Teenage
enterprise
This really made me laugh, from the Independent.
A teenager in Australia tried to avoid Jetstar’s excess baggage fees by wearing several layers of clothing. She was travelling home to Adelaide from Melbourne with a friend and didn’t want to pay Aus$62 for the over-limit weight of her bag.
She ended up wearing 13 lbs of clothes but still had to pay the fine.
Now, although I understand the reasoning behind baggage limits, there don’t appear to be any limits on the weight of passengers. I know it would cause outrage to suggest that people should pay according to their weight, but it seems ridiculous that a petite person should pay the same as a gargantuan one.
How would such a scheme work? Would people pay extra money for excess weight and how would that be determined? What is a reasonable average weight and how would exceptions be made for illness or disability causing extra poundage?
It is extremely uncomfortable to have one’s seat space invaded by a larger than average passenger (whatever the average is). However, it is also unpleasant to sit next to someone who has an historical association with soap and water. Once we start down that route there’s no turning back. There are just too many variables!
Anyway,
hats off to the Australian miss for giving this Pom a good laugh.
My recent flights really highlighted the fact that airline seats are no longer big enough to accommodate the average sized passenger, especially now that the average size of the population has drastically increased over recent years. Seats are getting smaller to generate more revenue but people are getting bigger.
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder whether it's worth travelling!
DeleteIt's food for thought surely! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's food that's the problem ;-) xx
DeleteThe wearing all your clothes stunt was in the past been much used in Europe by cyclists wishing to take their bicycles abroad and stay within the hold baggage weight limit. Sadly, airlines have now mostly changed their rules so you always end up paying to transport a bike on a plane - even if it's one of those featherweight carbon fibre ones that cost many thousands (even tens of thousands) of pounds.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
PS One might also point out that cyclists do not tend to carry extra weight in terms of body fat...
A cyclist wearing layers of clothes would just look like a 'normal' person - today's normal, that is ;-)
DeleteOne ticket- One passenger. that is the deal. Small carry on, checked baggage limits, that is also the deal. You pays yer monies and you takes yer chances. I have known average sized folks who buy two seats for their comfort due to seat size squish. It is a choice one makes according to one's pocketbook.
ReplyDeletePlaying sardines is not a lot of fun, I would think. Interesting, though - if everyone bought two tickets, or the price of tickets and size of seats were increased 100%, would everyone still want to fly everywhere?
DeleteReminds me of the clothing conundrum too: Both petite and plus sizes are more expensive than "regular sizes". When I was a petite size, I used to resent paying more for less! I think the extra cost used to be justified by needing a different pattern, which never made sense to me.
ReplyDeleteYou've highlighted the problem with airline rules AND the problem with the solutions to airline rules. I'm glad I neither fly nor make the rules!
I don't travel and will never be in a position to impose rules - just as well, really.
DeleteShe could have just stuffed the extra clothing into a carry-on and not paid any extra. I don't see why she had to pay a fine if the bag was under the weight limit, unless it was over and they saw her adding the extra layers to herself. which still puts the bag within limits so no fine should have been necessary. I don't know the full story, bt I do hope she doidn't get too uncomfortable with all the extra layers.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the full story but it did make me laugh.
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