Should AA charge by the pound?

[Barfbag]

Among other things, CAL joins Star, CEO Kellner is asked about charging passengers by the pound.

Do you think AMR, should take the lead in this area?

http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_q...quote=Get+Quote


Click on video link ( bottom left )

 

[The Goose]

Among other things, CAL joins Star, CEO Kellner is asked about charging passengers by the pound.

Do you think AMR, should take the lead in this area?

http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_q...quote=Get+Quote


Click on video link ( bottom left )

People have constantly looked for ways to marginalize others and have been for as long as I can remember. Practical or not, this is simply another attempt to accomplish that.

 

[FA Mikey]

Do what ANA is doing. Ask passengers to use the bathroom before boarding.

 

[The Goose]

Do what ANA is doing. Ask passengers to use the bathroom before boarding.

Considering what they're attempting to NOT fly around, I'd be surprised if executives were allowed on board.

One of those jokes about "squeezing out the crap then laying in a matchbox with room to spare" comes to mind.

 

[Runwaysticker]

Considering what they're attempting to NOT fly around, I'd be surprised if executives were allowed on board.

One of those jokes about "squeezing out the crap then laying in a matchbox with room to spare" comes to mind.

Never happen due to publicy meltdown, also Lawyers. But I am all for it........

 

[Garfield1966]

Interesting idea. If you look t shipping good, it is all done by weight and size. Airlines are shipping people so why not hold them to the same standard?

I understand the argument of being marginalized. Our society does it to anyone who does t fit into the specific an narrowly defined ideas of what we think people should be. Weight, appearances, speech, dress and what not. How ever, I think to a degree we are making some segments feel OK and blaming it on things that are not real. I think weight is one off them. Yes a small segment of the obese are victims of bad genetic or physical issues. I think most are victims of Burger King, Micky D, Sonic, Nintendo, and the like. Kids just play video games and eat junk food. I'm sorry but if you do that you are going to get fat.

Perhaps this is selfish of me but I am 6'4" an 185lbs. I have no interest in sharing my seat with you. If you don't fit in an average seat then buy another one or find and alternate form of travel.

If you read my posts you will see I am usually a voice for those less fortunate and those who I think are getting the short end of the stick. But I guess, I just don't have a lot of sympathy for someone sucking on a Coke while eating a Twinky and complaining about not fitting in a average seat. Try a carrot next time.

Where is the "Over 6' advocacy group" fighting for my leg room? So yea.... charge them by the pound.

 

[nbmcg01]

Interesting idea. If you look t shipping good, it is all done by weight and size. Airlines are shipping people so why not hold them to the same standard?

I understand the argument of being marginalized. Our society does it to anyone who does t fit into the specific an narrowly defined ideas of what we think people should be. Weight, appearances, speech, dress and what not. How ever, I think to a degree we are making some segments feel OK and blaming it on things that are not real. I think weight is one off them. Yes a small segment of the obese are victims of bad genetic or physical issues. I think most are victims of Burger King, Micky D, Sonic, Nintendo, and the like. Kids just play video games and eat junk food. I'm sorry but if you do that you are going to get fat.

Perhaps this is selfish of me but I am 6'4" an 185lbs. I have no interest in sharing my seat with you. If you don't fit in an average seat then buy another one or find and alternate form of travel.

If you read my posts you will see I am usually a voice for those less fortunate and those who I think are getting the short end of the stick. But I guess, I just don't have a lot of sympathy for someone sucking on a Coke while eating a Twinky and complaining about not fitting in a average seat. Try a carrot next time.

Where is the "Over 6' advocacy group" fighting for my leg room? So yea.... charge them by the pound.

Or by the length Eric. Your knees in one's back cannot be comfortable.. And are the seats "average"? Are the seats of today the same size as they have always been or have they been narrowed to squeeze more onto the plane? This is silly. ps..Does a pregnant woman get an exemption or will they have to pay "for two"?

 

[jimntx]

Or by the length Eric. Your knees in one's back cannot be comfortable.. And are the seats "average"? Are the seats of today the same size as they have always been or have they been narrowed to squeeze more onto the plane? This is silly. ps..Does a pregnant woman get an exemption or will they have to pay "for two"?

