Finnair is asking passengers to be weighed on the departure gate | EUROtoday

This program, it mentioned in a press release, is “voluntary and anonymous” and an try to gather extra correct passenger knowledge and stop the plane from exceeding a “set maximum weight to ensure a safe take-off.”

This is a part of a rising pattern amongst airways, that are deploying this technique to make sure a aircraft’s complete weight is correct. While the burden of the plane, its gas, cargo, water tanks and catering are recognized, airways wish to higher pin down the variable weight of passengers and their carry-on baggage on particular person flights.

But Finnair’s program, which started this week at Helsinki Airport, is already polarizing individuals on social media. “I do not think that it is intrusive or unnecessary,” wrote one individual on-line, calling the transfer “reasonable.” Others termed the transfer “fatphobic” and doubtlessly “humiliating.”

The airline has mentioned the information will stay nameless. Business and leisure vacationers on “selected European flights” and a quantity on long-haul flights will probably be provided the prospect to take part.

“The collected data is not linked in any way to the customer’s personal data,” Satu Munnukka, head of floor processes at Finnair, mentioned in a press release. “We do not ask for the name or booking number.”

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The complete weight of the passenger and their carry-on baggage, their age, gender and journey class are recorded in a database, however “no information is collected that would allow participants to be identified,” Munnukka added. “Only the customer service agent working at the measuring point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind.”

Other airways have carried out related workouts.

In 2013, Samoa Air grew to become one of many first airline to weigh passengers and — controversially — cost a variable kilogram-per-mile price based mostly on regardless of the scale needed to say. Last yr, Air New Zealand additionally carried out a weigh-in for its passengers for flight stability calculations.

Korean Airlines confronted some passenger backlash after endeavor an analogous program final summer time, with native media reporting that some vacationers mentioned they felt embarrassed to be weighed, whereas others argued that lighter passengers must be given bigger baggage allowances.

Most American carriers have dominated out such measures lately, whereas within the United Kingdom, an aviation start-up has been investigating extra exact weight knowledge strategies at airports in a bid to save lots of gas prices and curb flight emissions.

Will a passenger weight examine be a part of the pre-flight expertise? No approach, airways say.

The weight of shoppers and their carry-on baggage is mostly calculated utilizing common weights confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority, Finnair mentioned. The various choice is for airways to both use their very own measurements or use customary weights outlined by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Since 2018, Finnair mentioned it has used common weights based mostly by itself measurements, however these estimates must be up to date each 5 years. “It’s now time to collect updated data,” spokeswoman Päivyt Tallqvist mentioned in an e-mail Friday.

The mission started Monday, and “so far we have had some 800 volunteers participating in this — it is great to see that our customers are interested in volunteering in this data collection,” she added, underscoring that being weighed isn’t compulsory for anybody.

Passengers are rewarded with a memento baggage tag for his or her participation, she mentioned.

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The survey will probably be rolled out once more within the hotter months, in accordance with the airline, to consider seasonal packing shifts in garments.

Once full, the knowledge will probably be despatched to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, for validation earlier than the airline can use the information for future plane stability and loading calculations between 2025 to 2030, Finnair mentioned.