Should overweight pay more to travel? (From Bournemouth Echo)

“Airlines should make seats bigger – passengers just don’t get enough space as it is.To quote Quagmire:

Fat chicks need love too...they just have to PAY!

Well done RyanAir.
You already pee people off with your overcharging of drinks in flight, and your proposed peetax. Talk about seizing the opportunity to squeeze the punter dry, and maximizing a captive audience.
You do actually want passengers to use your airline don't you??
Next you'll be charging people over 5'10" as you reduce the legroom to squeeze in more seats for the hordes you'll be carrying.

“The plan emerged after an online poll of Ryanair passengers”
Oh! No it didn’t Katie Clark, this was a competition organised by Ryanair to see who could come up with the most comical supplementary charge to subsidise their low fares. (OK; I voted for this one) Please use a little investigative journalism and go to http://www.ryanair.c
om/site/EN/news.php?
yr=09&month=apr&stor
y=gen-en-220409 to report the true story; a Sun journalist in the making methinks.
And as for squeezing the punters dry miketheplumb, I went to Girona for £20 return last week and am going again next month for £10 return, then in July I am going to Reus for £14 return. Hell of a carbon footprint I know, but if you can go without booze for a couple of hours, cheaper than the train to Weymouth!

What about pregnant women?

I thought airlines as a safety check had to allow for overcalculations in passenger/fuel weight ratio's as a part of air traffic checks? Why dont we ask someone opinion from the world renowned Bournemouth Air TRaffic Training Centre?

security word says it all: lack-fair

twynham wrote:
“The plan emerged after an online poll of Ryanair passengers” Oh! No it didn’t Katie Clark, this was a competition organised by Ryanair to see who could come up with the most comical supplementary charge to subsidise their low fares. (OK; I voted for this one) Please use a little investigative journalism and go to http://www.ryanair.c om/site/EN/news.php? yr=09&month=apr&
amp;stor y=gen-en-220409 to report the true story; a Sun journalist in the making methinks. And as for squeezing the punters dry miketheplumb, I went to Girona for £20 return last week and am going again next month for £10 return, then in July I am going to Reus for £14 return. Hell of a carbon footprint I know, but if you can go without booze for a couple of hours, cheaper than the train to Weymouth!

Exactly! You dont have to buy anything to eat or drink on this airline and if you are travelling with just a flight bag, which most are, then it still works out a damm sight cheaper than other airlines. Its a flying bus which suits most of the people on it.

That’s a good point Manana, I wonder if Michael O’Leary would consider accepting my bus pass?
Sorry about the repeated comments folks!

Dorset_Born_n_Bread !, Poole/Helsinki asks :-

What about pregnant women?

Guess if they give birth on board, they will have to pay for the child's fare on arrival !

Anyway, I think the weight/size idea should work both ways...i.e. if your thin/short you get a discount.

Pregnant women should not be flying
when they are that big anyway so it wouldnt be an issue.

There should be a weight limit, the more weight on the plane the more expensive it is to fly, there should be a joint weight limit, passenger + luggage,if the passenger is a big fat bloater he has a choice, pay for an extra seat or take less luggage, why should normal people pay to have some big fatso squeezing next to them

As the aviation community already refer to passengers as "self-loading cargo", why not take this all the way and charge ALL passengers by weight i.e. average passengers pay a fair price, kids and spindlies pay less, tubbies shell out the extra fare to pay for their lack of self-control.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\Go for it, Michael! (think of the extra publicity)

Hmmm, as already pointed out, overweight is NOT always down to "a lack of self control".

Reading the article on the Ryanair website, it does appear very tongue-in-cheek, particularly as they are now asking people to vote on how the charges should be implimented: http://www.ryanair.c
om/site/EN/news.php?
yr=09&month=apr&stor
y=gen-en-220409

miketheplumb wrote:
Hmmm, as already pointed out, overweight is NOT always down to "a lack of self control".

But the majority of the time it is. I have been obese and have yo-yo'ed pretty much all my life. I have gained control and am now slim. I do understand how difficult it is for people who are over weight, I have been there and if I don't keep in control I will be back where I started, but I, like the majority of overweight people, are so, or have been through choice. If people genuinely have a disability then they should be exempt. The GP should be able to advise on that and provide evidence for those with a genuine problem. It's a sensitive problem, but understandable. A total weight allowance would be an idea as someone suggested. Weight and luggage combined.

Just booked for Carcassonne in June. Going to spend a few days with my best mate of 32 years who lives there!
£12 return?..I'm not going to grumble about ryanair!!

twynham wrote:
“The plan emerged after an online poll of Ryanair passengers” Oh! No it didn’t Katie Clark, this was a competition organised by Ryanair to see who could come up with the most comical supplementary charge to subsidise their low fares. (OK; I voted for this one) Please use a little investigative journalism and go to http://www.ryanair.c om/site/EN/news.php? yr=09&month=apr&
amp;stor y=gen-en-220409 to report the true story; a Sun journalist in the making methinks. And as for squeezing the punters dry miketheplumb, I went to Girona for £20 return last week and am going again next month for £10 return, then in July I am going to Reus for £14 return. Hell of a carbon footprint I know, but if you can go without booze for a couple of hours, cheaper than the train to Weymouth!

