Weighty issue: Airlines to charge by the pound?

[Ken_gone_flying]

Experts seem to think this "charging per pound" method of pricing is inevitable, probably within 2 years, maybe sooner. Do you think this is fair/efficient/practical?

I don't think its efficient or practical because they would have to weigh passengers the day of their flight to determine what their airfare will be. That means longer wait times at ticket counters and more unhappy customers.

I think this is a little overboard. Weighing baggage and charging extra if it is overweight, I'm all for that. If a passenger is so big, that they require two seats, I'm all for them having to buy two seats. But this is ridiculous.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-living/ci_12547402?source=rss

 

[HAL Pilot]

If a passenger is so big, that they require two seats, I'm all for them having to buy two seats.

This. The rest is BS. And those guys in the article are not airline industry experts.

 

[gotta_fly]

On my four commercial flights this weekend I saw five people that should have had to buy an extra seat but instead crushed the person next to them. Why is it the 'honor system' in this regard? Are the ticket counter folks told it's not PC to say, "sorry, you're just too jumbo for one!"?

 

[hornsfan]

I don't think its efficient or practical because they would have to weigh passengers the day of their flight to determine what their airfare will be. That means longer wait times at ticket counters and more unhappy customers.

I agree, I dont see any way the airlines could pull this off. Whatever value they gain by more accurately charging passengers is going to be offset by the customers that they lose.

 

[PropAddict]

Possibly.

But think of all the hassle now: get their absurdly early, strip search to clear the metal detectors, no liquids, no nail clippers, etc. Even RyanAir charging to use to toilets. Ten or twenty years ago, all of the current crap would have seemed absurd, but we got "used" to it and it's the only way to fly commercial, so we deal.

Every time I have ridden a King Air in the Caribbean, I have had to stand on a scale with my bags prior to boarding. Delta would just need a few more scales and a couple more credit card swipers.

While it is a tough pill to swallow, it does make sense. Airplanes are all about lift offsetting weight, then exploiting L/D to make it efficient. The more lift demand your fat ass puts on the wings, the more your costing the company to run the plane.

Or maybe I'm just stoked because I only weight 160.

 

[Flash]

I don't think it will happen. One reason is that it could possibly be challenged as sexist/discriminatory since women, on average, are lighter than men. Is it a stretch? Maybe, but certainly something to think about.

 

[nugget61]

Makes sense to me - If I can get cross country for $380 dollars on southwest, how can UPS get away with $760 (if I were in a box)?

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Even RyanAir charging to use to toilets.

Now that is ridiculous. Thats the first I've heard of that. Just out of curiousity, how much to use the can?

 

[FlyBoyd]

Makes sense to me - If I can get cross country for $380 dollars on southwest, how can UPS get away with $760 (if I were in a box)?

You can't make this comparison..apples and oranges.

The box doesn't walk itself to the plane and then to the destination upon arrival. If SWA was responsible for getting you to the airport, flying you to your destination and then delivering you to your mom's doorstep, they would charge you more.

 

[60flyer]

Yeah, this would work real well. How many women willingly tell people their weight? So I'm sure they'd have no issue just jumping on the scale in front of everyone standing in line. Much less the people who would fight it for weight discrimination issues. Don't mess with women and their weight....

 

[Picaroon]

On my four commercial flights this weekend I saw five people that should have had to buy an extra seat but instead crushed the person next to them. Why is it the 'honor system' in this regard? Are the ticket counter folks told it's not PC to say, "sorry, you're just too jumbo for one!"?

That's what annoys me. There's no enforcement of this rule.

But yeah, I don't see this price/lb thing happening at all. Too bad though.

Think about it--whatever airline did this would get all the normal or skinny people, since they would pay less to fly that airline. You would have all the elbow room you want on that airline because obese people wouldn't fly it.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

That would also throw a monkeywrench into the plan for all these low-cost airfare websites (Expedia, Orbitz, Hotwire). How could they offer these great deals without knowing the weight of the buyer? Unless the airlines released a certain amount of seats to these websites without a weight restriction.

 

[A4sForever]

That's why I liked flyin' the WHALE ... @ 833,000# max t/o weight, we had a lot of room for 'fatties' w/out challenging them individually with a processing plant meat-scale at check-in ...

Of course, the only way we could get SOME of our 'senior' STEWs into the cockpit was to grease both sides of the door frame & lay a Hostess Twinkie on the center pedestal ...

This plan will never happen -- too much PC involved to tell 'fatties' they're 'FAT' -- and too much potential for the resultant discrimination lawsuits. It will only happen when the GOV starts telling people what kind of cars we can drive, what/where we can smoke a cigar, what kinds of 'fast foods' are O.K., and, of course, when donkeys fly ....

Oh .... are we only waiting for the donkeys???

 

[AJTranny]

Just a question for the airline pilots. I have read some carriers are reducing reserve fuel requirements to make the jets more fuel efficient. If this is true, have these companies traded any margin of safety or are y'all normally pretty fat even if you have to divert?

 

[scoolbubba]

That's what annoys me. There's no enforcement of this rule.

But yeah, I don't see this price/lb thing happening at all. Too bad though.

Think about it--whatever airline did this would get all the normal or skinny people, since they would pay less to fly that airline. You would have all the elbow room you want on that airline because obese people wouldn't fly it.

I never thought about that. This plan is BRILLIANT!

Why not just step on the scale with your luggage?! Problem solved...maybe 5 seconds longer at the counter? I love this airline already. Maybe hooters air could make a comeback if they instituted this policy, they're already about as un-PC as you can get.

Delightfully Tacky, yet unrefined.