Airlines to charge by bodyweight?
With oil prices surging -- they jumped $10 yesterday -- airlines are coming up with all kinds of ridiculous schemes to figure out how to cope with fuel costs that have tripled since the year 2000. Delta is now charging $25 for phone reservations and American Airlines is in the process of rolling out an intensely unpopular plan to charge $15 per bag checked. Now, rumors are going around that airlines want to start charging customers based on their weight.
OK, I'll give them this much -- the idea does make logical sense. The heavier you are, the more fuel it takes to fly you from point A to point B, and thus you cost more money to the airline. It's hard to tell at this point whether the airlines industry is actually interested in gaging the public's reaction to this idea, or whether this news is just a product of the hyper-sensationalist news media. Either way, it's deliciously controversial news.
I'm pretty sure about one thing: the airlines are bleeding money. While I doubt they're desperate enough to treat people as freight, it seems like all bets are off. Southwest Airlines already charges overweight people for 2 seats if they're unable to lower the armrest between their seat and the next -- at least that seems somewhat fair. Making people stand on a scale before they board the planes seems like an insult to human dignity. You can file this news under "using fat people as a scapegoat."
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