Re: Eric C:

Of course, I’m appalled by measures banning airlines from experimenting with these kinds of policies. It’s funny how the same sorts of folks who want to ruin our lives with fat taxes on food scream with horror at the thought of airlines applying the same policy but more efficiently: charging for the result rather than for an input weakly correlated with the result.

Agreed re: appalled. And an interesting observation: its ok, apparently, to encourage good eating habits or force them outright, but to levy taxes based on outcomes based on those past behaviours is somehow unethical. I (genuinely) don’t understand the merit of this view, either on efficiency or ethical grounds. Perhaps someone can explain.

This is almost the opposite of M Friedman’s advice, which was to judge a policy by its effects and not its intent. That, too, is a trap of politicians, and in particular I suspect, of the Left.

Prior to becoming kidded, I’d also have paid more for a flight guaranteed free of babies. Just not enough more to induce any airline to offer such a service.

Of course, I’m appalled by measures banning airlines from experimenting with these kinds of policies. It’s funny how the same sorts of folks who want to ruin our lives with fat taxes on food scream with horror at the thought of airlines applying the same policy but more efficiently: charging for the result rather than for an input weakly correlated with the result.

Well there’s a way to annoy all your larger customers and the friends and family of them. Good luck competing with that business model.

nope, i’m sorry, but no, hop on a treadmill and have a salad. i mean look, i have to pay more if i pack an extra bag. but someone can carry that bag’s worth of weight onto the plane in their left cheek and pay no extra?