you packed your bags yourself? Are you carrying any sharp objects? Did you leave your bag unattended at any time? Did you diet before checking in this morning? ‘
We can only wait to see how they will handle the issue that you may put on weight during the flight or even worse, whilst you are actually on holiday!
This cannot be adopted, no one would want to have to be weighed in front of other passengers to see if they are contravening their ticket price. This is immoral and extremely prejudiced for what we can see as another excuse to charge more money for flights.
