Samoa Air to Start Charging Passengers by Weight

Assuming it's not an April Fool's joke

If it's an April Fools' Day joke, it's an awfully elaborate one. If not, Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to do what was previously unthinkable: Charge passengers by weight.

Yes, you get weighed. By a stranger. At the airport.

Not that the idea hasn't been floated—several times—in the past. In fact, ABC News reported just last week a Norwegian economist was the latest to float the idea of an airline "fat tax."

The Samoa Air homepage reads "We at Samoa Air are keeping airfares fair, by charging our passengers only for what they weigh. You are the master of your Air'fair', you decide how much (or little) your ticket will cost. No more exorbitant excess baggage fee's [sic], or being charged for baggage you may not carry. Your weight plus your baggage items, is what you pay for. Simple."