Airlines reject fat levy

Australia's main domestic airlines will not force obese people to pay for two seats despite the adoption of such a policy by international airline Air France-KLM...

Air France-KLM says that, for ''safety'' reasons, large passengers will have to pay an additional 75 per cent of the original ticket price (excluding tax and surcharges) for an adjacent seat.

People unable to fit in a single seat will have to slot the belt buckle into the plug of the next - stretching over both seats.

The new measure will apply to passengers who book tickets on Air France-KLM flights starting on February 1 for all flights after April 1.

Customers will receive refunds if their flights are not sold out.

However, Qantas and Virgin have confirmed they will not adopt the policy.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Blue said most overweight people who did not fit into one seat were aware of the problem, and many bought two seats for their own comfort.

''There is no formal policy'', the spokeswoman said.

''However, if a guest does not fit into a seat on a full flight they will be moved to the next available flight, and we have no plans to follow the example of Air France-KLM,'' she said.

A spokeswoman for Qantas said the airline did everything it could to meet the needs of customers.

''Should a customer require extra space on a flight, we seat them next to an empty seat where possible,'' she said.

''However, the only way for a customer to guarantee extra space is to either purchase two economy seats or fly business or first class.

''But we have no plans to implement anything that would force them to do so.''

An average plane seat is 43 centimetres wide.

Source: AFP