Will buffets become a thing of the past

[Mikel1733]

Searching for ways to survive the fuel crisis Airlines are now considering an option to treat passengers like freight and determine ticket prices by the passengers weight. No more fancy buffets!

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aJmRIapedEs0&refer=home

[pungo3]

:D Oh my! I guess I'll start driving instead........I'm not getting on a scale in an airport.

[inco]

It will never fly. They would be in court before the ink dried on the paper with people suing based on discrimination. Some people do have medical conditions that prevent them from being able to go to a lower fare class if it were based on weight.

 

Sure it's a wake up call for some, but it is the reality of higher oil prices.

 

Gee if they were able to do that can you imagine having to be weighed before and after your cruise/vacation? Outbound fare $200 - return fare because of gained weight - $300. Oooh that would not be nice.:( :D

[yarlenna]

I am a large person, and I would not mind if their prices were done by the pound, but only if that would mean that I could get a seat that would be comfortable.

Long ago, they used to weigh every passenger on every airplane. Then you were assigned your seat. They still do that for helicopters.

[firefly333]

I read that they estimate Americans waste $8m? a year because of being overweight driving cars. It costs more to drive a car when you are overweight. Seriously.

[Kurbanfan]

It could be a good incentive to loose weight......the reward would be the cruise.......

[NKG6002]

WOW !!!!! Talk about an incentive to stay on my diet for the cruise to the Baltics next June !!!!! Can't drive o the ship from Ohio !!!!

[Toddcan]

I am a large person, and I would not mind if their prices were done by the pound, but only if that would mean that I could get a seat that would be comfortable.

Long ago, they used to weigh every passenger on every airplane. Then you were assigned your seat. They still do that for helicopters.

 

Interesting point. If you are paying by the pound, then you should be comfortable.

[SpacemanSpiff]

This always reminds me of one of Jerry Clower's routines waaaaaay back in the day.

 

He and the wife were going to fly on one of those little puddle-jumpers, and the lady at the ticket counter wanted to know how much they weighed.

 

When asked why, the lady said, "So we'll know how much fuel to put in the plane."

 

And he said "FILL 'ER UP!!!! I don't want to crash because some woman lied about her weight!" :p

[Earthworm Jim]

:D Oh my! I guess I'll start driving instead........I'm not getting on a scale in an airport.

 

Sure you would, once you got used to the idea. You might not like it, but you're not going to stay home the rest of your life. I'm sure they'd be discreet about it. It's not like they'll have a big light up sign showing your weight for all to see.

 

I'd think it would have to be a base price for the seat and then an added surcharge for each pound because a lot of the airline expenses don't depend at all on the passenger's weight: The cost of the plane, the salaries of the employees, the cost of beverages, whatever fees they have to use the airport, etc. Those are all static regardless of how much the passenger weighs.

 

It is a valid point though that if large people are being charged more they should get more room for their money. Of course, that will just increase the amount of the weight surcharge. If the airline makes some of the seats larger, that means less total seats on the plane, and they'll have to make up that loss somehow.

 

Think of the impact of only some airlines having this policy:

 

1) Only thin people would fly the airlines that charge by weight, increasing the percentage of heavy people on the airlines that don't charge by weight.

 

2) This would increase the other airline's cost because their average passenger weight would be going up, increasing their fuel costs. They would have to charge more.

 

3) Thin people would be even less likely to fly the airlines that don't charge extra, because those lines would cost more and you'd be much more likely to be cramped by heavy people in adjacent seats.

 

You'd end up with segregated air travel, airlines for thin people and airlines for heavy people. For that reason I think either all airlines would have to do it or none of them.

[poobears]

I can see the logic behind it and I don't see it as discrimination even though I"m not one of the thin ones. I agree it would need to be all the airlines and that if they assign seating by weight they need proper seats that comfortably accomodate the people they put in them.

[Mikel1733]

 

Think of the impact of only some airlines having this policy:

 

1) Only thin people would fly the airlines that charge by weight, increasing the percentage of heavy people on the airlines that don't charge by weight.

 

2) This would increase the other airline's cost because their average passenger weight would be going up, increasing their fuel costs. They would have to charge more.

 

3) Thin people would be even less likely to fly the airlines that don't charge extra, because those lines would cost more and you'd be much more likely to be cramped by heavy people in adjacent seats.

 

You'd end up with segregated air travel, airlines for thin people and airlines for heavy people. For that reason I think either all airlines would have to do it or none of them.

 

 

Looks like the airlines are opening a real can of worms here...........no pun intended Jim.:p

[Poxy]

Everyone is talking about weight in terms of fitness, but what about height? While you can change width(unless there is a medical condition that prevents this), height you cannot for the most part. A taller person is going to weigh more than a short person of similar body type. I think that is where the descrimination arguement would definately be hard to debate.

[sakapfet]

Another way the airlines can increase their revenues is by charging a fee for any couple who would like to join the "Mile High Club"

[UpstateCruizer]

I would imagine flights would be full of families and children! Instead of driving to their destinations it would be cheaper to fly since the kids weigh so little. Pretty crazy idea.

[pungo3]

Another way the airlines can increase their revenues is by charging a fee for any couple who would like to join the "Mile High Club"

Hummm, I'd pay for that.

[mudpievelour]

Discrimination could also come in the Job arena. Companies who hire traveling salesmen and trainers would begin to hire thinner and smaller people because it would cost less for them to fly.

[augie]

They should charge by total weight - you, your checked luggage, your carry on, and personal items(s).

 

That would reward people not to overpack, and keep people from trying to hog all of the "free" carry-on space to avoid the fees for checked luggage.

 

If some one can develop seats that can be adjusted to fit different size folks (and the adjustments would need to be done pre-boarding), it just might work...

[PINEVIEW01]

Interesting point. If you are paying by the pound, then you should be comfortable.

Yep if you pay by the pound you should get so many seat/leg room inches per pound.

[BEEZALAR]

hmm, my dh and i would be average couple weight together, too bad most of the weight is on my side. He on the other hand would get the cheep rate. :rolleyes:

[DesrtDrmr]

Of course another problem with all this is that if airlines wish to charge by the pound, they'd have to weigh you BEFORE you paid for your ticket! Can you imagine the lines at the airport? You couldn't buy your tickets online, and they would have to hire many more people just to handle the weigh-in, buy in lines!!!

They couldn't just depend on people to TELL them their weight...........have you ever seen a woman's driver license? I still try to tell the nurse at the doctor's office that I'm really 6'2" when she is weighing me (I'm 5'2") :)

[thisguy74]

The helicopter weight distribution issue is that for the size of the aircraft, heavier folks could throw off the balance if they were all together. A 747 doesn't really have that as much as an issue.

 

I would like to vote for larger seats for larger people. I am 6'3" with a longer torso than most. It is quite difficult to be comfortable since seats weren't built to my proportions.

 

What we all need are JETPACKS!

[Hemisphere Dancer]

Everyone is talking about weight in terms of fitness, but what about height? While you can change width(unless there is a medical condition that prevents this), height you cannot for the most part. A taller person is going to weigh more than a short person of similar body type. I think that is where the descrimination arguement would definately be hard to debate.

 

I don't think that the issue is whether or not someone is weight-porportioned for their height. The bottom line is total weight of the load which affects fuel consumption required to transport cargo from point A to point B.

[Modernnycruiser]

More people would be open to traveling with their 2 or 3 year old. They would be really cheap.:p

[Travelitis]

There are many women who would throw a fit at the idea. I used to work check-in, and I can't imagine having to enforce that.