Why Airlines Should Charge Obese People Extra on Flights Obesity is a huge public health problem in many developed countries. Besides increasing the risk of “lifestyle diseases,” such as diabetes and stroke, the disease makes it difficult for other people to co-exist with its victims. This problem is apparent in the airline industry because some customers often complain of discomfort from sitting next to obese passengers. Based on this background, stakeholders in the air transport sector have engaged in an endless debate regarding whether they should charge obese people more money when purchasing an air ticket, or not (Seeman & Luciani, 2011). This issue is an ethical and moral one. Adding to this debate, this paper argues that all airlines should charge obese people extra on flights. Being Obese is a Choice According to Brewis (2011), nobody was born fat. The only exception to this view is when a person is obese because of genetics, or a medical condition. Nonetheless, poor lifestyle choices, such as the lack of exercise and poor diet, are the main causes of obesity (Brewis, 2011). Healthy people choose not to make these poor lifestyle choices. It would be unfair for airlines to require them to sacrifice their comfort for someone too lazy to take care of their body. Based on these facts, safely, we could assume that being fat is a personal choice. Although some of them did not intend to be fat, their personal choices made them that way. The concept of division of labor as explained by Durkheim (2014) emphasizes the above argument because it demonstrates how, despite our quest to be independent, we still find ourselves relying on other people. When obese people take up space in other people’s seats, their actions affect those of other people. In this regard, Durkheim (2014) advocates for a holistic understanding of social science. He argues that most people should not only focus on the action of one individual, but also on how these actions affect others. Based on this fact, Durkheim (2014) would support the imposition of an extra fee for obese people when purchasing air tickets. Indeed, the actions of one obese person would affect the comfort of another. Granted, it is unfair to subject other people to an uncomfortable ride because of the actions (or inaction) of another. High Cost of Operation Weight is not a factor to ignore in the airline industry. According to Ali (2012), heavy airplanes consume more fuel than lighter ones. Carrying many obese people increases airplane weight and leads to higher operating costs. To adjust to these high costs, airlines would have to charge more money to passengers through increased air ticket prices. However, it would be unfair to impose a general price increase on all passengers because only a small minority of passengers is responsible for the cost increase. Airlines should address this problem by charging obese people extra money on flights. Passengers should not take offense from this action because some airlines already charge tall people extra money for extra legroom. Therefore, why should the same airlines exempt obese passengers from this rule? Contradictory views appear below Why Airlines Should Not Charge Obese People Extra on Flights Discrimination Some people could oppose the proposal to charge ob