Pay by the Pound: Samoa Air Becomes First Airline to Charge Overweight Passengers

[dkf]

Customers will be weighed at the airport (Reuters)

Customers prepay the estimated cost and the airline then weighs them at the airport, to ensure they have paid the correct amount.

Samoa Air chief executive Chris Langton said paying by weight is the fairest way to calculate fares.

He told ABC radio: "People have always travelled on the basis of their seat but as many airline operators, know airlines don't run on seats - they run on weight.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/452574/20130402/samoa-air-charging-more-overweight-passengers-ticket.htm

[Whisp]

1. will they give a rebate to people who are underweight?

not sure what I think about all this yet.

probably another way for the corporates to rip people off, more than anything.

[leftyohiolib]

3. only if youre lighter than air do you get a rebate

[yellerpup]

2. Sounds fair.

They charge by the pound, including baggage.

[hack89]

4. Have you seen how big a typical Samoan is?

there is a reason they are over represented on college and pro football teams.

[MineralMan]

10. Those football players are not typical Samoans.

Here's a group of Samoan men:



They look fit enough and not overweight.

And here's a group of Samoan women:



Same comment.

Don't stereotype.

[Floyd_Gondolli]

11. Is it a stereotype?

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/091125/obesity-epidemic-fattest-countries

[MineralMan]

12. The poster treated it as a stereotype.

That's who I was replying to.

Football players are often much larger in body than typical. But it's not just Samoan football players who will be flying, I think.

[ZOB]

5. They're not "charging overweight passengers"

They're charging by the pound. It's not a penalty, everybody pays the same price per pound.

[CrispyQ]

6. They weigh your baggage too.

The people that have been most pleasantly surprised are families because we don't charge on the seat requirement, even though a child is required to have a seat - we just weigh them.

"So a family of maybe two adults and a couple of mid-sized kids and younger children can travel for considerably less than what they were being charged before."

[Blue_Tires]

7. I'm betting Samoa just operates small turboprops

so that is a factor as well...

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. According to their website, they currently operate Britten Norman Islanders and C172's

A BN-2A;


A Cessna 172;



http://www.samoaair.ws/index.php/about-us2/our-fleet

So yes, with those two aircraft, cargo weight is EXTREMELY important.

[Capt. Obvious]

8. I suspect thumbs will be placed on the scales

[talkingmime]

9. I've been sandwiched between two Limbaughs. It isn't a pleasant ride.