Will airlines charge by weight?

[nikkianddean]

I saw this on Bloomberg a couple weeks ago, but I thought it was going to go away but then it was on Smarter Travel today...RIDICULOUSNESS!!!

 

 

It started out as a joke, an idea some frustrated traveler or industry analyst blurted out as yet another airline fee or fare hike was announced: "Next thing you know, the airlines will charge passengers based on their weight!" Preposterous, right?

 

Right—that is, until Air Transport Association spokesman David Castelveter was quoted in a Bloomberg article, saying "You listen to the airline CEOs, and nothing is beyond their imagination." He was speaking about the possibility of airlines charging passengers by the pound, and by not dismissing the idea, he more or less validated it.

 

Now fast forward to Friday, June 6, when an ad for Derrie-Air appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News. What is Derrie-Air? A fictional (thank goodness) airline that charges passengers by the pound, created as a marketing gimmick by the papers' parent company. It was a hoax, sure, but it threw consumers into various stages of panic (and laughter), while fanning the flames of an already fiery conversation.

 

So, should passengers be prepared for airfare pricing by the pound? In that same Bloomberg article, aviation consultant Robert Mann lays out the logic, saying, "If you look at the air-freight business, that's the way they've always done it. We're getting treated like air freight when we travel by airlines, anyway.'' Mann has a point, and maybe a good one. Why shouldn't a person be charged a fare equivalent to the actual cost of transporting his or her weight?

 

The obvious answer is discrimination, as per-pound pricing essentially penalizes larger passengers for simply being larger, a condition some individuals can't help. Something tells me the airlines will be wary of bad press, lawsuits, and other forms of unwanted attention that could accompany this pricing model. Of course, controversial policies regarding larger passengers are not exactly new. Southwest has had a "Customer of Size" rule for years that requires passengers who cannot fit into a seat with the armrests down to purchase a ticket for the adjacent seat. No other major carrier has a similar policy.

 

Again, I doubt per-pound pricing will be a reality any time soon, so don't get on the treadmill yet. But if the airline industry has taught us anything lately, it's that nothing is beyond reason.

[jajajaja]

LOL- OMG. Another reason to get my fat ass into shape. Could you imagine having to weigh in? Oh the humor.

[Yari]

Holy Moly!

 

Now I need to diet before I get on a plane. LOL!

[ACDCDCAC]

Derrie-Air - Pack Less. Weigh Less. Pay Less.

 

reminds me of SkyHigh Airlines

[Yari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LC_Rachel LOL- OMG. Another reason to get my fat ass into shape. Could you imagine having to weigh in? Oh the humor.

Could you imagine...please step on this large scale. YIKES!

[Alyssa]

i heard about this - it is pretty crazy!

 

weighin in at a security check point would make me insane!

[jajajaja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yari Could you imagine...please step on this large scale. YIKES!

With a HUGE display above that says your weight so others can ridicule. LOL My worst nightmare. Seriously.

[starchild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alyssa i heard about this - it is pretty crazy! weighin in at a security check point would make me insane!

No kidding! The security lines at LAX are ridiculous, I can't imagine how long the weigh-in lines would be! Then you would have the "your scale is off" arguments...it would be a nightmare LOL

[nikkianddean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LC_Rachel With a HUGE display above that says your weight so others can ridicule. LOL My worst nightmare. Seriously.

I just don't see how it could ever become a reality. There would be so many civil suits...i mean it's so wrong on so many levels. whatever happened to commond decency? I would be driving a lot of places and all vacations would be within 6 hours driving distance

[jajajaja]

Oh I don't ever see that becoming a reality. How would you pay for your tickets? That would mean you wouldn't know the price until you checked in. No way they could facilitate that even if they wanted to!