A story on Yahoo news mentions that the Philadelphia newspapers are running advertisements for a fake airline, Derrie-Air (get it?). The airline advertises that it is carbon-neutral, and that it charges per passenger pound — $1.40 from Philadelphia to Chicago, $2.25 from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
Screen shot from flyderrie-air.com.While quite mythical, this pricing structure is not unreasonable: the heavier people cost more to ship; and at a time when fuel prices are so high, this seems especially important and a good way of letting price reflect marginal cost.
Also, heavier people spill over onto their neighbors’ seats, generating negative externalities for the other passengers. So I hope a few real-world airlines take notes and think about charging heavier passengers extra.
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Don’t just take the weight of the passenger, you should also consider the weight of the luggage.
Being an obese person, you may find it surprising that I do not object to paying (at least partly) based on weight. But I have 2 suggestions:
1) The airlines should show how they arrive at their price per pound.
2) Those paying substantially more should get wider seats, perhaps in the back.
I would love this as I’m grossly underweight.
I think an approach similar to the one taken with smokers should be followed. Just as it is illegal to smoke aboard an airplane, it should be illegal to be overweight aboard an airplane. If one wants to be overweight in one’s own home, so be it, but regular people should not have to be exposed to it.
As “The Largest Poster on Freakonomics” (will that get me in the Guinness book?), I have some thoughts….
First, I certainly understand that a big buy costs more to transport than a small one. But consider that the big man is NOT receiving the same sort of service the smaller man is.
While the small guy can sit comfortably in the seat, the big guy (who is presumeably paying more) must shoehorn his fat behind into a seat made, really, for a large toddler–or else pay four times as much to go first class.
Not fair.
And then there’s the food. If I’m going to pay more, then I’m thinking that the Coke and bag of peanuts that fully satisfies the small man should be upgraded to a LARGE Coke and three bags of peanuts in order that I get similar treatment.
Instead of separate but equal discrimination, the big person is getting “same but UNEQUAL” discrimination.
Very simply, I would be happy to pay more to fly. But to pay more to fly while STILL being painfully strapped into a flying baby seat…that’s not right.
Second, is weight the only factor in “cost of shipping”? I’m thinking that a troublesome, drunken passenger is more expensive (in wasted time and lost goodwill) than a guy who weighs 350 lbs. Or how about the parents with the screaming children that ensure that everyone is on edge (not their fault–but maybe my weight isn’t my fault)?
Here’s a possible list of charges:
X dollars per pound.
Will you be drinking? If so, add X dollars per pound.
Will you be travelling with children under the age of 4? If so, add X dollars per pound.
Bad breath? Flatulence? Add X dollars per pound.
Like to talk controversial politics or religions? Add X dollars per pound.
Will you be sleeping? If so, do you snore? If so, add X dollars per pound.
All of these have a “cost” to the airline. If not in measureable costs, then in goodwill and customer satisfaction (which may cost even more).
Just my 14 cents.
Bad idea, in fact extremely bad. You pay not only for the fuel, but for the seat, out of a limited number, so there should be a fixed price for that at least. And the miniscule increase in rationality in the pricing, which would benefit a minority, would be outweighed by it being a pointless irritant to people of normal weight, and an outrage to those above normal. How many of you want to be weighed at the airport?
That said, anyone who requires two seats to sit comfortably should be able (and if necessary required) to do that, both for their own benefit and that of their neighbours. Or perhaps that’s how it is already?
Why not start charging for babies since their weight supposedly makes a difference? Why not charge more for people who just ate before boarding since they weigh more?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sit next to some guy in a speedo because he wants to save $4.50 from lessening his weight because he isn’t wearing clothes to save money on his airfare.
Terrific! I can’t wait until everyone has to stand on a scale before buying tickets at the airport! Goodbye internet sales, hello long lines at the airport waiting for the reps to measure our waists, putting us on scales, and measuring our height!