Ex Qantas Chief Agrees With Fat Tax

Should airlines be able to charge overweight passengers more than regular passengers? This is a question that has been looming over the heads of airlines for sometime now. Of course, most people already know where the airlines stand on this matter. Most of them feel that they should be able to. That should not shock most people as it would translate into more money for the airlines. However, is there any truth to it? Is it really fair for airlines to charge such a tax?

Reports from Australia say that the average weight of an Australian female has climbed from 59 to 71 kilograms. Men have seen an increase as well from 72 to 85 kilograms. This increase has happened over the span of 1926 to 2008.

This kind of information has not escaped the airline industry unnoticed. In fact, the idea of charging larger passengers more is an idea that former Qantas chief economist Tony Webber agrees with. This is actually an idea that he has been following for a long time.

Recently, Mr. Webber wrote that people who weigh more should pay more to fly on planes. This works much in the same way that people who exceed their baggage allowance must pay out extra money as well. People do not think about it, but extra weight causes the airline to use more fuel.

Mr. Webber, who actually left the airline just last April, said that the weight of an aircraft dictats how much fuel it will burn. Airlines should be able to raise ticket prices to account for obese passengers. If the passengers on the aircraft weigh more, the plane uses more fuel. It is as simple as that. When an airline uses more fuel, costs go up.

He went on to be so bold as to say that the cost of running an airline has gone up since 2000. This is not just because of higher oil and fuel prices, but because the average adult passenger is carrying “a bit more heft.” Airlines could end up saving themselves a lot of money by introducing this tax.

Although this former Qantas chief feels this way, people should not expect airlines to start adding this tax anytime soon. In fact, Qantas just recently said that they have no plans to introduce a surcharge of this nature. It is possible that Qantas announced this just to distance themselves from the theory of their former employee.

Other airlines apparently agree with Qantas. A spokesperson for Virgin Australia said that such a notion is not under consideration. This is not something that the airline is even thinking of considering at this present time. Tiger Airways said it was a passenger’s choice if they want to purchase an extra seat for “comfort reasons.”