It is weight not bulk that costs the airlines. Every pound takes more fuel. It is just like with our cars and shipping freight.

It is also not just bags that are the problem. Overweight passengers burn lots of extra fuel as well.

What the airlines need to do is set a 200 lb limit that comes with every ticket that is bought. The passenger gets on a scale with all their bags and pays a fee for every pound over the limit. If you are a 300 lb person with 100 lb of baggage then your ticket is going to be a lot more expensive.

Also let customers under the limit get a discount. That way, full fare child tickets will get a little cheaper.

Sure it discriminates against obese people by charging them more, but we already discriminate against smart people by making them pay more taxes.

Note that only the worst-managed airlines in the industry are the ones rushing to impose these excess fees. Reward airlines that were careful with their money before fuel prices went through the roof by flying them now, since they are not forced to impose fees for every "service" offered on a flight. Delta, Southwest, Jet Blue, Northwest, etc, are all better managed then American or United and should be applauded for restraining themselves from sticking it to their passengers.

It is the weight that costs the airlines. Providing a financial incentive to reduce the weight on planes makes a ton of sense. As a reservations agent, I explain that so that people are not just offended by the extra fee. Its like recycling, people need to be educated or ese they just are beligerant.

If only the reporter or her/his (hard to tell with the name Chris) editor had thought to include a sentence with what the actual carry-on size standard is. It is a maximum size is 45", nominally in the form of a 22" x 14" x 9" bag (22+14+9=45). By way of illustration 30" x 10" x 5" (30+10+5=45) would technically be legal as well. Plus you get your one "personal item" which is less well defined.

Remember, all of this is supposedly a cost-reduction measure. They want to limit your carry-ons so you have to check more bags and pay their stupid $50 fee.

And according to this article, how does U.S. Airways plan to enfore it? By hiring additional staff which will more than compensate for any cost savings they may have achieved.

Further proof that the airline industry can't see the forest through the trees.

You know.....I think it's time for me to look into how much it will cost to FedEx, UPS, or DHL my stuff to my final destination instead!

I recently sat next to a 300+ pound passenger who spilled over into my space. At 180 pounds I took most of my seat space with little to spare. Charging me for a carry-on that weighs 20 pounds is a little crazy.

I weigh 260, but my problem isnt sideways. I fit fine in my seat until i have to move my knees to get them out of the way of the person sleeping in front of me. I'm not fat, I'm 6'7". So if the above person's idea of charging for every 200 lbs works, I say that you charge extra for every inch of leg room. I go crazy when i see someone who is 5'4" sittin in an exit row or bulkhead, they can rst their legs straight out while I have to leave me knees in the aisle where they get ran over by the flight attendants every five seconds. I also hope your last comment was a joke, are you implying that only dumb people should pay taxes? great.

I agree with "ok" above. I'm 6'6" and 220 lbs. I am not obese by any measure (9% body fat), so I have a hard time with the idea that we should charge strictly based on weight. I would rather see us charged based on a height/weight ratio. This would treat healthy citizens that are either very tall or very short the same, but punish the chubbies for eating at McDonald's every day. While we're at it, apply this same logic to my health care premiums...

BTW, "Cap and trade" did not imply that only dumb people should pay taxes. He was correctly pointing out that financially successful people must pay a higher tax rate. There are certainly exceptions, but financial success can be strongly correllated with a persons natural intelligence and education level; thus the generalization: "smart people pay more taxes."

It was not a joke.

Cap & Trade,

I am not obese by any measure, but I do way 245lbs. Should I have to pay more?

I was just saying that he was opening a whole different can of worms, sorry for the confusion!

Perhaps bergstro is right - Let's determine the worth of person to the collective society by factors such overall health, natural intelligence, education, etc. Maybe we could also include factors such as race, ethnicity and religion.

Oh wait... I think someone already tried that in Germany about 70 years ago.

Gotta love the let's "punish the chubbies" mentality from those that are so clearly intellectually superior.

I travel weekly to a variety of business destinations. I either check one bag and have one carry-on or bring my check bag on board and use the valet check option (American Airlines provides this service) when I'm doing a short trip and do not need the extra clothes for an extended stay.
I weigh 245 at 6'-1". I understand the $15 charge for the first bag but do not see the charge for the "overweight" people being a feasible solution. Many are tall and solidly built and will exceed that imposed limit.
I see more airlines charging checked bags, "normal" snacks and drinks on flights, and every other amenity we usually expect for such high prices (Cedar Rapids to DFW is $900 this week - round trip). I think I pay enough as it is. Let's see how the market works out but make our voices heard at excessive charging (think credit card charges).
I see a passenger's revolt coming in the near future at increased charges.

What is President Bush doing about the high gas and oil prices? The high cost of fuel is going to take this nation down to a depression worse than the 1930's. Someone is ripping us off!!!????

Tuffy Parker,

Good point. I was leaning toward the "charge by the pound" mentality until I read your post. Very insightful.

I'm not a Bush fan either, but awhile back Al Gore said that he thought the government ought to artificially bring about a raise in the price of fuel to $5 a gallon. We're getting close!
I think we should blame BOTH political parties for the mess we're in.
OPEC is a cartel and they set the price of gas to benefit themselves, not based on market factors as they would have us believe. Venezuela and Mexico have state owned oil companies--they have thrown out the very companies that built their oil industries for them. Let's pump our own oil and work toward alternative sources of domestic energy and not depend on countries who are not our friends for something so essential to our nation.

My earlier post did not say that I thought everyone over 200 lb was obese or that big and tall people should be "punished" just because of their size. I was merely pointing out that it costs the airlines a lot more to fly a big, tall person than a little kid.

Just like it probably costs you more to eat and buy clothes than a much smaller person, I think it is reasonable for airlines to expect heavy people to pay more than lighter ones.

I know that doesn't sound "fair" to some people, but lighter people currently subsidize the costs to fly the heavier ones.

The idea of charging for weight may not be that far-fetched. Businesses already discriminate based on all kinds of factors that may not seem fair.

Child movie passes or park tickets are less than adult costs. Senior citizens often get discounts even if they are rich. Ladies night at the local bar is cheaper if you are female. Women pay lower life insurance rates. The list goes on and on.

actually, i dont pay more for clothes, they are just harder to find. And I have plenty smaller friends who eat more than I do. Back to my earlier statement, lets get into charging for how comfortable your seat is. A smaller person is much more comfy in the same seat that a person of my size is completely miserable in. Is that fair? No. Using your logic, someone 5'4" should pay more than me at 6'7". Sure my extra 100 lbs might mean I should pay more cause it costs more to haul my butt, but im paying the same price for less comfort.

I have to tell you that living here in Asia and travelling quite often to the States that I have to agree it should be the Gravity Challenged (kind words for over weight passengers) who should be charged extra. I'm no expert, but flying with a full load of Asians looks like its about half the weight of a US plane. And there is nothing worse than sitting in your seat when the stomach of the person sitting next to you flows over and into your seat. Forget even the faint hope of using the shared arm rest or of getting out and going to the toilet!! PLUS as a bonus they snore the loudest and take in all of the available oxygen! My recommendation? Those who are burger addicted should do us all a favor and take the train. Or maybe even lose a few pounds and try walking.