Fat passengers could pay more for flights

Air travellers who are carrying excess weight could soon find they are forced to pay more for their seats.

Dr Bharat P Bhatta has announced plans to increase fares for overweight passengers on commercial jets, while potentially making it cheaper for slim travellers.

The Sogn og Fjordane University College in Norway expert said: "As weight and space are far more important in aviation than other modes of transport, airlines should take this into account when pricing their tickets."

It would mean people having themselves and their luggage weighed prior to take-off in a bid to establish whether they are heavy enough to pay more.

One plan is for a base fare to be introduced for each route, with passengers asked to cough up extra money or get a refund based on the weight they intend to board the plane with.

Another is to allow jet-setters to be within 25 per cent of a set weight before any monetary transactions are required.