Should overweight people pay more for their airline seat?

A recent poll revealed that 76% of people think that they should. Only 22 of the 550 surveyed thought that they should not have to pay for an extra seat due to their size. 

This poll raises a number of issues which quite frankly leaves one feeling remarkably uncomfortable. 

We can see that if our baggage weighs more than is allowed then we accept that we have to pay more. Is there a difference if the excess baggage is our own body? 

Of course if this news had read that thin people will get to pay less for their ticket would anyone have batted an eyelid? It seems smokers, overweight people the ill etc are in the firing line and are easy targets. 

Is this the thin end of the wedge? We are aware of so called “fat taxes”. What will be next? Paying more to ride in a taxi or go on a train? Let alone turning up to your favourite eateries to find you are put on the scales in the queue and turned away due to your current BMI? Where will the line be drawn?

Frankly people who are overweight suffer enough. Rarely are the overweight in society overweight due to ignorance. They are suffering in some way. This will only add insult to injury. We are all human after all.

In the end won’t all of this even itself out? On any given flight, the airline will usually have a cross section of society on board. For example, thin people, overweight people, tall people, short people, body builders and children!

James