91制片厂

When you think of airline policies, you might picture baggage fees or seat upgrades. But a recurring topic in the industry raises a different question: Could passenger weight play a role in ticket pricing as airlines explore ways to reduce emissions and fuel use?

While it鈥檚 a polarizing topic, the idea of weight-based pricing touches on some key concerns for airlines 鈥� specifically, the balance between environmental impact and customer fairness. This concept has yet to gain traction with most airlines due to ethical concerns. However, some experts note that it may offer a pathway toward making air travel more eco-friendly.

, a hospitality management professor at the 91制片厂 Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, and his听former colleagues explored this issue by studying public attitudes toward weight-based airfare pricing. Their findings, published in the Journal of Tourism Research and , indicate that most travelers resist the idea, but some groups see it differently 鈥� especially if such policies align with their own interests.听

鈥淲e wanted to explore how air travel could be made more sustainable, especially considering the weight we carry 鈥� both personal weight and baggage that often travels back and forth,鈥� Schuckert says. 鈥淲e wondered if reducing weight overall could contribute to more eco-friendly air travel and began questioning whether passengers might accept pricing that reflects this.鈥澨�

Surveying Public Opinion on Weight-Based Airfare Policies听

The researchers surveyed over 1,000 U.S. air travelers to gauge their views on three types of fare policies:听听

• Standard policy: All passengers pay a uniform price.听
• Threshold policy: Passengers exceeding a set weight incur additional fees.听
• Unit-of-body-weight policy: Each passenger鈥檚 fare is based on their combined body and baggage weight.听

The standard policy was the most accepted approach across all demographics, with more than half of respondents rating it as the most ethical option. Moreover, nearly 60%听of participants voiced concerns about weight-based policies, citing potential fairness issues and the risk of discriminatory practices, especially as factors like nutrition, income听and accessibility often influence body weight. 听

Who Supports Weight-Based Pricing?听

Younger passengers showed more openness to weight-based policies. Among respondents aged 18-35, acceptance of weight-based pricing was 20 percentage points higher compared to travelers aged 66 and above. Additionally, travelers with higher incomes or frequent flyer status were 25% more likely to support weight-based policies than those in lower income brackets or who traveled infrequently.听

Schuckert says the research isn鈥檛 meant to be an endorsement of such policies, it just makes sense from a research perspective to investigate whether they offer a pathway to a more sustainable future for air travel 鈥� and if passengers would accept these changes.听

鈥淭his topic has been widely discussed for decades, but there鈥檚 surprisingly little research on it,鈥� Schuckert says. 鈥淪ome airlines have tried or considered weight-based policies, but the main roadblock remains ethical concerns, which make it difficult to even discuss. But if we aim to make air travel more sustainable, we should have an open discussion. That鈥檚 really the point of research 鈥� to put everything on the table for consideration.鈥澨�

What鈥檚 Next? Broadening the Path to Sustainable Air Travel听

Schuckert says the research findings highlight how societal norms can often oppose sustainable practices.听

鈥淚n many areas, we encourage sustainability with a 鈥榩ay-as-you-consume鈥� model, like a fee that increases with usage. But, when it comes to people, applying this idea is challenging,鈥� Schuckert says. 鈥淲e hesitate to set prices based on individual characteristics because it feels discriminatory. The real question is how to design pricing that promotes sustainable choices without unfairly targeting certain customer segments.鈥澨�

Schuckert sees younger travelers' receptiveness to these policies as an encouraging sign. Even if weight-based pricing isn鈥檛 the answer, he believes their forward-thinking mindset reflects the openness needed as discussions around sustainable transportation evolve.听

Future research could explore alternative ways to incentivize lighter travel or new approaches to sustainability that avoid discrimination and support both environmental and social responsibility, according to Schuckert.听

This research听is co-authored by听Lorenzo听Masiero and Judit听Zoltan, both from the University of Bologna, Italy; Denis听Tolkach, James Cook University, Australia; Stephen听Pratt, University of Central Florida; Matias Thuen听J酶rgensen, Roskilde University, Denmark;听and Kaye听Chon, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.