plan seats???

What date is Monday again? ;-)

Being an Aerospace Engineer I know the harsh fact is airline travel is all about weight. That's the unfortunate truth. The heavier the plane the more fuel and the longer the trip.

Very interesting. I'm going to have to read more but I don't see this happening.
It would make kids travel very inexpensive though...

They should pay double! Especially the babies. Popping ears hurt and plane rides are boring, but I don't need to hear them screaming.

So I'm assuming if weight affects planes then it also affects cars.. so then would cab drivera and bus drivers so the same? I unserstand if u take up to seats having to pay for to seats. But how can u differentiate against a very tall muscular man vs a small fat woman like myself? Isn't that some type of discrimination in itself? And I agree with the other person who said to take into consideration luggage... A tiny person w a million shoes in thier suitcase should be just as liable as me n my bookbag carryon. Just a lot of variables to consider if they try to implement that...

I think skinny people should sit on my arm rest.

I think skinny people should sit on my arm rest.

That would be me then.


Flip the coin....I resent paying the same price for clothes as larger people..I'm small so they use less material right? So my clothes should be cheaper?

I think this should have been done ages ago! You pay for most luggage and if it is overweight you pay even more. I am all for a base rate and then an additional amount for what you weight plus the weight of all your luggage.

UPS charges by weight. FedEx charges by weight and in the end all airlines are going is transporting you and your luggage from point A to point B.

But what if you don't bring luggage? That would irritate the crap out of me if as a decently fit 220 lbs guy with a 10 lbs carry on I had to pay an over weight fee for myself and the 190 lbs guy with the 49.5 lbs carry on payed less.

I don't think that the issue is just about the weight - it is about the fit. I know that airlines transport a lot of cargo not just for passengers but packages etc so... there is an overall weight limit and the more it weighs, the more fuel etc. but... I think the issue is the fit.

As airlines continue to put more seats into same plane size, the size available is reduced. Both side-to-side and the knee space. I do have an issue when I am squished next to the window or into the aisle if someone next to me really is too big for the one tiny seat. I am small and feel tight in some seats so I cannot see how a big person (not fat but how about 6'6" at 250 lbs) fits into a seat.

The airline uses "weight" to justify more money as they reduce seat size and space.

I think this should have been done ages ago! You pay for most luggage and if it is overweight you pay even more. I am all for a base rate and then an additional amount for what you weight plus the weight of all your luggage.

UPS charges by weight. FedEx charges by weight and in the end all airlines are going is transporting you and your luggage from point A to point B.

But what if you don't bring luggage? That would irritate the crap out of me if as a decently fit 220 lbs guy with a 10 lbs carry on I had to pay an over weight fee for myself and the 190 lbs guy with the 49.5 lbs carry on payed less.

You wouldn't pay less. You are transporting 230 lbs, he is transporting 239.5 lbs.

I think this should have been done ages ago! You pay for most luggage and if it is overweight you pay even more. I am all for a base rate and then an additional amount for what you weight plus the weight of all your luggage.

UPS charges by weight. FedEx charges by weight and in the end all airlines are going is transporting you and your luggage from point A to point B.

But what if you don't bring luggage? That would irritate the crap out of me if as a decently fit 220 lbs guy with a 10 lbs carry on I had to pay an over weight fee for myself and the 190 lbs guy with the 49.5 lbs carry on payed less.

You wouldn't pay less. You are transporting 230 lbs, he is transporting 239.5 lbs.

Right. Which is why I would be anoid at having to pay more ie. and over weight fee.

I stated that backwards, you would pay less than the guy with the luggage because you would be transporting less overall weight. I included luggage in my post.

It's all just an exercise in debate anyway. No airline will risk a policy like this even thought they all want to. Too much risk of discrimination.

Very interesting. I'm going to have to read more but I don't see this happening.
It would make kids travel very inexpensive though...

They should pay double! Especially the babies. Popping ears hurt and plane rides are boring, but I don't need to hear them screaming.

Parents who fly with children frequently should have less trouble getting the kids to be good passengers. Time meals or snacks (or a mini-bottle) with take off and landing to help with the ears of a baby.

I don't remember my flights as a toddler but I'm told we did that a lot. My parents used to book the bulk head seats because they had extra foot room and a solid wall. As soon as the fasten seat beat sign was off, I was allowed to get up and play on the floor in front of them (but not in the aisle).

Pack gum or hard candy or other snacks to help with the ears during take off and landing--I do this even as a adult. It comes in handy if you're ever stranded in an airport as well. Hubby makes fun of my travel bag sometimes, but when he traveled without me last time, he turned out to be grateful for the cereal bar I'd tucked into his bag, because his hotel didn't serve breakfast. Their shuttle to the conference was late and so they didn't have time to grab a "real" breakfast before he had to meet with people. When we traveled abroad and included crackers, the crackers we didn't eat on the plane came in handy for some local smoked salmon and cheeses we picked up in a town market. With the crackers, it made a nice lunch of sorts when we were on the road between locations.

As for the older kids, there are lots of things to do that don't involve leaving a seat--if you plan for it. I have fond memories of decking the barf-bags with googly eyes and doodles to make puppets for example. I imagine that whoever found these barf bags later got a laugh or two.

When I was older, my folks made sure I had a window seat just behind the wing because I loved to watch the parts of the wing move in operation. It's still my favorite place to sit on a plane.

Later, as a pre-teen who flew alone, I always packed a small stuffed animal for if I ended up near a much younger kid on a plane. Sometimes I didn't need it and sometimes it was handy and mom was happy for the kid's distraction.

As for the main topic, I could see categories for weight (0-50, 50-100, 100-150, etc) but I think the whole idea is a bit unlikely. Passengers would freak out too much.

As a short (but overweight) female, I do wish the seats were bigger. Not for my own seat (although I do have broad shoulders for my height), but for those of the people around me. I hate it when my space is taken over by someone else. Even sitting next to my husband is a problem, not because of his gut, but rather because his shoulders are so broad.... The seats really do need to be big enough to a decent sized man to have a bit of shoulder and knee room.