Overweight people should be made to pay their fair share on ‘planes.

Thanks for your persistence, I would have thought you would have accepted the unassailable nature of my arguments and conceded the debate long before now! Anyway, let's revisit the ongoing dispute over fuel. You wrote: "People pay the same amount." That's why it's so unfair, but carry on… "An airline doesn't know how much fuel they're going to use for one trip, therefore, it makes sense to make it even, since they're all paying for the same trip without the knowledge of how much fuel it will take." But the airline does know exactly how much fuel is required for each flight. That's why you have to pre-book freight and advise them the exact weight of the cargo – so they can calculate how much fuel to put in. Of course, there is a bit of leeway, just in case someone turns up unexpectedly with a bit of extra luggage, but you are still supposed to advise the airline in advance if you intend to bring excess luggage so they can fuel the plane accordingly. On more than one occasion I have seen check-in staff refuse to check ad-hoc excess bags into the hold because there was already the maximum scheduled weight on board the aircraft. You continued: "It's ultimately paid by the airlines…but it is up to the airlines to allocate their profits as they see fit." True, but the airlines calculate the fares on a "cost plus" basis, and the cost of fuel is a significant (27%) factor in that calculation. Since it costs them more in fuel to transport 400lbs of flesh and luggage than it does 200lbs of flesh and luggage, shouldn't this be reflected in the fare paid? After all, you'd expect to pay more to send 400lbs of cargo than 200lbs. In respect of my anecdote about Southwest dropping plans to introduce this type of pricing you wrote: "That proves my point that it would be a huge capitalistic mistake (a point that you failed to counter). They would lose business if they did this." The reason I didn't attempt to counter it directly was that by telling that story I was implicitly conceding your point, but I added that this was because the fat lobby were very vocal, but remember, those that shout the loudest aren't always right. "And as for "normal" people" you went on "not being as vocal as fat people, what are we defining as "normal"? You see, about 20% of the population is obese. Are you saying that such a huge demographic isn't normal? And even so, are you saying that the airlines should just ignore this group's concerns?" 20% of the population obese, you say? Well, I agree with you, it's absolutely appalling. It's an even higher percentage than here in the UK and we're a right bunch of flabby, indolent slobs! I mean, how can these people justify consuming so much more of the world's finite food resources than they actually need to stay healthy when millions of children go to bed hungry every night? Sorry, that should be for another debate. Now, where were we? Oh yes, by "normal" I was referring to the Body Mass Index as follows: Less than 18.4 underweight Between 18.5 and 24.9 normal Between 25 and 29.9 overweight Between 30 and 39.9 obese Over 40 morbidly obese No, the airlines should not ignore the concerns of the obese, but they should also consider the concerns of the majority. To this end, a fair pricing structure would be as follows: Underweight people get a discount; Normal people pay the normal fare (see how reasonable that sounds); Everyone else pays a supplement according to how much extra weight they're carrying on their bodies. An airline who introduced this system would be able to reduce or maintain fares for most people while a few would pay a little extra to reflect the extra cost the airline incurs by carrying them. In every other aspect of life, one is expected to pay one's fair share and this should apply to air travel too.