Air New Zealand will start weighing passengers before boarding
You know those videos where influencers of various kinds teach how to rip off low-costs by wearing dresses, jackets and every other [...]
Air New Zealand
Star Alliance
AKL
You know those videos where influencers of various kinds teach how to cheat low-cost airlines by wearing clothes, jackets, and any other items to avoid the baggage check fee? Here, there are those who have found ways to avoid these scenes. While weighing carry-on baggage is customary for several carriers, no one until now had thought of weighing passengers. Now, however, there are those who have decided: it's Air New Zealand.
Here's what's happening in New Zealand
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This is not the first time Air NZ has asked passengers to step on the scale before boarding their flights. Domestic passengers participated in a survey in 2021, but the one for international travelers has been delayed because of the pandemic.
At the moment, from what is being written in various media, the request comes from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand and only applies to for passengers boarding from Auckland on board the flag carrier's planes until next July 2.
All passengers, before stepping on the scale, will then be asked to remove their shoes and empty their pockets, as at the nutritionist's. "The passenger weight survey is a way to collect data on cargo and weight distribution on planes," the airline said. "We weigh everything that goes on the plane, from cargo to meals on board to luggage in the hold," Alastair James, the airline's cargo control improvement specialist, said in a note."
The company guarantees total anonymity and no data will be used externally-it is only done to update the "middle weights" and allow the company to better balance its operations.
How weighing works
Travelers will be asked to step on a digital scale when they check in for their flight. No check-in agent will be able to read the value, and all data collected will be anonymized and used only for statistical purposes.
Of course, there will also be the classic weighing of luggage, both boarding and that which is carried as carry-on luggage. "We know that stepping on the scale can be daunting. We want to reassure our customers that there are no visible displays anywhere. No one can see your weight, not even us," James said.
