Weigh in at the airline ticket counter is this possible?

I was reading an article by the Bloomberg News and there is on going discussion by the airlines to weigh you as an individual just like you would your freight or your luggage to see if you will be charged extra for being over the weight limit.

Southwest already charges extremely over weight passengers for 2 seats. Do you think it is fair for the airlines to weigh you in at the ticket counter and charge you extra if you are over their weight limit to help offset fuel costs? Would this not be embarrassing to the overweight passenger to be weighed in in front of everyone? Rik Riley

www.gadling.com...






[edit on 4-6-2008 by rikriley]

The question is if the airlines start charging by your weight what will the weight limit before they charge extra or will they charge everyone by the pound? If the airlines started charging you by the pound to fly it is a good time for most passengers in the U.S. to go on a diet. LOL Now we will know how cattle feel when they are weighed in for market. LOL Rik Riley

If the airlines decide to weigh passengers at the ticket counter before boarding how will this affect the numbers of people that will not fly because of being weighed? Will there be 3 sided booths for people to weigh in for privacy and will this further increase the time you have to wait in line?

How much money will be saved in fuel costs by the airlines if the weigh in for passengers is instituted by some airlines? If passengers refuse to fly because of the weigh in how much savings in fuel costs verses the loss of ticket sells would their be. I think I know the answer and fuel cost savings override the loss of revenue from passengers that refuse to fly because of the weigh in. Rik Riley

As I see it, it would all even out because there are many people very much under the usual allotted weight limit. And NO I think that is degrading and not anyone's business how much an individual weighs.

Tisk Tisk!

Does everyone get a free hot fudge sundae on the plane for weighing in? Biggee size mine please! I hope they realize what all of us women know for a fact...your clothes and shoes weigh 10 pounds!

But seriously folks, we live in a world where the two "It's a Small World" rides at both Disney theme parks are now shut down because the little moat you float through, wasn't deep enough, and us fat Americans were grounding out and having to be "rescued" and having to be led out through the employee entrance...now how sad is that???

If they thought people were irate about taking their shoes off, weight until they are greeted with a scale LOL.

I hope the theme song to that ride isn't now going endlessly through your heads

[edit on 4-6-2008 by LateApexer313]

It would be degrading to most individuals to weigh in like cattle I agree. The next thing that will happen is the airlines will tag you and send you down a conveyor belt to be put under the belly of the plane with your luggage that you paid extra money for to get to your destination. Rik Riley

reply to post by LateApexer313


The hot fudge sundae would weigh to much LOL and some airlines are considering not bringing soft drinks and water aboard because of the weight factor. Why not throw the seats out while there at it and let us sit on the floor with our seat belts.

This was a spoof video I had seen and people were being charged for the use of a seat belt, looking at the instruction card in the back of the seat in front of them was $4.00 plus if they wanted oxygen with mask during an emergency with loss of cabin pressure that was extra also.LOL

It use to be fun to fly before 911 and sky rocketing fuel costs. Those were the good old days when you did not worry about the cost of gas to get to where you were going. Rik Riley

With 3000 employees being laid off by Continental Air Lines look for a few other airlines to go belly up. Continental was looked at as one of the strongest airlines but with sky rocketing fuel costs something had to give and that was 3000 jobs. A total of 22,000 jobs have been lost recently throughout the airline industry.

Higher ticket prices will be the norm to offset skyrocketing fuel costs and we may laugh now, but look into the future to the possibilities of weighing in at the ticket counter for some airlines to get more money for extremely overweight passengers. Here is the question what is the weight limit before you are considered obese and need to pay more for your ticket? 250, 300, or 350lbs? Will they weigh all passengers and go by weight and if your are at a certain weight they tack on a surcharge for that particular flight?
Rik Riley

I am a 26 year old woman who just had a baby six weeks ago and weigh around 135 now and I am five foot and six inches tall. Since I am working on getting my baby weight off, I won't even let my husband know how much I weigh, much less total strangers or an airline- that would make me so angry (even at my regular weight before baby) that I would feel my rights were being violated and would not fly. They would lose my money, a non-overweight customer, and I imagine that it would be this way for many others, too. So I believe they would lose more money if they really considered this. I don't think they realize- overweight people are not the only ones offended by this idea. Airlines would lose a LOT of regular customers. VERY bad idea.

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
I am a 26 year old woman who just had a baby six weeks ago and weigh around 135 now and I am five foot and six inches tall. Since I am working on getting my baby weight off, I won't even let my husband know how much I weigh, much less total strangers or an airline- that would make me so angry (even at my regular weight before baby) that I would feel my rights were being violated and would not fly. They would lose my money, a non-overweight customer, and I imagine that it would be this way for many others, too. So I believe they would lose more money if they really considered this. I don't think they realize- overweight people are not the only ones offended by this idea. Airlines would lose a LOT of regular customers. VERY bad idea.

