Reacting angrily to news that Australian airlines are forcing passengers to pay extra luggage fees, readers said overweight travellers should be footing the bill, with one reader suggesting they be seated in "super-size" class.
"Why should I have to pay the same as the fat guy next to me when he is 40kg heavier, and have him take half my seat as well," wrote a reader called Dan.
"There are currently scales there for your bags, so rather than just use them for luggage, have the person stand on them, with their luggage and charge accordingly," wrote Dan.
Related Sections
Travel News
Travel Homepage
Advertisement
"When will they start weighing people?" asked Nick of Perth, who feels skinny people are subsidising those overweight.
"I find it frustrating that people like my girlfriend, weighing 45kg can get a $30 charge for each kilogram of luggage she is over, but people weighing in excess of 100kg, can get on with no extra cost."
"If it is all about weight, why do skinny people have to subsidies overweight people?" he said.
Ken Yuen suggested a seating class called "Super-size" should be introduced.
"It's just like business class but for large folk," he wrote. "Seats larger, more space, more food even to keep them happy. They can pay more and help keep costs normalised for us skinny folk."
Look at the bigger picture
Kate of Sydney hit back at the attacks, asking where the discrimination will end.
"To say there should be separate seating areas for the overweight is stupid.
Why stop at the obese, what about professional weightlifters? They've chosen to be huge/muscular and their shoulders/biceps take up a lot of space on the armrest," she wrote.
"Men sit with their legs wide apart so women are forced to squish over uncomfortably in their seat... I mean is that what this is coming too?"
"It's funny how as soon as airline surcharges are mentioned people can't stop themselves from harassing the fatties," said Dave of Sydney.
"Why stop at planes? Why not buses or trains too? Though if we can discriminate that way then why not charge people with lower IQ's."
Another comment argued that if airlines charged people for being overweight, would they start charging disabled passengers more because they need to check in baggage that includes their wheelchairs?
Andrew of Canberra said anyone wanting to equate overweight people to excess luggage needs to look at the bigger picture.
"Your extra baggage needs to be placed on the plane and then offloaded at the other end. You on the other hand are usually more than capable of doing it yourself.
"The extra weight by a fat passenger would make a negligible difference in the cost of flying the plane," said Andrew.
