As airlines continue to struggle to cover costs a Norwegian economics professor offers an uncanny solution: Charge overweight passengers more, because it cost most to carry them.
A paper published by Dr. Bharat P. Bhatta in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management offers three possible pricing scaling options that would help airline recoup to cost of carrying heavy passengers.
“Charging according to weight and space is a universally accepted principle, not only in transportation, but also in other services,” Bhatta, told CNN.
The three proposed pricing options are:
Total Weight: The price of the airline ticket would be a price-per-pound and the total cost would depend on the combine weight of the passenger and his or her bags.
Base Fare: A base fare would be charged for the ticket and a per-pound surcharge would apply to overweight passengers.
High/Low: A standard weight range would be chosen and passengers above or below that range would receive a credit or be charged an additional fee.
Bhatta’s system would rely on a passenger’s declaration of body weight and baggage weight at the time of purchase. He also suggested random weight checks to enforce the charges and check for accuracy.
If implemented, the potential for long lines and embarrassing moments is obvious to anyone who has even waited to take off their shoes in an airport security line.
