Travelers consider weight-based airfares for sustainable flights

Travelers consider weight-based airfares for sustainable flights
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 18, 2024

As holiday travelers pack for seasonal trips, airlines are exploring new ideas to address rising environmental concerns. Among them is weight-based pricing, a concept recently studied by the University of New Hampshire. The study assessed passenger opinions on whether weighing both personal baggage and body weight could lead to reduced carbon emissions. While the concept met resistance, some travelers, particularly those committed to environmental sustainability, showed willingness to consider it.

"We wanted to explore how air travel could be made more sustainable, especially considering the weight we carry - both personal weight and baggage that often travels back and forth," said Markus Schuckert, professor of hospitality management. "We wondered if reducing weight overall could contribute to more eco-friendly air travel and began questioning whether passengers might accept pricing that reflects this."

The study, published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, surveyed over 1,000 U.S. travelers. It evaluated three proposed fare policies: a standard flat rate for all passengers, a threshold policy charging extra fees for weights exceeding a set limit, and a unit-of-body-weight model where prices are determined by combined body and baggage weight.

Among these options, the standard policy received the highest approval, with over half of respondents rating it as the most ethical. Nearly 60% expressed concerns about weight-based pricing due to fairness issues and risks of discrimination tied to factors such as nutrition, income, and accessibility.

Support for weight-based policies was notably higher among younger respondents, with travelers aged 18-35 showing almost 20% more approval compared to those aged 66 and older. Higher-income earners and frequent flyers also showed greater support, with their approval rates exceeding that of lower-income or infrequent travelers by 25%.

The concept of weight-based pricing raises key questions about balancing environmental impact with passenger privacy and fairness. While some airlines have experimented with or considered such policies, ethical concerns have prevented widespread adoption.

"This topic has been widely discussed for decades, but there's surprisingly little research on it," Schuckert explained. "Some 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's really the point of research - to put everything on the table for consideration."

Future studies may explore alternative strategies to promote lighter travel or examine sustainable practices that integrate environmental goals with social responsibility.

The research team included co-authors Lorenzo Masiero and Judit Zoltan from the University of Bologna, Italy; Denis Tolkach of James Cook University, Australia; Stephen Pratt from the University of Central Florida; Matias Thuen Jorgensen of Roskilde University, Denmark; and Kaye Chon of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Research Report:Assessing air traveler preferences for pay-per-weight pricing