Should overweight people pay excess on airplanes.?

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bellydancer

Yes! Yes! Yes! why should I pay excess baggage when so many people weigh twice as much as I do?n Weigh people and luggage together!!!

Evie

You have to bear in mind that many larger people often are so for no fault of their own and that their overweight is caused by illness/disease. Let's show love and compassion towards them by not adding to the challenges they already have to deal with.

tiz

I think it would be unfair as some people are overweight due to health reasons. It would be difficult to prove otherwise if this was what they claimed. You must be a thin person to even think of a question like that - or is it that you have recently been charged excess baggage.

Batty

Charge according to weight? Why? That seems so inhumane. Maybe we should make skinny folks pay more for electricity because they need extra heating? Or maybe we should give large folks a tax break because they radiate extra heat due to larger body surface? Where would it end? And what would it accomplish?

SUPER-GLITCH

No!

Should rude people, ugly people???

What about TALL people?

Mandy T

Extremely large people have to buy 2 seats - and they are not baggage they are people so why should they pay excess for their weight when they already have the embarrassment of 2 seats - your question is probably discriminative to overweight people - don't be so rude and don't go presuming Im overweight, cos I only need the one seat - hope you get fat one day

paula p

some people who are overweight do pay for an extra seat already.

Not all people who are overweight are that way because they eat to much either it could be medical, why penalise someone who is already suffering because of an ailment.

Jason G

yes. Aircraft are restriced by weight. Each seat is alloted "x" amount of weight. If the passenger count and the weight gets too high, peoples bags have to be kicked off and that is one of the biggest reasons for bags not making it with the passengers. So basically if you are grossly overweight, you are taking up needed weight for someone else's bags, which will not make the flight. I'm a pilot and I have to kick bags off every day because we are overweight. I'm not saying it's right, but thats the way it is. The more the plane weighs, the more fuel we burn. The more we burn, the more it costs per seat. The costs are passed on to all of the customers, regardless of their weight.

NTZ

No they shouldn't be charged extra $. The airline company that issued an air ticket has a contractual obligation to transport the passenger (overweighted or not). It is the airline company that has to provide an acceptable comfort for every passenger (overweighted or not).

Sharon m

If a person can't fit into their seat without hanging over into the next seat, then, yes they should pay for 2 seats. Not fair to the person who has to sit next to them, to 'share' their seat

DriverRob

Absolutely, yes.
There's a limit on luggage weight, then you pay for excess, on the basis that it costs more in fuel. If that's reasonable then so is a similar system for body weight.

skyward

Just like the infant rule, if there is a seat available an overweight person should not have to pay for an additional seat.

Miss Behavin

On balance - and I realise this is a sensitive issue - yes. The reason for saying this is that economy airline seats are restrictive and uncomfortable at the best of times. So I think that airlines should accept a mimimum seat pitch - although I accept this may make some flights more expensive. That would cut out the average "slightly overweight" person from feeling wedged in (I am not thinnist - I am overweight myself) - but prevent the seriously obese - it is true that more weight burns more aviation fuel - I think that if it wasn't such a sensitive issue the airlines would have started charging for excess passenger pounds years ago. In the UK at the moment we have a rising problem with obesity - we are the most obese nation in europe - and there are many state inititives set at getting us to eat more healthily. I think that some form of punative tax (and incentive) to slim down in time for the holiday - in order to avoid excessive charges - would actually be in the interests of everyone's public health. For those who are genuinely obese for genuine medical conditions, you should be able to receive a medical exemption certificate, in the same way that you can to take sharps on board now (for diabetics etc). Don't want to offend anyone, because I am sensitive about it myself - but I think it is a solution.

gumby and pokey

kny390 is correct. Airlines make overwaight folks that have a butt large enough for two seats pay double the fare. I'm assuming that they get double the meal too. I mean its only fair.

gillybobs

I don't think they should have to pay excess but it's not pleasant sitting next to one - they tend to emit more weird noises from both ends

kny390

A lot of airlines do make overweight people pay for two seats, especially is they flop over on the person sitting next to them.

xox_wee_viv_xox

no i dont think so as a lot of people cant help there weight as it could b down to an illness

pugaboo03

yes, yes,yes!!!!! I sat on a flight from NY to San Fran. with a lady who sat in my lap. I couldn't put the arm rest down between our seats. She sat on me. I was very uncomfortable. The airline did nothing. She or I should have been moved or compensated!!! I am not a small person so I am not being critical or cruel about being over weight. I have had to pay for an over weight bag and that's the way it is.

katie r

on most flights over weight people get up grades and that is so unfair coz why should they get free upgrades and all the rest of us have to sit in normal seats........its stupid. they shoulod get rid of those excess pounds and be treated equal.

Maryam

I think it all depends why the airplanes are making the overweight people pay for an extra seat. If you look at it from a safety point, then yes, they should pay for the extra seat. It might not be their fault they are overweight but that doesn't mean they should endanger other passangers by trying to cram themselves into a single seat. And just as you pointed out, we all have to pay for "excess baggage" weighing more than 20 kilos, then why shouldn't others with their "excess baggage" do the same?

Twisty

Yes! I saw something about this on telly the other day about a plane that had to stop and re-fuel just because the passengers were so heavy. Also, think how these people would prevent everyone getting off the plane quickly in an emergency-it's not funny.

Dan

Totally agree with you!

BAnne

Yes because a plane full of overweight people uses more fuel.

Pauline

Yes

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