New era in air travel: 'Passengers to be weighed along with their luggage'
The Scandinavian airline Finnair has announced an unusual practice set to start later this year, signaling the beginning of a new era in air travel with the 'passenger weighing' program, which will initially be voluntary.
Finnair announced it would weigh passengers before they board the aircraft.
Airline spokesperson Kaisa Tikkanen stated, "The measurements started this Monday at Helsinki Airport. So far, over 500 volunteer customers have participated in the weighing."
The airline company mentioned that calculating a plane's total weight, including fuel, checked luggage, cargo, onboard catering, water tanks, and of course, the weight of the passengers, is part of making "journeys safer."
Officials added that larger-scale weighings would begin towards the end of this year and would initially be based on volunteerism. Furthermore, a person's travel class, gender, and age will also be considered before stepping on the scale.
Satu Munnukka, Finnair's ground services manager, also assured that passengers' weights would "only be visible to the person using the scale."
THE GOAL IS TO ENSURE FLIGHT SAFETY
Finnair's statement also included the following remarks:
"What we're doing is collecting anonymous data on passengers' average weights along with their carry-on luggage for the necessary aircraft balance and performance calculations to safely conduct flights."
"Each aircraft has a determined maximum weight for safe takeoff, and this weight cannot be exceeded. The aircraft's own weight and fuel weight, as well as checked luggage, cargo, onboard catering, water tanks, and of course, the weight of the customers, are calculated using average weights approved by the Civil Aviation Authority..."
