TopCat3

At the front of every check in queue, any airline, any airport worldwide, there should be a metal plate in the floor where you stand while they fiddle with your ticket and passports. This metal plate should be a weighing machine like they have at the vets for big dogs. You stand on it, with your carry-on and check-in luggage, just before you hand over your check-in it goes "ping" and the person serving you sees the total weight on their computer screen. Absolutely private, no-one else sees. The person will know from the payload capacity of plane and number of passengers the average weight for each allowable space. The computer can be running a checks and balances for each passenger as big people and small people with their luggage, big and small, pass through. The last person that exceeds the average and sends the total weight over the payload capacity has to wait for the next flight and is the first allowed through for that next flight. Should ensure no late boarders and all fatties packing lighter bags in the hope they don't draw the short straw. I think that might work?

slapphead_otool

Gets my vote, except a big flashing sign should say "fat git" ......

Kelli28

I don't think anyone should have to pay a tax, men are generally heavier than women so if it did happen could be seen as discrimination. I think the seats on airlines are child size and most of them should be bigger. However I do think there should be a limit but not on weight but on dimensions just like your hand luggage sizes ie width and hight most flights ive been on theres always some tall person sticking there legs into the isle every chance they get, and after all a lot of athletes would weigh very heavy but that doesn't mean they'd need two seats.

calliope

The ones that are big enough to have two seats - do they pay more?

carolinephillips

I don't think you could work it easily, but certainly someone the size of the big man in the photo should have to pay for two seats- he takes up nearly 3!!!!

Dreamy

LMAO... so tall people could never fly unless they had their lower legs amputated?

Pollyana

They can buy two seats. Most airlines will accommodate that - I had to look into it once and Qantas said that generally a second seat can be bought just for the seat price, ie no taxes or overheads.

cresta57

I have a downer on airlines at the moment. Deb's parents have had to cancel their flights due to her brothers brain tumour. He'll need 24hr care for a minimum of 6 months. They were going to see about changing the names on their tickets so that other family members could fly out here instead. As soon as she explained the situation the airline cancelled the tickets & told them there were no refunds. The travel agent then rang to say that there would be a surcharge for cancelling the flights. So not only did they lose their cash for the tickets, the travel agents lost their commission so want their % yet the tickets can now be resold at an inflated price to someone else. They will refund a small % of the hotel rooms that have been cancelled [4 nights in Dubai outbound & 4 nights inbound] What a rort!
Nothing covered by travel insurance

slapphead_otool

That stinks!

What airline?

eddie007

I'm sure we've had this conversation before on here... Having deja vue...

Anyway... I'll say it again...

When I had me brain tumour I MORE than doubled my bodyweight... Are they proposing to tax me on a symptom of my life threatening illness?


Dont answer... That would be the same response as taxing the sick and their relatives through massive car parking charges at hospitals wouldnt it


By the way.. Cresty.. That bloody stinks... Barstewards.... Worth a line to the press I reckon!

Kooky.

cresta, I'm sure the folks have too much on their minds at the moment so can you escalate it with the airline on their behalf? Explain the situation, explain the solution they were looking for, and see if it can be put right?

Possibly should have been done through the TA but it sounds like they're only interested in their bottom line anyway.

slapphead_otool

Agreed. I would get stuck into them for that.

bcworld

That's low.

Emirates? Had a quick look at the T&Cs and noticed there was specifically no fee waiver for illness of family member. I thought that was normally an acceptable basis for waiver of cancellation fees etc...something worded like 'death or serious illiness of family member'. But the Emirates T&Cs seem to exclude the latter.

cresta57

Think that's them. Shitty deal really, I expected to pay a fee for changing the names on the tickets, the flights were still 2 months away. At the moment they are just overwhelmed by the news that number one son is so ill. That & they buried the FiL's mum on Monday.
I do have good news this week though; My boy & his G/F are expecting a little girl on June 4th

bcworld

Congrats on the good news and to the rest of it.

For some reason best known to airlines, name change is considered a big deal and often not allowed. Pity they were cancelled, might've been an option to push the dates out and deal with that later??