People in Samao are increasing in mass. !

As a result, they are taking more space and causing conflicts in flights. This means that the
company receives more customer complains and dissatisfaction in the flights causing more
problems. The problems hence means that less people are going to take the service. Leading to
less revenue and hence less profits. !

More mass takes more money to carry. As a result, the company has to pay more money in
terms of fuel for the plane to operate properly. !

People nowadays take discrimination very seriously. This discrimination may affect the brand
image of the company. Discriminating people may affect the brand image of the company and
hence persuading people not to buy the service. !

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Samoa Air defends 'pay-asyou-weigh' pricing

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BBC
A Samoan airline that says it is the world's first
carrier to charge passengers by their weight rather
than per seat has defended the plan as the fairest
way to fly.

The airlinedefended its decision bysayingthatin

some casesflight costsended up cheaper than
conventional tickets.
Advantage of policy

"The industry has this concept that all people

throughout the world are the same size," Samoa
Air CEO Chris Langton told the Reuters news
agency on Wednesday. "Aeroplanes always run on
weight, irrespective of seats.

Economic effect of heavy people.

Though the airline instituted the plan last

November, it caught attention last week when the
carrier began international
flights to neighbouring American Samoa.
Plane is planning to fly greater distance increasing
the problem.

'Concept of the future'

Samoa Air, which opened in 2012, asks passengers

to declare their personal weight during booking,
which is then charged per kg (2.2 lb) at a rate
dependent on flight length.
"People who are up around 200kg recognise ... they're paying
[for] 200kg, so they deserve to get 200kg of comfort"

- Chris Langton, Samoa Air CEO

- Providing customers with more comfort.

The customerswill also be weighed at the check-in

counter.

"There is no doubt in my mind that this is the

concept of the future. This is the fairest way of you
travelling with your family, or yourself, " Langton

said.

The Pacific Islands contain some of the world's

most prevalent countries for obesity,many
ranking in the top 10, according to the World
Health Organisation (WHO).
Social problem of Somoa

Samoa is ranked number four, with 59.6 percent

of the population considered obese,said themost
recent WHO report released in 2008.

According to Samoa Air's latest schedule, the

airline charges up to WS $1.32 ($0.57) per kg for
domestic flights and
WS $2.40 ($1.03) per kg for its only international
flight to American Samoa, around 402km (250
miles). A 150kg person
flying one-way internationally would be charged
$154.50.
Charging per weight in order to combat

Children under 12 are charged 75 percent of the

adult rate, with fares also based on weight. Any
overweight baggage is

calculated at the same rate as the passenger's

personal weight.

The plan could actually prove cheaper in some

cases, such as for families travelling with small
children, and Langton said
customer feedback has mainly been "amazingly
positive".

"When the initial shock has worn off, there's been

nothing but support," Langton said. "People who
are up around 200kg
recognise...they're paying [for] 200kg, so they
deserve to get 200kg of comfort," he added.

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Samoa Air boss defends charging

passengers by weight
Al Jazeera
2 April 2013 Last updated at 12:28 GMT

Air Samoa said the policy meant some people would end up
paying less to fly

The head of Samoa Air has defended the

airline's decision to start charging
passengers according to their weight.
Chris Langton told Australia's ABC Radio that it
was "the fairest way of travelling".
Rather than pay for a seat, passengers pay a fixed
price per kilogram, which varies depending on the
route length.

Samoa Air flies domestically and to American

Samoa. It is thought the move could encourage
other airlines to introduce similar policies.
"Airlines don't run on seats, they run on weight,
and particularly the smaller the aircraft you are in
the less variance you can accept in terms of the
difference in weight between passengers," Mr
Langton told ABC radio.
Social implication of weight on the company
Start Quote

People generally are bigger, wider and taller than they were
50 years ago
Chris Langton Samoa Air boss

"Anyone who travels at times has felt they have

been paying for half of the passenger next to
them."
Under the new model, Mr Langton described how
some families with children were now paying
cheaper fares.
"There are no extra fees in terms of excess
baggage or anything - it is just a kilo is a kilo is a
kilo," he said.

Air Samoa's rates range from $1 (65p) to around

$4.16 per kilogram. Passengers pay for the
combined weight of themselves and their baggage.
Mr Langton also suggested that the move had
helped promote health awareness in Samoa,
which has one of the world's highest levels of
obesity.
Affect of economic strategy on social problem
"People generally are becoming much more
weight conscious. That's a health issue in some
areas," he told ABC Radio.
Mr Langton said he believed that charging by
weight was "the concept of the future."
"People generally are bigger, wider and taller than
they were 50 years ago," he said. "The industry
will start looking at this.

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