Unless the person can't fit comfortably into one seat, or causes a measurable gravitational distortion with its mass, I wouldn't bother. The two above examples should however be mercilessly charged more for their tickets, for obvious reasons.
Should the overweight pay more for airfare?
- Thread starter VivaciousDeimos
- Start date
Because you got your seat and your baggage allowance separately, not together. This guy may weigh more than you but if his luggage is under the limit and yours is over then it isn't his fault. It's your issue that you went over the limit, not theirs and they shouldn't have to pay more for your crap that you're flying from here to there.Natasha_LB said:
The seat isn't valued in units of weight, it's in number of seats. Buy one seat, get one seat. If it worked your way then it would be "buy one seat, get a set amount of kg and go fuck yourself if you weigh more but still fit in." That just isn't kool with the gang.
And don't pull that motivation thing, don't try and justify yourself by doing that. These people clearly aren't motivated to do this, they're clearly spending money on more food than they should: they aren't about to cut down on their food because suddenly they have to pay more. This isn't a money thing, this is an effort thing and these people aren't willing to put the effort in. I agree, they're rarely pleasant but this idea is stupid.
While I can see the reasoning behind charging more for a very large person (though 220 is hardly "huge"), offering a discount to smaller people doesn't follow the same logic. They still occupy an entire seat, meaning that's one less other person that can fly.VivaciousDeimos said:
(What if you had an entire flight of skinny people? You might not make enough to warrant the flight.)
There are also other factors to consider.
1. If you were to take everyone over 220 lbs off the plane, would there be enough people to even send the flight out? If not, then the smaller folks are benefiting from the fact that the larger folks are there. More customers means lower fare for everyone, on average.
2. The surcharge for luggage isn't just about fuel consumption. It's also about the people and machinery that have to move that luggage to and fro, as well as the amount of room it takes up. It just so happens that weight is easier to measure than volume or "girth."
3. I'd need to see some hard numbers on how many pounds it takes to notably impact fuel consumption on such a trip. These aircraft can carry tons of fuel, so I'm not sure how big a difference this whole "bigger people" thing is making.
I think its fair.
If you have a policy of "How much weight you can bring on board a plane" then it seems ridiculous to exclude the weight of the person from those calculations.
if everyone can bring on 20kg of luggage and your average person weighs 60kg your average passenger accounts for 80kg of weight (176 pounds). But here comes fatty-fatty-two-by-four-cant-fit-through-the-cabin-door who weighs 160kg and then brings on 20kg of luggage accounts for 180kg (396 pounds)...I'm sure you don't have to be a math whizz to see that this guy, without his luggage, weighs as much as two people WITH LUGGAGE.
This eats into fuel, which costs a lot of money, which means that people are paying to ferry other people's fat around the world.
If there was just a standard "Weight you can bring on board" which included your own weight the crew could be considerably more accurate with how much fuel they put in the plane, Even if there were people over this standard weight, or even there were people with a lot of luggage. not only would the crew STILL be able to put in an efficient amount of fuel, only the people putting a burden on the plane would be paying for it.
Flight is not a human right and you cannot demand to be treated "Equal" in weight allowance when you demonstrably are not equivalent in weight.
If you have a policy of "How much weight you can bring on board a plane" then it seems ridiculous to exclude the weight of the person from those calculations.
if everyone can bring on 20kg of luggage and your average person weighs 60kg your average passenger accounts for 80kg of weight (176 pounds). But here comes fatty-fatty-two-by-four-cant-fit-through-the-cabin-door who weighs 160kg and then brings on 20kg of luggage accounts for 180kg (396 pounds)...I'm sure you don't have to be a math whizz to see that this guy, without his luggage, weighs as much as two people WITH LUGGAGE.
This eats into fuel, which costs a lot of money, which means that people are paying to ferry other people's fat around the world.
If there was just a standard "Weight you can bring on board" which included your own weight the crew could be considerably more accurate with how much fuel they put in the plane, Even if there were people over this standard weight, or even there were people with a lot of luggage. not only would the crew STILL be able to put in an efficient amount of fuel, only the people putting a burden on the plane would be paying for it.
Flight is not a human right and you cannot demand to be treated "Equal" in weight allowance when you demonstrably are not equivalent in weight.
Can I call this out for lacking content? I mean, really, it's like saying "yes because i think so", and then not going on to explain why you think so. This has nothing to do with the fact that I think the comment is just fundamentally silly, of course.Tanksie said:
OT: Er, no. If they're so obese they take the space of two seats, they should probably be forced to buy another seat, but otherwise, no.
It's a guy whose feelings got hurt, that's all. He was looking for a reason to be angry, because it's better than feeling embarrassed. My middle school students do it all the time.Amarok said:"So, I first have to ask how big a problem fat people on planes really is? Is it overblown? Is it actually that seats have become smaller and the rows have been compressed in a way that makes most average sized people uncomfortable, but they want to blame it on fat people? Today the women who was supposed to be sitting beside me took an option to move up into a seat that reclines a couple of rows ahead of us. I noticed that while she was freaked out about the idea of our shoulders touching, she was still touching the shoulders of the woman beside her and seemed to have no issue with that.
So is this really that big of a problem or is it a perception based on obesity hysteria ? a general cultural prejudice that fat is bad and so touching a fat person is gross, but touching a thin person is just part of being on a plane? As I walked up the aisle of my second flight today I noticed how many people were touching the shoulders of the passenger beside them without any complaint, and without suggesting that they should both be charged extra because they didn?t have a complete bubble of personal space."
