Air travel company to calculate plane ticket prices by passenger weight.

[Scorched_Cascade]

The head of Samoa Air has defended the airline's decision to start charging passengers according to their weight.

Chris Langton told Australia's ABC Radio that it was "the fairest way of travelling".

Rather than pay for a seat, passengers pay a fixed price per kilogram, which varies depending on the route length.

Samoa Air flies domestically and to American Samoa. It is thought the move could encourage other airlines to introduce similar policies.

"Airlines don't run on seats, they run on weight, and particularly the smaller the aircraft you are in the less variance you can accept in terms of the difference in weight between passengers," Mr Langton told ABC radio.

"Anyone who travels at times has felt they have been paying for half of the passenger next to them."

Under the new model, Mr Langton described how some families with children were now paying cheaper fares.

"There are no extra fees in terms of excess baggage or anything - it is just a kilo is a kilo is a kilo," he said.

Air Samoa's rates range from $1 (65p) to around $4.16 per kilogram. Passengers pay for the combined weight of themselves and their baggage.

Mr Langton also suggested that the move had helped promote health awareness in Samoa, which has one of the world's highest levels of obesity.

"People generally are becoming much more weight conscious. That's a health issue in some areas," he told ABC Radio.

Mr Langton said he believed that charging by weight was "the concept of the future."

"People generally are bigger, wider and taller than they were 50 years ago," he said. "The industry will start looking at this."

Source: BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22001256

So, what are your thoughts on this? Would you consider this a fair or an unfair way of pricing tickets? Would you mind if larger air companies began using this policy? Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)? What about their specific price points (in the quote above)? Would you use an airline that priced tickets based on your weight rather than a fixed price?

 

[yeti585]

It makes sense. Airplanes have to consume more fuel when more weight is added, so why not charge by weight? The part about paying for the combined weight of you and your baggage makes it a bit more fair. The policy is kind of unfair to people who physically can't slim down because of health problems, though.

I like that it also promotes fighting obesity (even if it's through it's own twisted corporate way).

 

[omega 616]

I always thought that they should do this.

I don't travel by air at all (been on a plane 2 or 3 times in my life) but I have always thought "why do people get ripped off by going over there luggage weight but it doesn't matter if the person needs 1 seat or 3".

I don't think it should be okay to be that big and expect to pay less than a guy with a lot of stuff. One persons weight shouldn't be counted differently to another persons. No luggage but 300LBS should pay the same as the anorexic model with 300LBS of clothes in luggage.

 

[antidonkey]

I'm not a particularly small person and I'm fine with charging by weight. It makes sense. The heavier the plane, the more fuel it's going to use. I could foresee a pretty nasty backlash at the company level though of those that travel for business. Suddenly, only the slender people get sent away while the fatties have to remain behind even though they might be the better choice to send. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[Zhukov]

Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)?

Wait, what?

I realise people can be sensitive about their weight, but that doesn't make sense.

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)?

Wait, what?

I realise people can be sensitive about their weight, but that doesn't make sense.

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

You're getting priced per Kilo, people like trying to save money, the airline is not likely to believe whatever you say your weight is because you are likely to ommit a few kilos (how much potentially omitted depends on your appearance or how cocky you are) in order to save yourself money.

It sounds a bit silly but if people can easily lie and skimp out on paying a few pounds then they will.

Edit: Derp, did you mean: why would people want privacy?

Some people are really sensitive about the numbers getting shown regardless of what they look like.

 

[Zhukov]

Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)?

Wait, what?

I realise people can be sensitive about their weight, but that doesn't make sense.

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

You're getting priced per Kilo, people like trying to save money, the airline is not likely to believe whatever you say your weight is because you are likely to ommit a few kilos (how much potentially omitted depends on your appearance or how cocky you are) in order to save yourself money.

It sounds a bit silly but if people can easily lie and skimp out on paying a few pounds then they will.

Edit: Derp, did you mean: why would people want privacy?

Some people are really sensitive about the numbers getting shown regardless of what they look like.

Er... I put that rather poorly.

Yeah, obviously the airline would have to weigh you and your stuff before you get on the plane.

I meant that I can't think of any reason why someone would not consent to being weighed or why they would need it to be somewhere private.

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

Still sounds a damn sight better than ryan air.

 

[ReadyAmyFire]

Makes sense, billions are being spent on more efficient engines, aerodynamics research, operational considerations etc. in the interest of saving money, weight makes everything worse.

 

[Thaluikhain]

In a vacuum, fair enough. As it stands, though, society has all sorts of issues about fat people, this doesn't look too different from another backhanded attack.

 

[Aedes]

Yay! Several questions! Let me order them and answer each one accordingly:

0.So, what are your thoughts on this?
1.Would you consider this a fair or an unfair way of pricing tickets?
2.Would you mind if larger air companies began using this policy?
3.Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)?
4.What about their specific price points (in the quote above)?
5.Would you use an airline that priced tickets based on your weight rather than a fixed price?

0- I may be terribly biased as I'm way lighter than I'm suppose to be but that approach makes sense.
1- I'm not sure. As I said earlier, it makes sense but I can see some people feeling discriminated by it.
2- I rarely travel by plane so I'm indifferent.
4- Heck if I know. The cheapest will always win anyway. Or at least, get the most costumers. That's the beauty of competition.
5- Again, if it's cheaper, why wouldn't I?

-Edit-
forget to add number 3, oops.
3- Yes.

 

[Lilani]

I feel like, from a customer service perspective, this is really a bad move. If there's one thing you never make your customer aware of, except in the most extreme of circumstances, it's that something about them is causing more of an inconvenience than any other customer. When I worked at Disney World, we never talked down to people in wheelchairs, and when they are loading on and off of rides they are never told to hurry up and you never talk about how it's holding up the ride. In truth, it is holding up the ride, but you're never to make any comment to that effect while they or any other guests are around. Customer service isn't just about making sure the customer gets what they wants, it's about making sure they are made comfortable in getting what they want and making special requests as needed.

