Mix in a Salad

Samoa Air is charging passengers based on their weight. They say it's the future. That's funny, because I bitched about it to Jetblue back in 2009. And I'm sure I was late even then. This has been going on ever since commercial air travel got started.

The issue, as I explain at length in my post, is that people that weigh more cost more to fly, so if you're wedged next to a fat slob on an airplane you are not only suffering because they take up all the room on the armrest but also because their fat ass costs more to transport but they can buy the same price ticket as you do. Which is bullshit, if you think about it.

Why do you have to front the cost of their obesity? Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Making someone pay their fair share would be discriminatory. I don't agree, but that's the way the law is interpreted.

This new fare program sounds great to me. Samoa Air even takes the weight of your baggage into account. An unexpected winner: people traveling with kids. They don't weigh much, and the tickets are priced accordingly.

Is it a coincidence that Samoa Air serves several countries with, according to Forbes, the fattest populations in the world? Probably not.