Air France denies plans to charge double fares for obese passengers

January 29, 2010 by Angela

Johnny Depp is dead and Air France is going to charge obese passengers double fares. These are two of the headlines that have hit the news this month and as Johnny Depp is still alive and as gorgeous as ever, it is easy to see how news can be misreported and twisted to enable a good story. This is what has happened when a statement by a spokesman from Air France was misreported and started the aviation rumours flying. Air France has in fact asked obese passengers to voluntarily buy 2 seats since 2008. “It is not an obligation; we suggest to such passengers they buy a second seat for their own comfort and in order to be sure the seats are adapted to their needs. If the plane is not full, they can get a refund,” Air France spokesman Jean-Pierre Lefebvre said.

It seems the confusion has arisen when Spokeswoman for Air France, Monique Matze was misquoted as saying: “People who arrive at the check-in desk and are deemed too large to fit into a single seat will be asked to pay for and use a second seat”

Rather than investigate the whole truth, some reporters have leeched on to the rumours to rant on about the merits of charging obese passengers double. One such journalist, Claudia Prtichard, wrote an article for the Independent called The More You Eat The More You Pay where she writes “I applaud a penalty on overweight passengers”. She goes on to accuse overweight passengers of being to blame for their size; “No one is born weighing 17 stone, and no one can blame their parents for ever, even if they were force-fed Jaffa cakes in the ancestral home. Adults are responsible for their own calorific intake, and if they consistently order the spotted dick and drive to the cinema they will be fatter than the person who has the fresh fruit salad and walks to the gym.” Well, all I can say is that Claudia has a very high opinion of herself and her little arse, with no understanding or compassion for anyone apart from herself.

To be honest, I am shocked that a reputable paper such as the Independent has given this story credibility. Not only is the reporters view biased, she demonstrates little understanding of the term obese or overweight. The WHO classify the difference between overweight and obese in measurement: ‘The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “overweight” as a BMI equal to or more than 25, and “obesity” as a BMI equal to or more than 30.’ However, the BMI can be inaccurate as it does not take into consideration factors such as muscle size. There are further measurements that can be taken to be more accurate. Obesity is a chronic disease, according to WHO. No matter how hard you try, in 80% of cases, one will stay obese.

Still, it seems Claudia’s biggest bone of contention is a very personal one. That whist she ensures her case does not attract excess baggage tolls when flying by wearing most of the clothes she wishes to take, “chances are the person behind me in the queue for security will be heavier than me, their rolls of fat waved through unchallenged, while I sweat along ahead of them, wearing a small branch of Gap.”

However, it is true so say that since airlines have started charging for every single element of the flight, from the luggage, hand luggage, to the meal on the plane, it is logical that consumers will go one step further and want passengers weighed too and charged per kilo. This is perhaps a logical step. As a mother I get frustrated that I have to pay full fare for a young child who will spend the journey on my lap, not taking the allocated seat at all.

In a recent survey carried out by Skyscanners, 76% thought a fat tax was a good idea. ‘This debate looks unlikely to ever go away. As budget airlines, and indeed some of the larger national carriers, continue to penalise passengers for carrying checked-in luggage, and reveal an array of additional charges, people will query why they should have to pay extra when their obese fellow travellers pay the same amount for the flight yet clearly weigh heavier themselves.’

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