Bharat Bhatta, a Nepal raised Norway based Professor of Economics as Sogn og Fjordane University college looks at different models for airlines to charge extra for overweight passengers. The differences are operational: One model proposes directly linking the final fare to each kilo of combined personal and luggage weight ; a second suggests the airline set a base rate with per kilo discounts for those who fall below the weight and surcharges for those above and the lase is simplest of all, with just a base fare and fixed deductions and charges for those below and above a fixed range.
What is clear on is the justification:
A reduction of 1 kg in the weight of the plane, however, is estimated to save $3000 in fuel worth annually.
A survey of 1000 respondents by online travel portal Skyscanner after Bhatta's proposals came out showed that 59% agreed that airlines were justified in charging extra for very overweight passengers.
Airlines are acting on this. Samoa Air, a carrier from the Pacific islands which have seen dramatic rises in general obesity, has announced it is moving to a pay as you weigh (PAYW) system, in what looks like the most direct form proposed by Bhatta.
The consequence of all these confusions is that framing public policy to tackle obesity has become a quagmire. Everyone acknowledge the problem, but it seems almost impossible to agree on effective solutions other than education campaigns that are excellent at making us feel guilty, but seem to be agonisingly slow to work.
Source: The Economic Time magazine April 07-13, 2013
V.Senthilnathan