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12 Dec, 2013

Heavy hit: airline’s ‘pay what you weigh’ scheme a success – Sydney Morning Herald

The head of a tiny Pacific airline that pioneered a fare system based on passengers’ weight said Wednesday the move had been so successful the carrier is upgrading its fleet.

Samoa Air introduced its world-first system late last year, when it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat.

Chief executive Chris Langton said the 1.34 tala (64 cents) per kilogram charge had proved popular over the first 12 months as it meant cheaper fares for most passengers.

“People do the sums, that’s their first interest” he told the ABC. “They compare what they would pay on a pay-by-weight system and just do basic arithmetic.”

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