Fat chance of this cheap proposal working

Published on Wednesday 22 April 2009 21:58

WE PAY to take excess baggage on airline flights, so why should it not be a rule that … er, the larger passenger pays more than the average-sized one?

According to Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier, one-third of its existing customers think the airline should levy an addition charge on "obese" passengers. Ryanair conducted an online poll and claims more than 30,000 people voted in favour of charging excess weight fees. Of course, had Ryanair conducted a poll asking if passengers wanted bigger seats on its aircraft, the vote would have been unanimous.

But how do you decide who is to pay? Ryanair suggests four options: charging by weight, by waist size, by Body Mass Index; or charging if a passenger's waist touches both armrests. Of course, there is a potential problem when seriously obese passengers fly, as much for their safety as for the discomfort it might cause. US airlines deal with this by giving (and charging for) two seats to those concerned. The Ryanair proposal is demeaning and impractical. Besides, being Ryanair, there is the possibility they will charge you for using their speak-your-weight machine or tape measure.

Ryanair is also pondering charging passengers for using the aircraft toilets. It is not known if you will be charged extra for using Ryanair toilet paper, so remember to bring your own.