luggage being weighed on a scale
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
May 31, 2023 ·  4 min read

Air New Zealand to begin weighing passengers before flights

We have all seen airlines weighing the baggage every passenger carries to check if they exceed the limit or not. But now, Air New Zealand has brought in a proposal where they would be weighing the passengers along with the luggage before they board their flights. The airline stated that they would be using this information in order to determine the average weight of the customer, which the pilots have to know before they take off. Alistair James, the Air New Zealand Load Control Improvement Specialist, stated, “We weigh everything that goes on the aircraft- from the cargo to the meals on-board, to the luggage in the hold. For customers, crew, and cabin bags, we use average weights, which we get from doing this survey.” The airline will start weighing the customers for international flights from next month. 

Air New Zealand also went on to add that in order for this survey to be effective, close to 10,000 passengers would have to step on the scales, and this was a requirement placed by the Civil Aviation Authority. The airline decreed that not every passenger would be weighed, and only those who volunteered would have to go on the machine. James added, “We know stepping on the scales can be daunting. We want to reassure our customers that there is no visible display anywhere. No one can see your weight- not even us! It’s completely anonymous. It’s simple, it’s voluntary, and by weighing in, you’ll be helping us to fly you safely and efficiently, every time.

Read: Flight Attendant Warns Why You Should Never Wear Flip Flops Or Crocs On A Plane

An Air New Zealand flight on the runway.
Image Credits: Pinterest

Air New Zealand Has Implemented A Procedure Where They Weigh Every Passenger Before They Board The Plane

Most airlines across the United States have also thought of implementing this procedure before they take off to ensure the safety of everyone on board. They believe that the obesity rate stands outdated. According to the CDCP, or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, around 41.9% of the American population is obese. And according to View From The Wing, an airline blog, it would be optimal for the airlines to weigh the passengers, citing a circulatory advisory from the FAA or the Federal Aviation Administration. The blog went on to state, “Regardless of the sampling method used, an operator has the option of surveying each passenger and bag aboard the aircraft and should give a passenger the right to decline to participate in any passenger or weight survey.

The report from the blog, reiterating what Air New Zealand claimed, stated that the FAA had absolutely made it clear that the carriers would be compiling this data every three years and added that the weight of a passenger would remain entirely confidential. “Some airlines, by the way, might not do this as a statistically valid survey every three years – carriers have the option of marking down the actual weights of each passenger on every flight, either by weighing everyone or just asking their weights and then having gate agents guess if a passenger is lying.

This New Procedure Has Already Attracted A Lot Of Controversy

It wouldn’t be amiss to state that despite the confidentiality measures taken by Air New Zealand, some people are really unhappy about this. A woman recently claimed that an airline had weighed a passenger on the baggage scale to ensure she wasn’t too overweight for the plane. In a TikTok video posted, she wrote, “The whole airport trying to mind their own business as a woman is asked to step on the baggage scale because she claimed she was 130 lbs. The tiny plane needed the correct weight of the passenger for safety reasons.

Stills from the TikTok clip showing a passenger being weighed before boarding.
Image Credits: @lilwessel | TikTok

The TikTok video brought forth a host of comments. Some of the users lambasted the airline for being too ruthless. One user commented, “Airports are out of control.” While another user wrote, “Flying home from the Philippines and they weighed me… I have never been so embarrassed in my life.” However, there were others who saw the rationale behind it. One individual commented, “They care about weight limits on small planes because they need to have the center weight in a certain part of the plane.” Another individual wrote, “I’ve seen exactly this at my job. I’m a medic intern and some meds are weight based so it’s important we ask.

The official statement from the FAA reads, “To account for a traveler who might low ball their weight, the operator should make a reasonable estimate of the passenger’s actual weight and add 10 pounds. If an airline opted to weigh each passenger on a scale, it would take place before boarding the aircraft, the FAA notice said, advising airlines to protect the privacy of passengers by keeping the scale readout hidden from public view.

Keep Reading: Flying is scary for most but this pilot had a life-changing experience at 23,000 feet in the sky.

Sources

  1. Airline speaks out as they begin weighing passengers before they board flight.” Unilad. Charisa Bossinakis. May 30, 2023.
  2. Passenger gobsmacked after airline ‘weighs’ woman on baggage scale before flight.” Mirror. Paige Freshwater. May 19, 2023.
  3. Travellers shocked after airline weighs woman on baggage scale.” Independent. Chelsea Ritschel. May 22.