Paying Your Own Way

I'm surprised about the complaints from some people about some of the airlines charging for additional checked bags, heavy bags, and non-standard size items. People complain these items use to be free - but they only show their ignorance.

Intelligent people know such things were never free - someone had to pay for the shipping costs for their bags. In the past airlines would absorb the cost to lug the luggage of their passengers. Now, with the obvious increase in fuel costs, their profit margin is almost non-existent so the costs they have always absorbed in the past are now directed to the passenger.

That's the way it should be. Why should someone flying with a light carry-on bag have to subsidize the shipping costs of someone checking in 3 heavy bags? I'm also glad they are charging for food. I usually don't eat anything on a plane yet in the past; my ticket price subsidized the eats of those that feel the need to continually stuff their faces. (If you're seated next to me and you're fat I will NOT raise that divider!)

Some stats from the August 11, 2008 issue of Forbes expands on this with a little blurb about fat people on planes. Some highlights:

• The avg. weight of an American has increased 24 pounds since 1960
• JetBlue Airways cut 1,079 excess pounds from its Airbus A320 but with 119 out of 150 seats full their plane is loaded with 2,856 extra pounds of thicker waists, thighs, and faces
• Airlines flew 735 million passengers in 2007. Multiply that by 24 pounds and airlines are flying 17.6 BILLION pounds of extra flabby people
• It takes about 1 gallon of jet fuel to move 100 pounds on a domestic flight
• 176.4 MILLION gallons of fuel, costing $538 million (at the industrial price of $3.05/gal).
  

Think Al Gore should be preaching weight control - and he can start with himself.

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