You better keep an eye on the number of Easter eggs you eat this weekend otherwise you might be paying more for this year’s summer holiday – for the flights away.
Bharat P Bhatta, an economist based in Norway has recently polarised opinion with a proposed “pay as you weigh” scheme that would allow airlines to charge overweight fliers more for flights in order to recoup the cost of the extra fuel required to transport them sky high. The stark fact of the matter is: heavier passengers burn more fuel. Not only are airlines increasingly feeling the financial strain of shifting heavy weights across the globe, there’s also the environmental impact, namely CO2 emissions – to consider, too.
Bhatta has suggested three pretty simple methods: a straightforward price per kilogram; a fixed low fare, with heavier passengers paying a surcharge and lighter passengers being offered a discount; or the introduction of three bands – heavy, normal and light, with passengers charged accordingly.
Interestingly, in a poll by Holiday Extras the academic’s controversial suggestions received the backing of 48 per cent of those questioned. The proposal garnered slightly more support from men, with 51 per cent in favour, compared to 43 per cent of women.
Adult obesity rates in the UK have almost quadrupled in the last quarter of a century, with around 22 per cent of Britons now considered obese. As a direct result of this alarming, and frankly, very worrying statistic, the problem of passenger obesity has become an increasingly pressing issue for airlines in recent years and Bhatta’s proposal – although deemed harsh by some – does tackle a genuine issue faced by the airline industry.
In line with Bhatta’s suggested proposals, all passengers would be required to declare their weight when purchasing a plane ticket. Of course, these days most people book their flights online. Bhatta has a solution for this: airlines would be able to select passengers at random at the airport and if they’d told a few porky pies about their weight, they would be slapped with a fat fare and a penalty. You’re stepping well away from this hot cross buns now right…Imagine the shame.
British Airways already has a policy whereby passengers unable fit in a single seat are initially offered an extension seat belt free of charge, then if they still don’t fit into a standard seat the are expected to buy another seat.
On occasion, overweight passengers have even been bumped from full flights because there simply wasn’t enough room for them on the plane. Click here to read our article about overbooking on flights.
