I realise this is quite a provocative title, but rather than offend I would like to stimulate a discussion. I read a news story online today about an urate Air France passenger here
Noone likes to be made to feel uncomfortable on a flight they have paid for, but perhaps if the airlines were more upfront about what is to be expected there would be no trouble.
How about everyone being allowed a total allowance of say 120kg. This includes luggage, hand luggage and yourself. Check-in desks could be altered so that you are weighed at the same time as your bags. The airline could introduce a charge per kg over that allowance. Anything over 140kg total would require the purchase of 2 seats. Premium tickets would have a greater allowance. Passengers would then be able to plan properly. The airlines would also know with much greater accuracy the payload they will be carrying and calculate fuel loads more efficiently.
Naturally there would be consequences and practical changes. Weight trading may occur whereby you could trade your spare 20kg with someone else who needs more (just like the carbon trading proposals in the news today). I imagine some passengers would feel the need to empty themselves of as much bodily fluid and other residue before weighing, so the check in desks will need to be near some good toilets. Dehydration may start to become a more regular occurence. New 'specially light' clothing and shoe lines would become available. Laxatives and diuretics will be freely available at the airport. We would have to draw the line though at fat passengers walking around with next to no clothes on!
It might stimulate a health drive for travelling passengers, leading to better food on board. Less luggage would be carried and future reductions in the total allowance might help reduce overall carbon emissions. Our cousins over the pond might have airlines with a slightly higher allowance [}:)]. We could have new adverts that change the "Don't drink and drive" slogan to "Don't eat and fly."
New airlines could be set up to cater for those of increased girth. I suspect BMI would have to change its name to Body Mass Index. Naturally they would need to use the new 'wide-bodied' aircraft.[:p]
I would have thought this would have been discussed before, but searching under 'fat' and 'overweight' yielded no relevant hits.
I also realise that my post has turned into more of a tongue-in cheek view of how the world would change and sadly it is my tongue in my own cheek.
Noone likes to be made to feel uncomfortable on a flight they have paid for, but perhaps if the airlines were more upfront about what is to be expected there would be no trouble.
How about everyone being allowed a total allowance of say 120kg. This includes luggage, hand luggage and yourself. Check-in desks could be altered so that you are weighed at the same time as your bags. The airline could introduce a charge per kg over that allowance. Anything over 140kg total would require the purchase of 2 seats. Premium tickets would have a greater allowance. Passengers would then be able to plan properly. The airlines would also know with much greater accuracy the payload they will be carrying and calculate fuel loads more efficiently.
Naturally there would be consequences and practical changes. Weight trading may occur whereby you could trade your spare 20kg with someone else who needs more (just like the carbon trading proposals in the news today). I imagine some passengers would feel the need to empty themselves of as much bodily fluid and other residue before weighing, so the check in desks will need to be near some good toilets. Dehydration may start to become a more regular occurence. New 'specially light' clothing and shoe lines would become available. Laxatives and diuretics will be freely available at the airport. We would have to draw the line though at fat passengers walking around with next to no clothes on!
It might stimulate a health drive for travelling passengers, leading to better food on board. Less luggage would be carried and future reductions in the total allowance might help reduce overall carbon emissions. Our cousins over the pond might have airlines with a slightly higher allowance [}:)]. We could have new adverts that change the "Don't drink and drive" slogan to "Don't eat and fly."
New airlines could be set up to cater for those of increased girth. I suspect BMI would have to change its name to Body Mass Index. Naturally they would need to use the new 'wide-bodied' aircraft.[:p]
I would have thought this would have been discussed before, but searching under 'fat' and 'overweight' yielded no relevant hits.
I also realise that my post has turned into more of a tongue-in cheek view of how the world would change and sadly it is my tongue in my own cheek.
. 