Ask Lady With A Hat

A new business model April 16, 2009

United Airlines joins several other airlines by charging obese passengers for two seats.

I have an idea that could bring even MORE revenue: charge by the pound. Sure, anorexics and children would get by cheap, but given that the average American is overweight anyway, this could be a gold mine.

Let’s say you have a ticket that currently costs $200. Under this plan, that price would be assessed to a particular “desired” weight – let’s say for example 150 pounds for a man, and 100 pounds for a woman. Do the math ($200 / 150 = $1.333 per pound for a man, and $200 / 100 = $2.00 per pound for a woman) and determine the price based on the passenger’s weight. A 200-pound man would pay $266.67 for the flight, while a woman at the same weight would pay $400.