Should airlines charge according to passenger weight? (Cuba, 747, flights)
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To create one more exorbitant fee on passengers, justified by some "cost" to operating the flight, but really intended to bring in higher profits.
That's called: "predatory capitalism" which is what we've been experiencing since the RE market crashed. (Most recently).
Quote:
Originally Posted by njkate
Most ridiculous thought the airline has come up with..shaking my head here.
What next weigh ins before you board a bus, a train or a ship??? After all they all need to pay fuel as well
A plane has to fly and a boat has to float...can you float or fly if you have a rock attached to you?
I'm both tall (6'5) and overweight (what? I like to eat). This would cause a lot of problems for me since I do fly 20-30 times per year. Fortunately, I don't think the major airlines are stupid enough to do something like this.
Before jumping on or staying off this bandwagon, it would be nice to know more about how much the added (or reduced) weight of passengers would affect the overall fuel use and expense.
I did find some calculations for a hypothetical 737 flying Boston to Denver. Empty, the typical plane would cost $6600 in fuel to make the trip. At 85% capacity (122 passengers), about $7900. Or a little more than $10 a passenger.
I do not see how an airline could justify $2.50 per pound over a certain price point, if the TOTAL cost of a passenger was relatively around $10. That seems exhorbitant.
Of course, thats the point isn't it? To create one more exorbitant fee on passengers, justified by some "cost" to operating the flight, but really intended to bring in higher profits.
I'm glad someone's actually using their brain and realizing that the cost of fuel for someone who is overweight really isn't significantly more than someone who isn't.
Still think it's a silly idea. How would you even do this?? Most people book online using a credit card, so final cost is determined at weigh in station at airport??
I have been suggesting this for years. I'd be saving a fortune on plane tickets, because I actually care enough to take care of myself. Considering that weight causes fuel use and fuel is the biggest cost airlines face, it seems logical.
Do you also understand that people who take care of themselves can weigh 200 or 250 pounds depending on their frame and muscle mass?
After 13 years of lining up in TSA security checkpoints set up like cattle yards a 'weigh in' is a minor inconvenience. Perhaps it can be retrofitted to the body scanner.
Considering fuel cost is one of the biggest operating cost for airlines, I think it is a fair and reasonable policy. You pay according to the total weight of your entire luggage and your own body, so that a 95lbs skinny girl with nothing but a handbag doesn't have to subsidize a 300lbs guy with two checked in bags and two heavy carry-ons. Yes, it is subsidizing.
I hope more airlines will start doing that. Some people may complain "it is not fair, I am born this big". It doesn't matter, because it takes more fuel for the aircraft to carry you than a little person, and it is not fair for that person to subsidize you (pay same fare while consuming less energy). The incremental cost to make a bigger shirt/longer pants are negligible, but the incremental cost to transport 200 pounds of body mass is not.
You want a 6'1" 240 lb person to pay more than a 5'2" 95 lb person?
Okay, but give me a seat that is also a lot bigger.
You want a 6'1" 240 lb person to pay more than a 5'2" 95 lb person?
Okay, but give me a seat that is also a lot bigger.
what's your logic behind that?
If you want a larger seat, you pay more also. The additional fare only goes to your additional weight.
Why don't you grasp the math behind the idea? You pay for the resource that is required to move you, the resources including the fuel to carry your weight, and the space assigned for your size.
I can't even locate a web site for this small airline North Gulf Air. Actually never heard of them
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