Quite often, the people in motor scooters aren't physically disabled, beyond being overweight. But we don't prohibit them from renting scooters, and we don't charge them any more than those with actual physical disabilities. And we don't make a fuss when they need to park their scooters and get on and off of rides, just as we don't make a fuss when handicapped guests do the same. Does it cause a greater and possibly unnecessary strain on Disney's resources? Of course. More people renting scooters means Disney needs to have and maintain a larger fleet of the things. Not to mention scooters slow down crowd movement and affect how quickly rides are filled up. But their goal is to first and foremost serve the customer, so none of them are ever told how much they are inconveniencing us. And that is something that is never questioned, it's common sense as far as cast members are concerned.

So when I see an airline charging customers by the pound, I see an airline that is not only telling their customers when they are being inconvenient, but is also giving the customers a number explaining exactly how much of a bother they are. In theory it's not discriminatory, but not everybody has control of their weight. This doesn't just negatively affect fat people, but also tall people, muscular people, or people with growth disorders. The airline is grading their customer's value by pound, and if it isn't discriminatory then at the very least it's incredibly rude and goes against the most basic rules of customer service.

 

[DoPo]

Would you consent to be weighed at time of ticket purchase to prove that you are the weight you say you are (I'd assume that it'd be somewhere private)?

Wait, what?

I realise people can be sensitive about their weight, but that doesn't make sense.

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

Not to mention that taking them somewhere doesn't make sense at all. Right now, nobody can see the weigh of your luggage...well, unless they are right next to you when you put it on, but the queue is a few paces away from the check-in desk, so that's not an issue. Simply putting a pressure plate type of thing in front of the conveyor belt that works the same as the belt...would mean you don't have to waste extra time walking somewhere to be weighted. Alternatively, just step somewhere with the luggage and get weighted as a whole. Again, no issue...and again, nobody would see the measurement if it happens in front of the check-in desk.

Privacy is an absolute non-issue.

OT: Meh, whatever. I'm...let's say "not slim" but I'm alright with it. The only thing that could be annoying is there would be extra charges that are not related to the luggage or the ticket itself - when I fly, I do so with a backpack which is 5 kilos at least, maybe close to 8-10 most times (the laptop in it only is 3.5, then there is the charger, and probably a book for the journey plus extra stuff), as well as having my clothes and stuff in my pockets. I can see getting extra fees for that.

 

[Lilani]

It's a great idea, but I only have one issue. They should be charging extra after someone exceeds a certain level in their bmi. Otherwise, people might go anorexic to cut down on flight costs.

I don't think the anorexic thing is a reasonable fear in this situation...like, at all. The kind of people who travel so much that flying is such a common occurrence is businesspeople, and most of the time their tickets are paid for by their employer, so they don't have to worry about ticket cost. Everyone else is leisure travelers, who fly a couple of times a year at most, if not every several years. People who travel for leisure are on vacation, and if there's one thing they aren't going to do on a vacation it's maintain a crash diet. And even so, being anorexic every day of the year to save a few bucks once every year or so isn't a reasonable plan even by the measure of the craziest penny-pinchers. People will drive or take a boat to their destination before starving themselves to save that money.

Also, BMI is a terrible way to measure how overweight someone is. It isn't at all good at taking into account height and muscle mass. According to the BMI scale, Tom Cruise is obese.

 

[Psykoma]

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

I'm 5'10, wear a size 14, never took up more space in my seat than was available.
I weight about 240 pounds, about 50-75 pounds more than people assume I do. There are a lot of people out there who don't show their weight.

OP:
Yes, it seems to make sense, whether it's fair or not is a debateable point, I lean towards no in many cases, yes in some.
No, I would not use this airline or one with this policy.
No, I do not think that this will become standard in the industry.

 

[madwarper]

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

Don't forget, mass =/= volume.

300lbs of fat weighs the same as 300lbs of muscle.

 

[Zhukov]

If you're fat then people will be able to tell just by looking at you. No amount of not getting weighed will cover it up.

Don't forget, mass =/= volume.

300lbs of fat weighs the same as 300lbs of muscle.

Yeah, I know.

But I've never met a muscular person who was sensitive about having a lot of heavy muscle on them. In fact, they're usually quit proud of it.

 

[madwarper]

Yeah, I know.

But I've never met a muscular person who was sensitive about having a lot of heavy muscle on them. In fact, they're usually quit proud of it.

True, but the point of this is to augment the cost of the ticket depending how much someone weighs, not how large they are.

Saying someone is obviously fat or fit doesn't tell you how much they weigh.

 

[Private Custard]

If an A380 flying to Singapore has a full allocation of 471 passengers, weighing 80kg each, thats 37.6 metric tonnes.

Now pretend all the passengers are fat. We're talking serious increases in fuel useage.

Me? I'm Mr Average, through and through, I approve of this pricing structure. If all airlines adopted this, I'd be able to see my two nieces, who live in NZ, more often. 2 and 4 year olds weigh bugger-all!

 

[Fractral]

Still sounds a damn sight better than ryan air.

The one time I flew with them they let us off the plane about 40 minutes after landing and still had the gall to play that aggravating 'another on time flight from Ryanair...' jingle. Maybe easyjet will be better.
OT: Can't say this surprises me too much. As with all other areas of life, airline companies are always trying to squeeze more money out of people. On the one hand, it's a potential incentive for people to get fit, but on the other hand I get alarm bells ringing in my head whenever people suggest making people pay different prices depending on their weight/size. It was the same when gabe newell suggested making trolls pay more for games.