The rise of diet pills could reduce the cost of plane tickets

Airline tickets could become cheaper as people lose weight, a new theory suggests.

Jeffries analysts predict that expanded use of anti-obesity drug GLP-1 may reduce fuel consumption, which could translate into lower airline ticket costs, as News Business reported.

The Wall Street firm suggested that a 10% reduction in average passenger weight could result in approximately a 2% savings in aircraft weight, 1.5% lower fuel costs and a 4% increase in earnings per share.

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“A leaner society = lower fuel consumption,” Jeffries wrote in a note to clients. “Airlines have a history of being vigilant about reducing aircraft weight, from olives (pitted, of course) to paper.”

These predictions come as weight loss drug options are increasing and the first GLP-1 pill has hit the market, making the drug more accessible.

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” explained this prediction in an interview with News Digital.

“The heavier something is, the more fuel it burns,” he said. “If passengers weighed less, planes would need less fuel to fly. If everyone went to the bathroom before flying, they would weigh less and also burn less fuel.”

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“Therefore, if the average passenger weight decreases, flying the same aircraft on the same route will cost the airline less to operate,” he continued. “And in the most competitive markets, that will also reduce fares as airlines compete for passengers.”

Leff suggested this will not be true in all markets. When “flight supply is limited,” such as in large cities, these lower costs are more likely to benefit airlines than passengers, as “costs go down, but fares do not.”

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From a clinical perspective, Dr. Krishna Vyas, a New York City plastic surgeon, noted that under current conditions, the use of GLP-1 drugs is “too limited, too uneven, and too short-lived to significantly reduce average passenger weight at the population level.”

“Most patients discontinue therapy within one to two years, and weight regain after stopping treatment is common, making long-lasting, large-scale reductions in passenger mass unlikely,” he told News Digital. “Even if modest fuel savings were achieved, there is no evidence that they would translate into lower ticket prices.”

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“GLP-1 drugs represent a significant medical advance for individual cardiometabolic health, but extending their benefits for speculative purposes in airline economics goes beyond what current clinical and population data support,” Vyas continued.

“Until broader access, durable adherence, and sustained outcomes are demonstrated at the population level, cheaper airfares should be viewed as a theoretical possibility, not a predictable consequence, of weight-loss medication use.”

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Dr. Peter Balazs, a hormone and weight loss specialist in New York and New Jersey, discussed how GLP-1 could affect the onboard experience.

“Patients taking GLP-1 experience reduced carbohydrate cravings and an increased preference for protein and fat,” he said. “Airlines may need to reconsider in-flight menus to serve this growing demographic, offering more high-protein, low-carb options.”

Balazs noted that weight-loss medications can cause gastrointestinal side effects, such as GERD, dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting.

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“From a medical standpoint, I would suggest taking antiemetics (medications that prevent or relieve nausea and vomiting),” Balazs shared his advice to airlines. “In addition, I would advise patients not to initiate therapy or administer a first dose shortly before a flight to avoid serious side effects at altitude.”