This sort of thing is really dubious. I know the OP is talking about fuel costs but the tread at large almost immediately made it about "personal space" so here's a rebuttal to that. One that will go totally ignored or just outright opposed, I'm sure
Now, he has many good points, don't get me wrong. The "average person" planes design for is quite small, and that causes the problem to appear worse. But there is a big difference between sitting next to someone with whom you occasionally rub shoulders, and sitting next to someone whose shoulder pushes against you the whole time.
(Furthermore, if someone is of comparable mass, you notice that push less because you're able to "move" them as much as they can "move" you... but with a big difference in weight? One is the push-er, and one is the push-ee.)
To pretend it's just some "Eww, gross fat people touching me" thing is avoiding the issue. There's no reason for us to go down the "fat is/isn't my fault" road at all. If a bodybuilder has particularly broad shoulders, it can create the exact same problem. It's about whether or not you are impacting others. If you are, then you need to be prepared for the others to work to mitigate that impact.
If not? Hey, do your thing.
I've got to take slight issue with this. Even if someone is disabled, they're still demanding extra resources (space, manpower, etc.) compared to other passengers. It's not unreasonable to ask that they pay those costs, rather than transfer them to the other passengers (who were not asked whether or not they'd like to share).Verzin said:
Otherwise, it's like saying every deaf person should get a free interpreter to follow them around. I'm sure that interpreter would like to eat and have clothes, so someone has to pay them. It's not the deaf person's "fault" they're deaf, but it is their responsibility to take care of their own needs.
I don't think it should go by weight but size. If you want more than one seat you should pay for it. My tall ass would buy the seat in front of me and get it taken out if there was a charge for it, and if they started to let me I would NEVER assume it is my right to have that for free just because I am on the tail of the curve.
Started off in support of this, but after reading all the numbers behind it (Thanks to everyone who took the time to crunch them all and type it up), I've got to say it makes no sense.
This is one of those things that seems like a smart idea until you pass it onto someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
This is one of those things that seems like a smart idea until you pass it onto someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
Okay the seat inset valued in terms of weight... but the point is, they're allowed to fly with more weight that I can, for the same bloody price. What if I wore big baggy clothes and shoved loads of my stuff in side them (So that I was a similar weight to them), then after getting my checking my hold baggage and getting my hand baggage weighed, transferred all the weight that was previously on my person in to my hand baggage, that would be wrong right? That would be cheating the system, and yet all I'm doing is taking weight that was once on my person and putting it in my bag. If I wanted to carry 10 stone of fat in my baggage then I'd be over the limit, yet they can carry that fat on their person? WTF? That's not fair, that's not just. A set weight for everyone is the only fair system. I weight 8st 4lbs, so I don't see why I should't be allowed a couple of extra kg of luggage, especially when there are people getting on the plane in excess of 20st.The Unworthy Gentleman said:
This is about more than whether or not you fit in 1 seat as I already said I think that if you buy two seats then you should be allowed twice the weight (You've paid for it after all) but more about why are these people (Who have made a lifestyle choice) allowed to bring so much more weight on to the aircraft with them than everyone else? I've paid the same price, so I should be allowed to bring the same amount of weight on board with me... it doesn't make a difference to the plane whether that weight is in the cabin or in the hold, so why are we letting obese people bring extra weight on board for free?
I'm a solid 260. Under this plan I would pay more. It wouldn't really affect me since I have never been on a plane and besides Japan could not think of a reason to even get on a plane. But if they were going to enact it, it would interesting to see if people would be willing to put up with the hassle, embarressment, and extra charge of flying. But as is, this fat guy says fuck the rest of the world, I'm too fat to visit.
Edit: People with electric wheel chairs should be charged extra for the weight. Yes?
Edit: People with electric wheel chairs should be charged extra for the weight. Yes?
IF someone is super obese, then they should have to buy two tickets, because they take up two seats, and it would be unfair to sit someone next to them if they are going to have their private space encroached upon. Other than that? No, I don't think it's fair.
Its not about weight with me its about size. If your large enough where you can't fit in a single seat then buy the second seat. Yes I'm sorry it costs you an extra 800 dollars, but I would like to be able to fit in my own seat.
or give me half off on my airfare. I will go for that.
or give me half off on my airfare. I will go for that.
There are people who weigh that much that are perfectly healthy. Pro athletes, body builders. Easily 200+ pounds. The fact that you are comparing their extra mass to your extra luggage is just insulting. I should get more stuff cause I'm skinny isn't much of an argument.Natasha_LB said:
We also need to move off that it doesn't just affect obese people. People who are healthier than a lot of the people pro this are affected as well, and by some of this backwoods logic, maybe you oughta build some muscle and gain a few pounds, rather then bring the curve down.
Pay more for the fuel? The PR for the company that does this would be terrible!
However, I am all for the idea that people should pay for each seat they occupy, and also should get to occupy every seat they have paid for, so if I am so fat I take up 1,5 seats, I should pay for 2, and if I have paid for one seat, but some morbidly obese person is forcing me to lean to the left for the entirety of the flight, I should have most, if not all of my money refunded.
Of course not everyone who is fat are so because of their own doing, there are medications and physical conditions that can cause obesity, but the vast majority of overweight people just need to learn to eat right (e.g. Cheese does not go on everything) and excercise a bit.
However, I am all for the idea that people should pay for each seat they occupy, and also should get to occupy every seat they have paid for, so if I am so fat I take up 1,5 seats, I should pay for 2, and if I have paid for one seat, but some morbidly obese person is forcing me to lean to the left for the entirety of the flight, I should have most, if not all of my money refunded.
Of course not everyone who is fat are so because of their own doing, there are medications and physical conditions that can cause obesity, but the vast majority of overweight people just need to learn to eat right (e.g. Cheese does not go on everything) and excercise a bit.