Tony Webber at The Age has a radical proposal: Heavier people should have to pay more for airline tickets. He notes that:

• The more a plan weighs, the more fuel it burns, and thus the more money the airline loses.
• Between 1926 and 2008 the average weight increases for men and women in Australia would lead to an extra 3.72 barrels of fuel for a long distance flight. This comes out to an extra $472 for the entire flight. This cost can add up quickly.
• If we assume that 75 kilograms is the ‘normal’ weight then somebody who weighed a 100 kilograms would have to pay an extra $14.50 whereas somebody who weighed just 50 kilograms would get a discount of $14.50

To read more about the proposal and why it makes sense, as well as other common examples of such (price) discrimination, click here.

Source: The Age

Via: Freakonomics