Airlines may decide to charge passengers based on their weight given that it has a direct bearing on the amount of aviation turbine fuel the aircraft guzzles. So, if you see another weighing scale next to the baggage counter, do not be surprised!
The Air Transport Association of the United States was quoted in the media claiming that with 40% of all operating expenses going towards fuel costs, the only way to survive would be to do the unthinkable. Some have done away with snacks and others are charging for telephonic reservations while a few like American Airways levy a cost on check-in baggage.
In fact, airlines are reducing extra load by cutting down on in-flight food and beverages. A report in the New York Times quoting an aviation consultant suggest that the day is not far when human beings would be treated as air-freight and charged per kilo!
Though it may be sometime before Indian companies even consider such a move because the average Indian air passenger probably weighs only 60% of his American counterpart. However, a beginning has come in another form that tells its own tale and probably acts as a precursor to a pay-per-kilo ticketing scheme.
The Delhi High Court sent out a strong signal to overweight air-hostesses and accepted that the airlines had the right to ground them. While this move may have more to do with "aesthetics in the aisle", it is an argument that could well be used by loss-making airlines when they begin charging more for heavier folks.
For the records, the Judge A K Sikri dismissed the petition filed by some Indian Airlines air hostesses, who were grounded due to putting on weight excessive to the limit fixed by the airlines. The court felt that the airline had a right to ground those who were above the prescribed weight limit in view of the fact that these employees had signed a contract to this effect.
-from msn.com
The Air Transport Association of the United States was quoted in the media claiming that with 40% of all operating expenses going towards fuel costs, the only way to survive would be to do the unthinkable. Some have done away with snacks and others are charging for telephonic reservations while a few like American Airways levy a cost on check-in baggage.
In fact, airlines are reducing extra load by cutting down on in-flight food and beverages. A report in the New York Times quoting an aviation consultant suggest that the day is not far when human beings would be treated as air-freight and charged per kilo!
Though it may be sometime before Indian companies even consider such a move because the average Indian air passenger probably weighs only 60% of his American counterpart. However, a beginning has come in another form that tells its own tale and probably acts as a precursor to a pay-per-kilo ticketing scheme.
The Delhi High Court sent out a strong signal to overweight air-hostesses and accepted that the airlines had the right to ground them. While this move may have more to do with "aesthetics in the aisle", it is an argument that could well be used by loss-making airlines when they begin charging more for heavier folks.
For the records, the Judge A K Sikri dismissed the petition filed by some Indian Airlines air hostesses, who were grounded due to putting on weight excessive to the limit fixed by the airlines. The court felt that the airline had a right to ground those who were above the prescribed weight limit in view of the fact that these employees had signed a contract to this effect.
-from msn.com
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