More Airline Charges

Wallow in nostalgia for a moment.
Do you remember when flying was fun and an adventure?
No, neither do I. It has always been a chore. Just as one thing improves flying, online check-in for example, something comes up to make it more difficult.
It used to be that you could take up to 2 cases per person plus carry on luggage. That used to be enough for most people who were put off by expensive charges for overweight luggage. Then came the no-frills airlines who charged for cases put into the hold. Airlines in the US followed by charging on domestic routes.
Then came charging on second bags checked in when you flew on some North American airlines across the Atlantic. Now, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have both announced plans to charge for second bags as from next month. And some of the prices aren’t cheap.
American Airlines will charge $50 per extra bag if you fly in economy class as does Continental Airlines. Business and first class passengers will face no prices. British Airways will charge £35. Virgin Atlantic were going to charge £90 for long haul routes but is backtracking. US Airways and Delta charge as do United.
We know airlines are losing money and are trying every opportunity to make some. Is this the way to go about doing it?
I for one, agree. If you can’t live out of one bag, maybe you are taking too much. Personally I don’t travel with hold baggage. If I can’t carry it on board, I’m not taking it. I realise that’s unfair on people taking surfboards or skiing equipment and it seems right they should pay.
So in the long run, this attempt to raise money may fail and people will just pack better.

Obese People Buy 2 Seats?

United Airlines has announced that obese people will have to buy 2 seats unless there are spare seats on a flight.
As you might imagine, this has caused a little ripple of comment. Ripple did I say? In Chicago where United is based, the Chicago Tribune has had 265 comments on their website. The online news report, Huffington Post has had 786 comments with 67% of people polling on the site in favour.
Southwest Airlines has had this policy for some years but I can't recall it being implemented very often. Air France has something similar but in Canada discrimating by weight is illegal.
The definition used by United is not a medical one so in some ways it seems fairer. If a passenger can't lower the arm rest or buckle a seatbelt after having an extension added, then they are liable to being removed from that flight if there was no extra seat. Or if they are aware there might be a problem they can buy two seats.
So is this blatant discrmination or making it fair on other passengers? The Fat Rights Coalition called it a blatant attempt at making money and accused the airline of discrimination. Others have pointed out that flying on an airbus instead of a boeing gives you an extra 2 inches width.
Supporters of the idea point out that neighbours get cramped in and have difficulty moving about. Others say if weight becomes an issue, a small person should get extra luggage allowance so that the system is fairer.
Could it happen here? Will Ryanair, easyJet, Flybe, Jet2, Globespan and no frills airlines in Europe copy it? Is it discriminatory? Does it contravene the Human Right Act?