Consumer

  Some airlines are reportedly considering the idea of charging passengers for tickets based on their weight to help deal with skyrocketing fuel costs. We wanted to know what you think of the idea:

I think it is a bad idea. Unless all airlines started charging, the ones that will charge will lose more business and possibly go out of business. It is a good thing that when I was younger that I had the opportunity to do lots of traveling. Because I would not want to be weighted and charged by the pound. I can just imagine some of the business men that I have known being charged based on their weight. The airlines now are increasing their charges and then treat the passengers from fair to poor. --M. McCarthy

Airline weight tax DIET, a great idea to help our ever bulging population (and I'm overweight by 100 pounds). Let's extend this idea to buses, taxis, railroad, commuter trains, and "all you can eat buffets" too. Why not! Overweight people already pay more for larger size clothes, health and life insurance. Let's transfer this FAT handicap idea to all people who are physically handicapped too. Hey, wheel chairs take up the space of two people. Companies pay more for ramps, and special services for all handicapped. This Weight Tax idea is more patheic than the Democratic presidential nominee election. --Robert Cane, Orland Park

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. How insulting to the public to have to pay more for your ticket because you happen to be a larger person. Maybe the airlines should rally together to get gas prices down and not expect the public to pay for the governments mistakes. --Karen

First of all for any woman - are you kidding? This is a violation of my privacy. Do underweight people get discounts? In this country with "growing" obesity, it's one more way to humiliate overweight people and penalize them. One seat, one price by class. Would there be a sliding scale of fees as to % overweight a person is? This is ridiculous. Maybe overweight people should fly naked to take off a few pounds and reduce their charge. I see too many people working at the airport doing nothing. Time to cut the slackers and look for other cost savings measures instead of this outrageous quick fix at the expense of humanity and decency. --Carol Kozlowski

It's Total DiSCRIMINATION! Airlines should "deal" with high fuel costs by cutting the "skyrocketing"salaries of all their top executves who make millions on the poor passengers' pains and sufferings. This idea of ticket prices based on weight it's not only ridicoulous and highly discriminetory, therefore Illegal! But it would cost airlines more if all the people who are not extremely skinny will boycott and/or sue them,as they(We!) should!! --Vera Lajos 

sounds like a little bit like discriminatioin to me --Dave

Airlines are in a tough spot, no doubt. They're in the same spot we are when it comes to rising fuel costs. But the moment you start discriminating based on weight -- and some people literally cannot help being overweight -- you cross a line you don't want to cross. Airline passenger loads are always averaged out, with calculations made for those passengers who tip the scale a few pounds over average. The weight issue is a tough thing to enforce. Do you have only some people step on scales based on appearance? And who makes that decision? The skies are already very unfriendly with fees for things we shouldn't have to pay for. Throw in a weight tax and airlines implementing them will lose a lot more business than they already have. --Brett Gilford

Are the airlines playing God and being judgemental? This is SOOOOO discriminating!!! If a person has an obesity problem, that's considered an illness. Next will be xraying to see if people have cancer drugs in them! Do a STAY VACATION and don't fly! --Ann Tarjan

I get a gas surcharge for shipping and I pay more when i ship a package the more it weights the more it cost to ship. We are just shipping people instead of packages. --John Nowaczyk

Finally something to my advantage being under 110 lbs! Will that mean I can practically fly for free? Now, If they base on height too. --Don Wojtynek

This idea is ridiculous. Airlines are there to better serve the people, and charge enough for tickets as it is. If what they're trying to do, is force people to stop flying, or just gain more money, there are other ways to go about it than singling out individuals. The weight of a person SHOULD NOT have an effect on their plane ticket price. What is the extra money going to do?? Nothing right then and there. When airlines make prices, they make sure they make enough to operate the plane correctly, so why change it now?! Planes are strong, durable objects... they can hold weight. They are made to be able to hold weight! Again, this is a rodiculous idea, and i don't agree with it in the least bit. --Kayla

What's wrong with charging someone for the actual cost of their transportation? It's how UPS charges. No one can argue with the logic of this idea; they just dislike the humiliation of having to confront their own obesity and deal with the consequences. --Joe Pachay

I fly 2-3 weeks out of a month. I feel that charging based on weight would be discrimination. What about the "skinny" people. They pay less? A ticket should cost the same regardless of who is sitting in the seat. I think people would boycott any airline that tries to do this. Why don't they start cracking down on carry on luggage? They have rules that no one enforces regarding those. How about not allowing suitcases & garment bags. Nothing bigger than a briefcase/laptop case/tote bag. That would certainly help all around. --Mary D

I think this is ridiculous and prejudiced. If someone is too big for one seat, fine charge them for two. How dare you think it's o.k. to require someone to weigh in to fly! --Carol Killeen

Any airline that is going to charge me to check a bag for travel is going to lose my patronage much less one that charges me for my weight. This is absolutely ridiculous. The people running the airlines have mismanaged them for years and now they are grasping at straws to try and cover their bums and have the public continue to pay the outrageous salaries their CEOs and "management" make. Enough is enough. We've been squeezed into smaller seats with less leg room, toilets that you can barely get into and out of without acrobatics, and fares that vary by the hour. Come on, I'm no genius, but it seems to me you figure out how much it costs to run a route, take the amount of seats in the plane (oh, and let's try to make all those seats equal space, shall we?) and divide the cost. Seems like the "low-cost" airlines that use this formula are doing just fine. Wonder why the "big guns" can't manage their routes?! --Janet

That is discrimination if I've ever seen it! --Elaine

It is the single most ridiculous idea to make money I have ever heard. --Mike Johl

I am 5'7", female and weigh about 143lbs. I have paid full fare and had to sit crunched into my seat next to a six foot 300lb man, who felt he should have more seat, because of his size. The best idea is to have the customer and luggage get on a scale, and have a top weight. I have a friend who is 5' and weighs 85lbs. Without fail she is one or two pounds over on her bag. Now next guy in line is 6 foot and 200 lbs. That is just not fair. By having a per passenger total weight, this will not discriminate against the obese, but rather reward the normally weighted. I want to be first in line for that one. The airline should also have a weight max for the seat size. I have been next to MR BIG and they moved him to business class. Hey reward for being fat? I have been obese,and work hard to keep my weight down. --Linda

that is how ticket prices should have always been; you pay for extra luggage, so you should have to pay for your weight --Brent

they can kiss my big butt --msquiz

We think it is time to change the channel. Why don't you report some real news, instead of wasting our time. --Trisha Hallden

So, now I have to go on a diet before I purchase an airline ticket? Super --Kasey

This could be a good idea, but the fact that America is such an overweight nation destroys it. Their is already so much discrimination in America, why add more? --Rafiqa Ibrahim

I think this is the most ridiculous idea of all time. --Emily Martinez

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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