Oh yes it did. Ryanair held the competition orghanised by Ryanair for people to suggest the latest surcharge. People then voted on it even you admitted that you voted on it therefore it was an on-line poll, just as has been reported in the article.

“Airlines should make seats bigger – passengers just don’t get enough space as it is.ITS ALL A MARKETING PLOY, BUT IT GOT YOU TALKING!!!!!!!

EdBmth wrote:

twynham wrote: “The plan emerged after an online poll of Ryanair passengers” Oh! No it didn’t Katie Clark, this was a competition organised by Ryanair to see who could come up with the most comical supplementary charge to subsidise their low fares. (OK; I voted for this one) Please use a little investigative journalism and go to http://www.ryanair.c om/site/EN/news.php? yr=09&month=apr&
amp; amp;stor y=gen-en-220409 to report the true story; a Sun journalist in the making methinks. And as for squeezing the punters dry miketheplumb, I went to Girona for £20 return last week and am going again next month for £10 return, then in July I am going to Reus for £14 return. Hell of a carbon footprint I know, but if you can go without booze for a couple of hours, cheaper than the train to Weymouth!

Oh yes it did. Ryanair held the competition orghanised by Ryanair for people to suggest the latest surcharge. People then voted on it even you admitted that you voted on it therefore it was an on-line poll, just as has been reported in the article.

Competition or poll, it was a wind up and not meant to be taken seriously, certainly not seriously enough to send a journalist to Hurn Airport to interview passengers.
Other suggestions were charging for the use of oxygen masks and a swipe card next to the emergency chute in the event of an accident! Ryanair even produced their own comical version of the emergency procedure leaflet.(available for 25p)
To see a copy, go to http://s55.photobuck
et.com/albums/g159/t
wynham/?action=view&
current=Ryanair.jpg

Have you ever travelled on a plane with a 'large' person next to you. We travelled from New York to Bournemouth a couple of years ago with a 'large' person in one of the three seats (not Ryanair) and it was agony for me.
I agree it's not always that person's fault but give a thought for whoever is sitting in the next seat.

djd wrote:
Have you ever travelled on a plane with a 'large' person next to you. We travelled from New York to Bournemouth a couple of years ago with a 'large' person in one of the three seats (not Ryanair) and it was agony for me. I agree it's not always that person's fault but give a thought for whoever is sitting in the next seat.

You are dead right!
I travelled from Brisbane to Cairns next to a "fat unit" he got most upset when I told him that his seat ended at the arm rest between us!
He spent the entire flight blocking half of the isle!
If someone is sick, fair enough, if they over-eat, their choice!

to be honest i am a size 8 and even i think the plane seats are too small. They cram us all in its horrible. What will they define as 'fat' 'obese' ...yes if you are very obese and cant even fit into a plane seat then that is an issue, i wouldnt wana be next to that person as it would take up my space as well. Maybe they need to build a few rows of chairs for the overweight people where there is more room for them to fit. its all about cramming people in = more bums on seats = more money for the airlines

I have not heard so much rubbish from Ryanair and some of the comments on this forum. I am not small go, but I am not a big guy, and I would take umbrance at having to pay more, when it has nothing to do with the flight logistics or plans.

An American Airline done this back a few years, and it caused mayhem, until they decided to adopt the more nicer route. People over a certain wait purchased two tickets, and were given a ticket and a reserve seat card. This worked for a while. Later the airline put in bigger seats.

This is the problem. Most if not all airlines cram in the seats for money making, including RobbinAir. Instead of making stupid looking aircraft with double decks, why not add wider seats.

Anyway, if you think RobbinAir are that good, then take a look at this training video by typing the link into your browser. Be advised this is from an undercover trainee.

http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=ZkKPirksy
mQ

I weigh 9.5st why should I have to pay the same for my ticket as someone who weighs 20 or 30st and still be restricted to the same baggage allowance ??

Anyone over a healthy weight should be charged excess baggage rates !!

Chris... wrote:
I have not heard so much rubbish from Ryanair and some of the comments on this forum. I am not small go, but I am not a big guy, and I would take umbrance at having to pay more, when it has nothing to do with the flight logistics or plans. An American Airline done this back a few years, and it caused mayhem, until they decided to adopt the more nicer route. People over a certain wait purchased two tickets, and were given a ticket and a reserve seat card. This worked for a while. Later the airline put in bigger seats. This is the problem. Most if not all airlines cram in the seats for money making, including RobbinAir. Instead of making stupid looking aircraft with double decks, why not add wider seats. Anyway, if you think RobbinAir are that good, then take a look at this training video by typing the link into your browser. Be advised this is from an undercover trainee. http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=ZkKPirksy mQ

Chris, you think Ryanair are bad, see what our northern neighbours had to put up with before they moved down here.
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=6VLYpKGVB
Ug

I now hear that Ryanair will be offering a discounted fare for those that are underweight. However you will need a medical note to state you are below the BMI for sex / age...

I think a person's height should be taken into consideration as well - you can't help if you happen to grow to seven foot fifteen, but if you can afford all the food to be 40 stone then you can certainly pay a bit extra to fly.

Likewise, two small people should be allowed to share a seat if they choose.