Airline's pay-by-weight fares take off with passengers

The head of a tiny Pacific airline that pioneered a fare system based on passengers' weight said Wednesday the move had been so successful the carrier is upgrading its fleet.

Samoa Air introduced its world-first system late last year, when it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat.

Chief executive Chris Langton said the 1.34 tala (57.5 US cents) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) charge had proved popular over the first 12 months as it meant cheaper fares for most passengers.

"People do the sums, that's their first interest," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"They compare what they would pay on a pay-by-weight system and just do basic arithmetic."

The World Health Organisation says Samoa has one of the world's highest rates of obesity, leading to soaring levels of weight-related coronary disease, diabetes and strokes in the Pacific island nation.

"We find that generally speaking if you look at any operation anywhere between any destination worldwide, a person who comes in at about 120 kilos (265 pounds) or less will always be better off to travel on a pay-by-weight system," Langton said.

He said the airline was in the process of adding to its three-aircraft fleet a new Cessna 208, which would be configured to ensure larger passengers who pay high fares are given more space.

"That way we can provide for people who are paying more because they are larger, obviously in the Pacific that is the case," he said. "Everybody gets what they're paying for."

He said larger airlines were considering similar schemes.

"The interest worldwide hasn't diminished at all. There's massive discussion going on about how pay-by-weight can be transferred to larger airplanes," he said.

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Samoan airline introduces "XL" class

A tiny Samoan airline says it will introduce an "XL" class for super-sized passengers, featuring extra-wide rows and special ramps to help them reach their seats.

Samoa Air has already pioneered a world first when late last year it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat.

Chief executive Chris Langton said the measure had proved a success and the airline now planned to provide a special service so passengers weighing more than 130 kilograms (287 pounds) could travel in greater comfort.

"Quite often the access is difficult and... after you've squeezed into the seats there's no room for your legs," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We don't have a large fleet of aeroplanes, but we wanted to do something that recognises that we are thinking about this."

He said rows in the new class had been extended to make them 12-14 inches (30-35 centimetres) wider, with customised ramps introduced to make access to them easier.

"It's sort of like a three-seat couch," he said.

Langton predicted other carriers would follow Samoa Air's lead, saying it made sense to charge by weight and cabins needed to be refitted to cope with expanding waistlines.

"That's where the XL has come in," he said. "We do it with shirts and clothing and other things where we have different standard sizes.

"The airline industry is going to have to do that."

The World Health Organisation says Samoa has one of the world's highest rates of obesity, leading to soaring levels of weight-related coronary disease, diabetes and strokes in the Pacific island nation.

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Something interesting here. You may feel that the airline is picking bones in a basket of eggs but it is essential they resort to such measures when every single passenger is grossly overweight. It will create a loading problem and even result in insufficient re-fueling which is very dangerous for a flight.