Fat Tax

[Guest DWB]

Ok what's everyones take on this possible fat tax for flying?

 

Me, I'm in favour of it, it makes sense even though I'm not at the light end of the spectrum at 93kg. Saw some interesting figures from a long haul pilot (I presume) re a flight from HKL to JFK where he said calculations show that a 50kg pax would use around 25kg of fuel & a 120kg pax would use 60kg of fuel. If that is true the fuel component for the flight per pax is not huge by any shape or form.

 

Some of you long or short haul guys might have a differing estimation that you may like to share.

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

Makes no difference in my plane, I still use ~ 32 l/h whether the plane's nearly empty or at MTOW. CASA, however, has put a fat tax of sorts on me, because my BMI is above some magic number, I now need to have a stress test before they will issue my medical. It's just one thing after another with CASA.

 

 

[Guest DWB]

Just what you need Kaye - more stress before a stress test. Maybe you should write to CASA & tell them "OK I'm not happy, are you happy now. Can we move on?"

 

Seriously though, they're really stretching it I think bringing BMI's into it & given what you've said, not to mention having met you, I would seriously have to question how some other GA pilots I've seen/know got past that one.

 

 

[Guest aviatrix27]

BMI would have to be the worst indicator possible for whether or not a person is overweight - and by how much. If I weighed the same as I did at 18 (and had a doctor exclaim %$$##@! Do you weigh that much?) when I was NOT overweight, my BMI would be 27.5, considered obese for a woman. For me to trust any of these indicators, a person's build needs to come into it - perhaps a wrist measurement. I note they have no minimum BMI to pass a medical, so it's not a genuine concern for health, I have enough reserves to fight illness, unlike a person with a BMI of, say, 15 or 16.

 

 

[mnewbery]

Its an advertising scam. 40 or 50 years ago, the check in counters had weighing pads at the check in counters - but no extra $ charged.

 

Imagine standing behind some large and tall person emptying their pockets into their checked luggage while checking in at a JetStar counter, then having to fork over another $53.45, which incidentally is now in the wallet of his checked luggage.

 

Then multiply that by more than 60% of the seats on an A-320.

 

Not gonna happen

 

 

[bas]

Stupid idea, but what's even stupider is that I can check in my 23 KG bag without paying extra, but the 50kg chick behind me needs to pay extra because her bags come up to 30kg.