Most Australians believe obese airline passengers should pay for two seats so they don't take up space from the people sitting next to them, according to a survey released on December 11th.
Sixty-three per cent of the 2,810 respondents wanted "excessively overweight" people to be charged for an extra seat, according to the survey for travel company, totaltravel.com.
"This is a sensitive issue for all involved and forcing obese people to pay for two tickets raises a lot of ethical and legal dilemmas," said totaltravel.com global marketing manager Paul Fisher.
"The issue resonated strongly with travellers, especially because seat space was at a premium since the launch of low-cost carriers," he said.
"Airlines should be working out a solution to the problem, whether it is discounted second seats or specially-designed chairs for larger people," according to Fisher.