Air tickets: The more you weigh, the more you pay!

Recent media reports suggest that 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.
05/06/08 MSN India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2008