If there were more seats per row these days than there used to be, the "narrowed" seat argument might make sense, but if the seats have been narrowed all that would have been accomplished was a wider aisle (and, we know that is not the case). The S80s have the same 5 seats per row in coach they've always had. The 757 has always had 6 seats per row.

For tall people like Gar, there is no question that they have been squeezed by the addition of more rows on the plane. But the topic is not how many rows forward-aft a person takes up. It's how many seats port-starboard, they occupy.

I worked a flight recently where we had a giganta in coach on a full flight. The poor woman seated next to her had less than half a seat. Should she have been charged less? Not only did Giganta take up most of her seat, she spread her elbows to take up even more room with no apologies or attempt to share the space.

What we are selling is not just transportation from Point A to Point B. Pricing is based upon space (and service amenities) on the a/c--thus the difference in price between F/C and coach. When you buy a ticket, you are paying for a share of that space. If you take up two spaces, you should have to pay for two spaces. Southwest does it with no apologies. And, if the flight is not full, and no one is denied boarding because you are taking up two seats, the charge for the extra seat is refunded to you.

We already do something similar with child car seats. If it is an infant listed as a lap child, but the flight is not full, we allow the parent to bring the car seat onboard and use it. If the flight is full, the parent must purchase a seat if they want to use the car seat during the flight. Otherwise, they have to check it.

Gar, it's not just Nintendo and tv. It's also our awful eating habits. I grew up in the Deep South. I was an adult before I knew there was another way to eat salmon other than mixed with bread crumbs and fried. I had a great-aunt whose philosophy of cooking was "if it can't be breaded and fried, it's not fit to eat." (Of course, the fact she lived to be 103, sorta pokes holes in my argument. )

My doctor in Houston for many years did obesity research on the side and was an early advocate of healthy eating and weight maintenance. I once said to him that I knew that there were some overweight people who had "glandular" problems. His response was, "In about 99% of those cases, the "gland" is an overactive elbow."

Restaurants in this country contribute to the problem. My boss at Texaco was from Italy. One night my wife and I were out to dinner with him and his wife. His wife and I were discussing the fact that in Italy, pasta is a course in a full dinner and is a small serving. Here it is an entree. She said (only half-jokingly) that the amount of meat in a typical serving of spaghetti with meat sauce in the U.S. would feed a family of 4 for a week in Italy.

 

[Garfield1966]

My height is far less invasive than someones girth. I make every effort to ensure that I don't bump people in front of me as I move my legs. I always try and book an aisle seat and 9 times out of 10 the gate agent will give me a exit row if open. Someone who weights 300 or 400 lbs does not have that ability. Their girth is the same regardless of the seat and they should not be in the exist row in my opinion.

Secondly, my height is not a choice. Weight typically is. Smoking is not a disease. Obesity is not a disease (in most cases). If you want to make McD's your restaurant of choice, go for it but there are consequences.

The bottom line is if you don't fit into a seat, what should an airline do? Just suck it up? Should anyone who business that involves seats have a "obese" section? A nice wide seat for the same price as the narrow ones I have to sit in? Stadiums, theaters, music halls, restaurants ... really? Why do I have to pay for someones else's choice?

I am about as liberal as they come. I usually always argue for the rights of the minorities. I am also a strong advocate for taking responsibility for ones actions.

Personally I think charging by the seat is better than by the pound. A child still takes up a seat regardless of size. It's not like the airline/stadium or what ever can shrink a seat for a kid to make another one bigger. If someone does not fit into a seat, they buy 2 of them. I have had my fair share of sitting next to someone who can't fit into their seat and I did not have a nice time. Thankfully those days are over as I buy my seats now when I travel and if my accommodations are not what I paid for, I can complain. I got an upgrade on one flight because the flight was full.

 

[eolesen]

Maybe AA should just put in the bulkhead/exit row seats with the solid armrest dividers... that seems to fix the problem of butt and gut spillover pretty well...

