Isn't the airlines charge per suitcase prejudice against big and obese people who's clothes take up more room?

Or maybe they are prejudice toward skinny people who think they have to travel with every piece of clothing they have.

Yes, because they take up so much room in the airline seats?

I don’t think so. You can use one suitcase that is freaking HUGE and weighs up to fifty pounds to bring every bit of clothing in my closet somewhere. I sometimes do it to bring all my clothes to the laundry. If my entire wardrobe (about four weeks of clothes) can fit, surely one week of stuff for someone twice my size will fit.

Unless you mean that skinny people can carry on while fat people have to check. In which case again, it depends on what you pack and how well you pack it. I’ve packed for two weeks before in a carry on. Still going on the twice my size theory, someone would be able to pack for at least a week in a carry on. I think it has a lot more to do with knowing how to pack things compactly and using the right clothing. Honestly, as a lady who wears mostly jeans and t-shirts, my packing takes considerably less space than a lady who wears pants, dresses, or other things that might actually wrinkle.

So really I think it is prejudice against those who care about dainty cloths and nice clothing more than being big.

Maybe a prejudice towards big men? I suggest a large man’s SUIT is the one article of standard clothing that takes up the most space. Five LARGE suits for a one week business trip is probably A LOT more bulk than others?

I think the only way to remove “prejudice” and have fair, flat pricing for everyone is to charge by the pound: you + your luggage. (There likely would need to be some rate difference between routes based on equipment type and distance, too.)

That’s the way mail delivery works. And weight directly affects fuel usage & efficiency.

Never gonna happen though, because there’s no “easy” way to market it. You would never know what the actual charge was going to be until you showed up at the airport with all your stuff. Also, price comparison on Orbitz showing only “per pound” amounts with variances in “cents” wouldn’t appear very dramatic like today’s grand total dollar amounts.

Mr. M, now you’re talking! I think that is a carry-on question. Because you should be able to fit your suits into a hanging bag and hanging bags should all be carry-on. Further, they should all be carry-on that the flight attendants hang up. They used to do this. I don’t think they do anymore. So the suits stay crunched. As a result of suit crunchage and lack of hangage, the bags have gotten smaller to stay in the overhead bins. And it does make it hard to bring your suits on the plane as a largish man.

So you have to check your bigger hanging bag and pay for checking a bag. (Ladies have to do this too with hanging bags and suits and dresses, but like I said before: I’m dress averse.)

Upside: If you only have one or two nice things, you can still fit them in a carry-on. My backpack-suitcase-carry-on has a super cool hanging bag attachment. I usually put in one suit and multiple shirts if I need to look fancy.

Five different suits for a one week trip?

I’d take maybe two jackets and three pairs of pants… tops. Mix ‘n match.

Taking that idea one step further, tiny/skinny folks who patronize all-you-can-eat buffets, should be required to pay LESS than larger people, who will eat more food, right?

Remember this question I previously asked?

That never occurred to me…

I don’t know the reason for charging more for a suitcase (maybe because the airlines are suffering so much?), but I completely understand the logic in charging more for a plane ticket if you take up more than one seat.

Also, JackAdams, I agree with you… I don’t patronize buffets, but I’d love to pay less for them! After all, I’m one of these “tiny” people of which you speak, and I can never eat more than a plate full!

I saw a guy get on the city bus with his friend.

The friend of his put $1 in coins, into the change box, as required. His buddy behind him, put in only 50¢.

When the driver told him to put in another 50¢, the guy said, “Well, I’m only going half as far as my friend, so I shouldn’t have to pay the same as someone going twice as far as me, right?”

The guy was thrown off the bus, immediately.