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 obese people an extra fee when purchasing airplane tickets by arguing that it would amount to discrimination (Wadden & Stunkard, 2002). The merit of their argument could stem from the understanding that obesity is often associated with impoverishment and discrimination, which may manifest through poor access to healthy foods, lack of quality health care, lack of health education, and similar socioeconomic factors (Brewis, 2011). Therefore, charging obese passengers an extra fee for taking up more space in an airplane would amount to adding a new layer of discrimination to their lives.
Airlines Price Tickets Averagely
Critics of the proposal to charge an extra fee for obese people when purchasing air tickets could argue that air ticket prices do not adopt a “one-size fits all” model. Stated differently, airlines often averagely price tickets to suit varying customer dynamics. This is why they do not charge an extra amount of money for men and women, although most men weigh more than their female counterparts do. Therefore, critics could argue that if we were to use weight as the only premise for setting ticket prices, airlines should charge men more money for weighing more than their relatively lighter female counterparts weigh. However, this practice is rare or nonexistent. From this argument, critics could argue that it would be unethical to charge obese people more money for purchasing an air ticket because they weigh more than the average passenger does.
Discussion
Arguments against the imposition of an extra fee to obese people who want to fly are relatively weaker than the arguments that support the same proposal. Most of the arguments, which do not support the imposition of an extra fee for obese people, distract us from the fact that obesity is largely a condition of our own making. Concerning the perception that charging an extra fee would amount to discrimination, passengers have always paid extra money for heavy luggage. This has been standard practice in most airlines. It begs the question: why would obese passengers not pay extra money or an extra seat for their comfort and the comfort of other passengers? Karl Marx would support critics of this proposition because he believed that the capitalistic system conceptualized people as “factors of production” (Megill, 2002).
He said laborers are subject to the political and economic power wielded by the bourgeoisie (people who hold the factors of production). In our case, airline passengers would be the factors of production and the bourgeoisie would be the airline companies, which control the factors of production. Karl Max said this system (capitalism) is faulty because it diminishes humanity (Megill, 2002). Instead, he supported a socialist school of thought, which advocated for a free interaction among people, without economic influence (Megill, 2002). In this regard, he would not have supported the imposition of an extra charge for obese people. The problem with his argument is the inadvertent suppression of human rights. By allowing obese people to cause discomfort to other people, they would violate the rights of other passengers to have a comfortable flight that they paid for. Furthermore, Karl Marx’s philosophies oversimplify this issue because, as this paper points out, obesity is (often) a choice caused by poor lifestyle decisions. In this regard, it would be unwise to apply Marxist thoughts to this research issue.
Conclusion
In this paper, I argue that obese people should pay extra money on flights. This proposal aligns with the principle of equality because it would be unfair to other passengers if obese people take up some of their space. Supporting this narration is the understanding that obesity is, often, a personal choice. Indeed, poor lifestyle decisions have created a crisis. Therefore, it would be wrong to punish people who have taken good care of their health by subjecting them to uncomfortable flights, courtesy of obese people. Based on these insights, airlines should charge obese people extra money on flights.
References
Ali, A. (2012). The Obesity Reality: A Comprehensive Approach to a Growing Problem. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Brewis, A. (2011). Obesity: Cultural and Biocultural Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Durkheim, E. (2014). The Division of Labor in Society. London, UK: Simon and Schuster.
Megill, A. (2002). Karl Marx: The Burden of Reason (why Marx Rejected Politics and the Market). London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield.
Seeman, N., & Luciani, P. (2011). XXL: Obesity and the Limits of Shame. Toronto, CA: University of Toronto Press.
Wadden, T., & Stunkard, A. (2002). Handbook of Obesity Treatment. London, UK: Guilford Press.