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Nika
You’re too big. You don’t fit. Now pay up. That’s the warm welcome overweight passengers are getting in the not-so-friendly skies as airlines struggle to keep up with an increasingly heavier human load. Is the Kyoto Protocol exempt industry attempting to lighten its hefty contribution to global warming, trying to make a buck in lean times or openly discriminating against fat people? If had to guess, I'd say all three.
It's true. United and American are the latest airlines to impose so-called "fat taxes" on overweight people, who they carefully call "passengers who require extra space." Basically, if a person can’t fit tidily in a single seat (who can?!), they'll have to 1) suck it up and pay for two seats, or 2) deplane for a more "wide open" flight pronto.
It’s no secret that the average American gets wider (and let’s face it, fatter) every year. In fact, one in three of us is obese. We're exponentially growing and our sardine cans in the sky can hardly keep up. How do you know if you're too big for just one seat? Let's refer to United's nifty checklist. You'll definitely need to fork over for 31 more inches of wiggle room if you can't:
- Fasten your seatbelt, even with a single seatbelt extender
- Lower your armrests while seated
- Simply squeeze into a single seat
This new "fat tax" raises a ton of questions (some heavier than others):
- Will carbon offset companies start factoring in a person’s BMI/weight when calculating their air travel footprint?
- Will FAA commercial airplane weight guidelines be expanded to accommodate our expanding waistlines? How many in-flight pounds are too much? What's safe?
- Will travelers have to endure humiliating pre-board weigh-ins or squeeze into a human version of the dreaded carry-on “test cage?”
- Will lighter passengers (including young children) get to pay less for weighing less? Hey, it's only fair!
- Will Weight Watchers sponsor two-bite in-flight meals (to be served after a flight attendant-led seated workout)?
What's next, super-sized movie theatre seats and gigantic toilets? Oops. Too late. Okay, okay. You are now free to get the heck out of the cabin.
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Even first world people tend to be thinner in countries where they are less sedentary
http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2009/03/walk-and-bike-y...
I have much less problem with a fat tax than I do with the tall tax that some people pay. A friend of mine has a 40 inch inseam and doesn't fit in regular seats. Some airlines charge an additional $40 or so for extended legroom and sometimes there is bulkhead seating, but there can be a wait for a less loaded plane where she might fit.
yes, we should all be healthy. no question about that. but size is a much more complicated issue than just eat less, walk more and all will be fine.
promote health, but don't discriminate based on some arbitrary measure.
It's not really random is it? If a person can't physically fit in the seat, or buckle the seat belt, they have to pay for more space. Maybe I should get a partial refund the next time I fly and the large person sitting next to me has to raise the armrest and fill one third of my seat. Well, I think I should get a 33% refund, right? I am only using 66% of the seat I paid for. Oh, wait. I suppose I am subsidizing the "fat tax" for the person next to me. Just because I have "good genetics" (it's not like I eat right or get enough exercise is it? I mean, there is no straight correlation that these things lead to a healthier weight or anything), I am still to be vilified because I am a "skinny, anorexic chic" that apparently has "waaaay too much" time on my hands. Enough time, I suppose to not eat crap and make sure I get some exercise now and then.
Even in regards to airlines, I don't think a fat tax is very practical - there are several things wrong with Pigouvian taxes in general. They are hard to calculate because it is impossible to determine the exact amount of externality caused, in this case by obesity, and they affect different people in different ways! Here is an article about why a fat tax wouldn't work: http://www.mindreign.com/en/mindshare/Global-Economics/Fa...