Cheap Flights Engine Skyscanner Debunks the Myth of Air France and Airline Fat Tax
Released
on: January 22, 2010, 4:14 am
Author: Skyscanner Ltd
Industry: Travel
Erroneous reports in the British tabloid media this week
stated that French flag carrier, Air France, will force overweight
flyers to pay for two seats, or they will be prevented from boarding
for 'safety reasons'.
However, Air France has officially denied the accusation, stating on their website
that ‘Air France has no intention of making heavier passengers pay for a second
seat.’
Since 2005, Air France has been offering heavier passengers the possibility of
purchasing a second seat at a 25% discount, to enhance their own comfort and safety.
The only recent change to Air France’s policy on overweight passengers is to refund
passengers the cost of the second seat, if the cabin is not fully booked.
The possibility of a “Fat Tax” for airline passengers is a frequently debated issue,
with many flyers feeling that very overweight passengers should pay for an extra
seat, if they are invading the space of neighbouring travellers.
Ryanair has previously flirted with the idea following a survey that revealed one
third of their passengers were in favour of such a move. However, despite the
budget airline regularly introducing new routes and additional cheap flights this policy has not yet come
into fruition.
Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and director commented:
“Any ruling that alienates obese passengers is likely to deter them from booking
with that airline. On the flip side, some airlines may start specifically targeting
the overweight sector, by offering wider – but probably more expensive – seating
options.”
Though Americans are typically perceived to be the world’s most overweight people,
according to the World Health Organisation, it is in fact Nauru, the world’s
smallest island nation that bears this unwanted title, with 94.5% of the population
classified as overweight.
The UK ranks as the 28th fattest country in the world with 63.8% of the population
classified as overweight.
Ironically, if Air France were to ever bring in such a rule, it would be unlikely to
affect French travellers as much as other nations; France ranks 128th in the ‘fat
index’ with ‘only’ 40.1% of the population overweight. So flyers on flights
to Paris needn’t worry about the French passengers invading their space.
About Skyscanner:
Skyscanner is a leading travel search site based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Skyscanner
provides instant online comparison on flight prices, including flights
to London for over 670,000 routes on over 600 airlines, as well as car hire,
hotel and holiday price comparison.
With Skyscanner, users can browse without having to enter specific dates or even
destinations, and Skyscanner is available in 20 different languages including
French, German and Spanish.
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