3 ms·

they need a mixture of 3-4 seat widths, scattered randomly, with wider ones costing a little more, since wider people = more weight = more cost to fly. I see no

they need a mixture of 3-4 seat widths, scattered randomly, with wider ones costing a little more, since wider people = more weight = more cost to fly. I see no real reason why weight is not a factor in costs. Children often fly for less.

eesmith 9y ago
If I read https://www.wired.com/2012/09/how-can-airlines-reduce-fuel-costs/ https://www.wired.com/2012/09/how-can-airlines-reduce-fuel-c... correctly, for intra-continential flights the cost is something like $1/10kg. Assuming a delta of 50kg that's $5 between a light person and a heavy person, which is far less than the price of the ticket. The enforcement scheme (setting up scales, getting complaints about being weighed, etc) has its own cost. That's not to say that weight isn't a factor. Samoa Air charges by weight: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/samoa-air-pay-what-you-weigh https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/samoa-air-pay-... . I believe there is a wider range of weight in Samoa and the fuel costs are higher.
- aurizon 9y ago
  True enough, modern planes are far more efficient and oil prices are low
- gargravarr 9y ago
  Passenger weight is nearly negligible in airline terms, as you note - considering the weight of the plane itself and the cargo, a few hundred humans on board makes little difference to the fuel consumption. The biggest factor is how many people they can cram into a plane at once. The only regulation holding this back to sane levels is emergency egress - too many people in one row and it'll significantly hamper evacuations. I've read a number of articles that conclude airline seat sizing is deliberately designed to be just at the point of unbearable, to persuade you to upgrade to the next class. Frustratingly, the next class up costs at least twice as much. You either have to pony up a huge sum for semi-comfortable seating, or try and bear it. I've flown London-Hong Kong (12 hours) in Cattle Class a few times, and that is about the most I can stand.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
muse900 9y ago
I find your comment absurd! You are basically suggesting that we airliners should discriminate against people that were born taller? What’s next ? Charging disabled people more because they have higher handling fees for the airliners? We live in a society and we should set some standards that accommodate everyone without discriminating else we are lost!
- aurizon 9y ago
  So someone could set up a skinny people airline, with 15 inch seats for a lot less, and grab that sector, let the others carry the hippos...

eesmith 9y ago

If I read https://www.wired.com/2012/09/how-can-airlines-reduce-fuel-costs/ https://www.wired.com/2012/09/how-can-airlines-reduce-fuel-c... correctly, for intra-continential flights the cost is something like $1/10kg. Assuming a delta of 50kg that's $5 between a light person and a heavy person, which is far less than the price of the ticket. The enforcement scheme (setting up scales, getting complaints about being weighed, etc) has its own cost. That's not to say that weight isn't a factor. Samoa Air charges by weight: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/samoa-air-pay-what-you-weigh https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/samoa-air-pay-... . I believe there is a wider range of weight in Samoa and the fuel costs are higher.

aurizon 9y ago
True enough, modern planes are far more efficient and oil prices are low
gargravarr 9y ago
Passenger weight is nearly negligible in airline terms, as you note - considering the weight of the plane itself and the cargo, a few hundred humans on board makes little difference to the fuel consumption. The biggest factor is how many people they can cram into a plane at once. The only regulation holding this back to sane levels is emergency egress - too many people in one row and it'll significantly hamper evacuations. I've read a number of articles that conclude airline seat sizing is deliberately designed to be just at the point of unbearable, to persuade you to upgrade to the next class. Frustratingly, the next class up costs at least twice as much. You either have to pony up a huge sum for semi-comfortable seating, or try and bear it. I've flown London-Hong Kong (12 hours) in Cattle Class a few times, and that is about the most I can stand.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

muse900 9y ago

I find your comment absurd! You are basically suggesting that we airliners should discriminate against people that were born taller? What’s next ? Charging disabled people more because they have higher handling fees for the airliners? We live in a society and we should set some standards that accommodate everyone without discriminating else we are lost!

aurizon 9y ago
So someone could set up a skinny people airline, with 15 inch seats for a lot less, and grab that sector, let the others carry the hippos...