Travelers are calling it a “fat tax.”
The anecdotes, which have been popping up all over social media platforms this week, are similar: flyers show up to the airport, a counter person looks them up and down, then declares the flyer will have to purchase a second seat or give up their spot on the plane.
That this is happening on Southwest Airlines, long praised as the most considerate toward “passengers of size,” is even more surprising. SF Gate attributes the dramatic shift in policy, which is apparently just one of many, to an “activist investor.”
It doesn’t say who that “activist investor” is, but it’s difficult to imagine a person wealthy enough to own a significant portion of an airline developing a personal vendetta after bad experiences in crowded coach. This is something different, driven by the desire to extract more money from travelers with rent-seeking behavior. That sort of thing, an “activist investor” certainly would do. Boosting profits without creating any value has become the calling card of America’s financial ruling class.
Which is why it’s likely this problem was created by the airlines in the first place, and why pet caretakers should be wary. (And no, not because felines like my Bud are a little too fond of the yums.)
Airlines are always looking for ways to add new seats, and every year brings new “innovations” to reclaim space centimeter by centimeter so the airlines can sell extra tickets.
We’ve long since become cattle. I’m 5’10” and I’ve been on flights in which my knees barely fit between the seat in front of me and my own. I always wonder: what would I do if I were taller? How the heck does someone, say, 6’2″ sit in one of these seats?
The effort to squeeze more money from travelers isn’t limited to the new “fat tax” either. From “premium economy” upsells that don’t yield more space to ever-shrinking carry-on limits, airlines continue to find new routes into our wallets, making us pay more for the same product.
And that’s why those of us with pets should be worried. It’s a short leap from a “fat tax” to a “cat tax.”
Most airlines treat people traveling with pets as a nuisance to begin with, and if they haven’t already, Southwest’s “activist investor” is likely to find new ways to squeeze people traveling with cats and dogs. (In my head, I imagine this “activist investor” as a vaguely Stephen Milleresque figure, with twitchy eyes betraying the rage bubbling below a calm exterior. “Let them sit elbow to elbow as they cradle their animals,” he laughs from his first-class seat. “Muahahaha!”)
The fact that this “fat tax” is arbitrary should scare all of us. If the whim of a counter clerk is what determines whether someone has to buy an extra seat, then who’s to say the same clerks won’t look at a cat, declare “He looks like a pain in the ass,” and demand some additional, ludicrously-titled fee?
“That comes to an additional $276.13 with your companion animal convenience surcharge. Thank you for flying with us!”
It just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?
Pain In The Bud 
Wow!! Despicable. The only reason a cat or dog should be on a plane is if you are moving.
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I mean, if I’m gonna be living somewhere for 3 months, I would have to take Bud with me. How could I leave him that long? He would think I’ve abandoned him. But for vacations and such, yeah. Pets shouldn’t be exposed to that stress.
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Yes. That would be another reason. 3 months is too long.
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“Boosting profits without creating any value has become the calling card of America’s financial ruling class.” Ouch, I’m so glad you said that and not me! But to be fair, the problem isn’t confined to the US.
I spent 40 years flying cattle class; it was a cramped and loathsome experience, from beginning to end. On our last trip – all the way to New Zealand – we treated ourselves by upgrading to business class. It was heavenly! I suspect our flying days are over, but if we do ever fly long-haul again it won’t be cattle class!
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It’s unfortunately true, although I won’t belabor the point because it’s outside the scope of this blog.
What was your favorite airline? For service, I thought ANA was better than any of our domestic airlines, although it’s difficult to compare commuter flights between NY and DC, or even cross country flights between NY and CA, with international.
One last, cheery thought: we haven’t even begun to feel the real effects of the Iran war and associated spike in oil prices. If airlines start charging for cats by the pound, I need to get Bud on a serious diet starting now!
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Just wait for the next one. And the next. Cuba is next.
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I hope Cuba is treated with compassion, welcomed into the modern world, and not fed to the wolves so that a month after regime collapse there’s a Starbucks on every corner and the people of Havana are gentrified out before they can even react.
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That martini looks absolutely delightful.
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I can absolutely see martinis with catnip-infused water. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea to get them to drink more.
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Sheesh. I apologize for the embarrassing typo. I can’t believe I did not see that, and I read the post over three times.
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I was very very lucky in my business days to be able to fly “club” in Europe and business on longer haul (bear in mind there is zero glamour in business travel – its just a frantic rush and high stress made slightly easier by having a bed or more leg room on the journey…… ) BUT not at all fortunate when travelling on my own dime ( as I do now) , at 6′ 2″ its not easy in coach but I grin and bear it knowing that I will keep the cash difference to spend on me instead of paying for “activist investors” I swear all of my cats over the years have looked at me leaving at 5am to get first flight out with amusement as they roll over and go back to sleep.
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