As jet fuel prices skyrocket, airlines are now charging $25 if you want to check in an extra bag at check-in. Is it just a matter of time before an airline ticket is based on our weight and size too?

While we may not be accustomed to paying to check-in that extra bag when we fly, we all have dealt with the US Post Office and overnight air freight carriers. The proce is based on weight and size. No one really thinks anything of it since part of the price is based on cost of fuel and dealing with the size of the package.

We wondered when and if someone in the airline industry or government was thinking about charging passengers by their weight and overall size. Before you dismiss this idea completely, think about it.

Some airlines already charge obese passengers for an extra seat if they require it. Obsesity and charging extra for a seat is a very complex and hotly debated issue all over the world.

Things to Consider
First and foremost, some people are clinically obese. In those cases, I think that airlines have to accommodate them as they would a passenger with a disability without charging extra. The Canadian Transportation Agency recently ruled on this. They have a one person one fare policy. They will not allow the airlines to charge clinically obese people extra fare.

Things get complicated when we have to figure out who is clinically obese and who is just overweight. Most airline employees are not medical staff and would dread making these types of calls. Also what about pregnant women? Are we going to have to pay extra while we are carrying our baby? 

Jet fuel prices may tip the scales
Today, the price of a barrel of oil reached $118. Jet fuel prices are at $3.46 a gallon. One year ago jet fuel cost $1.94 a gallon or 78 percent less. Airlines are going bankrupt and are looking for ways to stay afloat.

Obesity aside, now that airlines are allowed to charge for extra bags, I think that it is only a matter of time before they can charge for extra pounds they are transporting as this may consume more fuel.

Aside from going through security at check-in, we may also have to weigh in. I know it sounds obsurd and crazy, but so are many other things we have to do when we fly today. We have to take off your shoes, empty our pockets, turn off the laptop and can't bring fruit punch on the flight without being interrogated.

So in the end, we may also have to step on a scale and pay extra if we go are in a higher weight band than the one we made our reservation under. Personally I would find this very embarrassing. Then again, one never knows what will happen when the airlines and government bureacrats get together to brain storm for new ideas.

In keeping with the above, passengers who weigh less should also be charged less. They can be credited by a certain amount if they fall below the price band they made their reservation under. In a sense, they are receiving benefits for their healthier choices, while their colleagues pay.

Your comments are welcome.