If obesity were indeed mostly due to genetic vs. environmental issues, we'd see it more often on a global scale. Traveling to Europe, Asia, and Latin America as much as I have, I don't see it. Then again, you don't have as many fast food options, 32+ oz cups of soda with free refills, or all-you-can-eat type specials...

 

[FWAAA]

Personally I think charging by the seat is better than by the pound. A child still takes up a seat regardless of size. It's not like the airline/stadium or what ever can shrink a seat for a kid to make another one bigger. If someone does not fit into a seat, they buy 2 of them. I have had my fair share of sitting next to someone who can't fit into their seat and I did not have a nice time. Thankfully those days are over as I buy my seats now when I travel and if my accommodations are not what I paid for, I can complain. I got an upgrade on one flight because the flight was full.

The efficient solution would be to charge both a base seat fee plus a weight-based surcharge. The base seat fee would correspond to the current fares in the various fare buckets. The weight based surcharge (applied to all passengers, regardless of their fare or when they bought their tickets) would be a per pound fee applied to the passenger and all of their bags, checked and carryon.

Consider a 40 pound child with a five pound carryon (small child-sized rollaboard with stuffed animals, books and other activities to keep them occupied on the plane) and no checked bags. Say the child is heading to the other coast to spend time with non-custodial parent or grandparents.

Then consider a 220 pound adult with 45 pound carryon combination (one plus personal item) plus two 50 pound checked bags. Since the 220 pound adult is Gold or higher, they're currently exempt from the bag fees.

Both hypothetical passengers above booked their flights at the same time and in the same fare bucket. They paid the same amount despite the adult accounting for 365 pounds v 45 pounds for the child. And 220 pounds for an adult isn't all that uncommon these days. At the extreme, a 300 or 400 pound adult plus the bags accounts for a lot of increased fuel burn.

The very large POS would still need to buy two seats but of course would not pay two weight based surcharges - just two base seat fees.

 

[jimntx]

Maybe AA should just put in the bulkhead/exit row seats with the solid armrest dividers... that seems to fix the problem of butt and gut spillover pretty well...

Obviously, you are not traveling as much as you used to. I had a passenger not long ago who required a seatbelt extension, but he insisted on squeezing into a seat in first row of coach. His behind must have had no feeling in it at all by the time we got to our destination. And, there were rows where he could have had two seats to himself, but that almighty desire to be the first coach passenger off the plane overruled comfort for him.

 

[Jager]

This is an actual pic from an F/A's phone..

By the pound????

This guy needs to buy the whole row.. h34r:

And thats $300 dollar armrest

 

[Bear96]

I hate sitting directly behind someone like that (or even someone maybe half that size!) on takeoff and initial climbout. I always picture the seat breaking off of the floor and crashing into me with the Person Of Size still buckled into it.

 

[Tbag]

My height is far less invasive than someones girth. I make every effort to ensure that I don't bump people in front of me as I move my legs. I always try and book an aisle seat and 9 times out of 10 the gate agent will give me a exit row if open. Someone who weights 300 or 400 lbs does not have that ability. Their girth is the same regardless of the seat and they should not be in the exist row in my opinion.

Secondly, my height is not a choice. Weight typically is. Smoking is not a disease. Obesity is not a disease (in most cases). If you want to make McD's your restaurant of choice, go for it but there are consequences.

The bottom line is if you don't fit into a seat, what should an airline do? Just suck it up? Should anyone who business that involves seats have a "obese" section? A nice wide seat for the same price as the narrow ones I have to sit in? Stadiums, theaters, music halls, restaurants ... really? Why do I have to pay for someones else's choice?

I am about as liberal as they come. I usually always argue for the rights of the minorities. I am also a strong advocate for taking responsibility for ones actions.

Personally I think charging by the seat is better than by the pound. A child still takes up a seat regardless of size. It's not like the airline/stadium or what ever can shrink a seat for a kid to make another one bigger. If someone does not fit into a seat, they buy 2 of them. I have had my fair share of sitting next to someone who can't fit into their seat and I did not have a nice time. Thankfully those days are over as I buy my seats now when I travel and if my accommodations are not what I paid for, I can complain. I got an upgrade on one flight because the flight was full.

If someone is too big for a standard seat, they need to find another conveyance. Too bad.