Airlines aren’t the only ones who should charge a fat tax

There’s been a huge fuss recently about US airlines making obese passengers buy a second ticket or upgrade to business class if they can’t fit into an economy seat.

On one side of the argument are the poor sods like me, who have spent hours jammed up tight against an aircraft window because the passenger next door was too big to fit into their allotted space.

And on the other side, there’s an army of fat, litigious Americans whining how the new charges are an abuse of their constitutional right to eat all the pies.

Well, can I suggest that not only are airlines like United and Southwest perfectly justified in their actions, but that every transport provider in the world should follow their example?

I have to stand on my bus into Sydney most mornings because there’s an extremely large man already on it sprawled across three of the back seats. If someone has their bag on a seat, I ask them to move it. But I can hardly ask the same of him: “Excuse me, is this your blubber? Do you mind moving it so I can sit down?”

I’m in no way discriminating against the overweight and I’m fully aware chronic obesity can be a medical condition. But this is a practical issue. I don’t care if you have a thyroid problem, an addiction to cream cakes or a ventriloquist’s dummy under your arm, if you take up more than one seat, you should pay for it. 

I’ve rehearsed this argument around the office and there seem to be two main objections.

1. What about wheelchair users? They take up the space of three people on the bus, should they have to pay a triple fare?

2. If it’s standing room only, should you be expected to pay the same as someone with a seat?

On the first point, I am more than happy for my bus to be wheelchair friendly and for three seats to lift up to accommodate one. It’s how the bus was designed. In the same way that it has a two-two configuration, so four people can sit in each row, not two.

And on the second point, I think there should be a discount for standing-room only. What’s wrong with that? It works on Broadway.

By Martin Lane  ·  June 25th, 2009 at 11:23 am

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Comments


  1. Peter Winn
    25 Jun 09
    12:18 pm

    2. Hi,
    I never comment on these things, but I do have objections to people who make choices (ie get themselves obese) and not be prepared to face the consequences, or make the people around them suffer the consequences.
    I think airlines could consider charging a small fee for the ticket, then a charge per total kilo for pax weight and luggage. That way, ‘carry on’ only passengers would pay less, kids could be cheaper because they are lighter, parents would pay for thier kids luggage and obese/tall people would pay more.
    There could be a selection of wide seats for the obese people and longer seats for the tall people. Having paid more, they deserve it (and so do the people around them). Short and/or light people could pay a premium to be in the wide and long seats, or the attendants could ‘upgrade’ passengers to these seats like they do currently with the exit rows.
    Before everyone jumps up and down about my discriminatory rant, I am 6′ 3″ and would be paying more than most people – but personally I would be OK with that because I already recognise that I am wider/taller than most, and although not fat I simply take up more space. I would be grateful for the longer seat and compensate by making choices about my luggage weight, just like obese people should make choices about what they eat.
    If obese people were weighed every time they flew, they might even be more confronted with thier weight problem and either do something about it, or fly less.
    I hope this provokes thought, not anger, and basically the Western world has an increasing problem with obesity. We should be more concerned about the costs (in billions) to our public health system as a nation, and less being uncomfortable on a flight. Everyone can imagine asking someone to put out a cigarette on a plane, but who is going to say ‘put that pie down’?
    Pete

  2. carly
    27 Jun 09
    12:25 pm

    3. This is a dilemma for both types of passengers. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?p=1961

  3. Tim Richards
    29 Jun 09
    11:23 am

    4. The statement “if you take up more than one seat, you should pay for it” sounds OK at first hearing, but is only plausible if the seats being supplied by airlines are big enough to comfortably seat the vast majority of human body sizes (including height as well as width) to start with.

    Let’s face it, they’re not. The average airline seat dimensions and pitch fall below the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, and probably are only really suitable for, say, two thirds of the population. In these circumstances, it’s discriminatory to expect larger people to pay more. A 188 cm tall, stocky rugby player, for example, has committed no fault if he can’t fit into an Australian airline’s tiny seats – why should he be penalised?

    Remember too that discriminating against someone according to an inherent characteristic – race, gender, sexuality – is clearly perceived by most as unfair and is usually illegal. If, at the point that someone steps on an airline, they don’t fit into tiny seats, refusing them entry or charging for two seats is similarly discriminatory.

    If the airlines intend to continue making profits from providing seats that are too small to encompass the entire population, they should either a) make all seats larger, or b) provide a few rows of larger seats for larger people at the same fare. Obviously the second option would be more cost-effective.

    I often think the vehemence directed at larger than average size people over this issue is the charming old human tendecy for bigotry, being redirected now that its traditional targets have been placed off-limits.

    Tim Richards
    http://www.aerohaveno.com/

  4. angela
    28 Jul 09
    4:08 pm

    5. Hi, I have been in this industry since 1974 and have seen huge changes! The good old days had 3 classes of travel, economy, business class and first class and each airline charged the same!! great days !
    Now into todays world or charging for tickets..its like working on the stock exchange with fares changing constantly, taxes changing and some very varied fuel levies even on the same route between different airlines. – non one seems to be challenging this either.
    The suggestion of paying by the kilo is actually in my opinion the fairest way as it would be like a user pays system. The airlines would have same charges per kilo (one would hope) and they would then get the business on professionalism, schedules and in flight performance (as it used to be) and they would be transparrent with their chargesI have predicted for some time that in years to come the airlines will start to charge by per kilo per passenger . Just wonder when.

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