Having a larger physique has always been an issue with airline travels. An individual who is too large for a single seat may be forced to pay for two seats or told to purchase a seat on a later flight that can accommodate them.

In an article in this month’s Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Bharat P. Bhatta writes, “All passengers are not alike in terms of their weight and the space they take in a plane.”

Bhatta and other economists have suggested three new models.

One concept is that is that airlines should charge each individual for their combined weight and their carry-on, each passenger would have their own fare based on their own weight.

Another concept considered is to have a base payment that applies to the average weight of all travelers; fliers would then be charged or refunded based on whether their weight is above or below the fixed weight.

The third idea proposed is that all fliers will be categorized into three weight classes, heavy, medium and light and each class will have a fixed payment.

Although these ideas vary, they all share fundamental concepts. The models all work towards lessening the weight on planes and balancing fares with fuel consumption and its costs. Each will require the means to weigh passengers or obtain current record of their weight. And no matter how you look at it, the concept of paying-by-weight targets people of above average weight.

“One problem with pay-by-weight is that it puts more pressure on people to be thin,” History teacher Kristen Collins said.

The concept of paying-by-weight is supported by basic physics. A plane with a lighter load consumes less fuel than one with a heavier load, thus saving fuel, money that and helping the environment. While proponents of these models argue that implementing this idea would encourage fliers to pack lighter bags and even to lose weight to accommodate flight fares, is this fair?

An obvious downside to paying-by-weight is that it discriminates. Obesity is a medical condition that cannot always be helped and some people may not be able to accommodate pricier airline fares. If paying-by-weight plans are implemented larger individuals will suffer, and airlines run the risk of lawsuits.

“It is certainly discriminatory and I couldn’t imagine an American airline using this policy and getting away with it,” Collins said.

No matter what policy is discussed, it would require a means to obtain record of a person’s weight. This would involve either passengers showing medical records of their weight or airlines installing scales in the airports. Both methods have the downside of slowing down the process.

“People would not be happy with it and if airports use this policy they should expect a decrease of airport traffic,” senior Mario Cerón said.

Samoa Air, the national carrier of Samoa has already adopted paying-by-weight policies for their fares. Should this idea of pay-for-your-weight become regular in airports everywhere?

“It’s up to the airports, they already make larger people buy two seats, this is kinda the same thing,”  junior Alex Browne.

The bottom line is it is now up to the airlines to decide.