http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/why-airlines-charge-fat-passengers-120203449.html</a>
Heard of this before and never thought too much about it. I can see that for the airline a flight has a number of fixed and other variable costs (e.g. the pilot and crew are paid the same whatever the weight in the aircraft, the aircraft cost is fixed whatever weight it is carrying, etc. whilst fuel to keep the aircraft in the air does depend to an extent on the weight of passengers and luggage).
So to me it seems fair that the price of a flight varies according to total weight you are responsible for in the aircraft. I assume that airlines like most businesses calculate their costs (based on average weights, fixed costs, etc.) and then add their margin, etc. to get the ticket price. So, at the moment, somebody who is putting little weight on the aircraft (themselves+luggage) is effectively subsidising those who are putting lots of weight on the aircraft. But I can also see that an airline requires clarity on ticket prices. People will want to know when they book their package holiday or flight how much it will cost. Or do they ? Is it just that people are used to the fixed pricing. After-all, when I drive somewhere I don't know in advance what the cost will be (fuel costs vary with speed, distance, diversions, traffic jams, etc.).
So to me, on the face of it I consider it a good idea (not from a selfish perspective as I am probably average weight so would probably still be paying average rates), but from a fairness perspective. But I am only really aware of the aspects and considerations in various articles (e.g. the above) and my own thoughts - and I'm sure there are many other considerations. But given the expected massive increases in fuel costs, I would expect flight tickets to increase in price over the coming years so maybe we might see a shake-up of ticket pricing, maybe starting with domestic short haul flights, etc. ?
