http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8471451.stm
Seems discriminating to me that if the plane is not full and there are empty seats available, an obese person will have their second ticket price refunded, while a non-obese person’s second ticket will not.
What rule of measure will they use to determine obesity? Will the person requesting a refund have to be measured for height and weighed to calculate their BMI?
they are talking about requiring obese persons to guy a 2nd seat, then refunding them the 2nd seat value if the plane is not full. Non obese perosns are not required to purchase teh 2nd seat, so whence the discrimination?
Not according to the article.
How many non-obese passengers are buying a second seat? What would be the purpose of that?
There goes my reading for comprehension. When I read that this morning I made up my own meaning it seems
Aircraft space is a finite commodity based on a combination of cubic volume and weight. If you assume people’s size is roughly related to weight then the criteria for tickets should be weight.
I don’t know how to enforce tickets by weight because they’re all purchased on-line. But having been the center of a fat sandwich on an airplane I don’t see any reason why I have to donate part of the seating space I paid for it.
To keep overly-talkative individuals and children from sitting next to me? “Get thee hence bearer of cooties!”
Is a second economy seat at 75% really cheaper than just buying a business class ticket?
Certainly. Business class on international flights typically costs four times as much as economy.
In many cases, yes. I just checked travel from here to Australia, in a bit over a month’s time, on United Airlines: economy class, $1,270; business class, $11,255. You could buy 8 economy class tickets for less than the price of a business class ticket!
British Airways from New York JFK to London Heathrow on January 31, one way: $1082 for economy, $6278 for Club (BA’s business class).
I was curious, too. If obese passengers aren’t forced to by any rule but are due to logistics (i.e., it’ll be really uncomfortable if they don’t), then in a way they do have to buy that second seat. I’m not really seeing why the average sized passenger HAS to buy the seat. Unless the seats are really, really tiny and everyone needs to have two seats to fit…
Oh wow. I thought I was being sarcastic. Maybe Air France needs to start making their seats a bit roomier?
French people are all thin. Comes from smoking all those Rizlas and Gitanes.
I never said it was a good idea. ETA: Upon reading Giles’s post, maybe it’s a god idea after all.
And you burn calories being snooty at ugly americains!
Yes.
Is that discrimination unlawful? Don’t know. Depends upon French law.
I’d like to buy the seat in front of me and remove it from the airplane. Or somehow fold it out of the way.
The last time I flew to Europe, in 2000, I decided that I would never do it again unless someone paid for a business class ticket for me. No one has.
Maybe it’s partially for the benefit of people in a full plane who’d otherwise have to sit next to an overweight person.