This post in an sfgate blog suggests that if overweight people are charged an additional fee to travel, parents with babies should also be charged.
"My friend who recently flew United made the point that children under
three two fly for free, and they take up as much space as someone's unwanted body fat—and they certainly make more noise. Emissions-wise, having a child is also more profligate than being overweight."
I always love the article that sparks the clever commenters.
e.g.
"Also, kid-haters: Go apologize to your mothers. And don't ever date someone 20 years younger than you, or complain because there aren't enough orderlies to flip your bedsore-ridden @ss in the nursing home. We need a next generation, you know."
"It would be nice if flying on airplanes was a more pleasant experience. It would also be nice if I didn't have to work for a paycheck. ... Of course, no one should ever fly United in the first place, anyway, so this whole debate is moot."
"airplane seats are manufactured by the same folks who manufacture manacles, leg irons, racks, guillotines, thumb screws, eye gougers and Brittany Spears CD's."
"I think discrimination is bad but most people (including people on this board) are stupid - can't we charge them more since they tend to take longer to figure things out...."
My personal reaction to this article? I like this blogger because he provides further proof that we need journalists (with editors) delivering our news, not bloggers. If you're trying to make a point about C02 emissions and fuel costs, the annoyance factor is irrelevant. Maybe United's next policy should be to charge people as they deplaned for how annoying they were during the flight.
And in defense of the overweight passengers (who probably suffer as much pre-flight anxiety as people bringing children... I took a
flight last year where I was seated between two pretty large people, I don't recall their body mass overlapping into my seat. If anything, they were far more considerate than the people I've sat next to who let their elbows overflow across the armrest.