I believe you are correct it would run off and offend more passengers then it would be worth to the airlines if they charge by the pound per passenger. I do believe airlines will charge extra if an overweight passenger needs an extension for his or her seat belt and in cases with grossly overweight passengers they will charge for 2 seats instead of one seat to give the passenger more room as well as the other passengers setting beside them.
Rik Riley

Well, it might run off some passengers, but technically, it would be fair.

Weight affects fuel usage. Fuel usage affects cost to fly. They weigh your bags and charge you if your bags are overweight for that reason.

In a sense, by NOT weighing passengers, some people fly cheaper per pound than others, with the "others" who weigh less subsidizing their extra pounds in their ticket cost.

They used to average out the weight of passengers and assign a particular number;

query.nytimes.com...

Since 1995, most airlines have assumed a weight of 180 pounds for each adult passenger in summer and 185 pounds in winter; checked bags are assumed to weigh 25 pounds each.

However this averaged figure is proving to be inadequate. Clearly in todays world there are many, many people who exceed the 180lb average weight, and since 60% of us are overweight here in the US, those anorexics that do travel are unlikely to balance the books.

There are safety reasons, as well, for wanting to know how much weight the plane is carrying;

query.nytimes.com...

Saying that overloading may have contributed to a fatal plane crash this month in North Carolina, federal aviation officials announced today that thousands of passengers flying on small planes over the next month will have to tell ticket agents how much they weigh, or step on a scale, to check whether existing estimates of average passenger weight are accurate.

Would it be inconvenient or embarrassing to be weighed like cattle at the check in? Sure, I suppose so. Would it be worth it to ensure that the plane didnt crash? I think it would.

I doubt the airlines would pass the "cost savings" of tiny little passengers back to them, however, so it is likely to be a very lopsided arrangement for ensuring that the fuel costs are covered. It would be nice if you got to add the amount of weight you "saved" by being under the average to your total baggage allowance.

If passengers are ever charged by the pound I see a huge market to tap into and that would be the weight loss industry. Imagine some of the names they would come up with, The Airlines Diet, Passenger Diet, Frequent Flyer Diet, Fuel Savings Diet, Mile High Diet, Wings Diet, Thrust Diet, Take Off and Landing Diet,
Terminal Diet, Excess Baggage Diet, Seat Belt Diet, Ramp Diet, 20 Check Points Diet, No Liquid diet, Pat You Down Diet, Security Wand Diet, Metal Detector Diet, No Food Diet, No Snack Diet, No Beverage Diet, and No Shoe Diet. etc., etc. LOL
Rik Riley

[edit on 28-7-2008 by rikriley]

I think, for me, this would be yet another incentive NOT to fly...
...We already have to get to the airport several hours before the flight even takes off... we practically have to get naked in the security area, once I even got body checked (hands up and down me) because the wire in my stupid bra kept going off... So, for me, I will just use the airline who hasn't inforced this rule until all of them make it mandatory and then, eventually I just won't fly. ...

..with military flights they just ask you your weight, maybe they will try that first.. go off the weight on our drivers' licenses.. i know i know.. most people lie. lol.

[edit on 28-7-2008 by galatea]

Security at the airport is a joke, they will give you a metal knife and a fork when you order a steak.

reply to post by galatea


Hi galatea, I believe the Airline passenger has had it up to here as far as what they will go through to catch a flight. With the new visual scanners they can supposedly see through a persons clothes which is a bad idea as far as the passenger is concerned. Rik Riley

What could possibly happen at the ticket counter is that you hop up on a scale and be weighed in with your luggage at the same time. The ticket agent would be the only person to see your total weight with luggage. If the total package of you and your luggage is over the limit they could charge you a surcharge. I hope weighing in of passengers never happens and I further hope prices come down for jet fuel. Rik Riley

I agree. Ticketing by weight including your luggage is a great idea. The only other process I'd include is some sort of correction for height. Obviously, this pricing would be discriminatory against taller people, so some arbitrary allowance for height should be included. If you're just big boned... too darn bad.

I think the "Terminal Diet" might be less than a top seller.

Sounds just a little too...................terminal.

I think you are right though, in that someone would be sure to take advantage of the trend and put forth some sort of diet specifically aimed at getting weight down quickly for the weigh in. And it certainly would have some clever catchy related name.

The good and bad news is the price of jet fuel is higher because it is helping off set the cost of lower costing gasoline for the consumer for their automobiles. The oil companies actually are charging more for jet fuel for this very reason. If the cost of jet fuel comes down in price significantly to help the airlines rest assure we at the gas pump will be paying more. Rik Riley

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


Yes Terminal Diet is a bit severe and the word Diet has the word Die as part of the word. The Check Out Diet, bad idea or Crash Diet LOL. Probably the best idea would be the name Cash Diet because if you lose the weight you will be saving cash when weighing in with your luggage and not going over the surcharge limit. We may laugh now but I look for the airlines to actually weigh you in with your luggage as part of the ticket price. If you have lost weight and the airlines charge you a surcharge for a certain amount of combined weight over a certain weight limit with you and your luggage just by not going over the weight limit because of your weight lose you could pack more items in your luggage. LOL Rik Riley



[edit on 4-8-2008 by rikriley]