Should Airlines Have The Right To Charge A ‘Fat Tax’?

An article in this month's Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, makes the case for airlines to charge a so-called 'fat tax'. The author of the article, Norwegian economist Bharat P. Bhatta, writes that 'all passengers are not alike in terms of their weight and the space they take in a plane.' He adds that 'the low and average weight passengers have to pay for their heavier passengers' excess weight.' Bhatta writes that 'the weight-based fares can give passengers an incentive to lose weight so they can pay a reduced fare.'

Some airlines have a policy that requires 'passengers of size' who 'encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat' to purchase extra seats as needed.

What do you think? Good business sense or just plain discrimination?