By Joshua Chong |Staff Reporter
June 2, 2023
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If you’re travelling out of New Zealand this month, you may be asked to step on a scale before boarding your flight.
Air New Zealand announced Monday they plan to weigh more than 10,000 passengers so pilots have a better sense of the weight and balance of their planes.
“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,” said Alastair James, a load control improvement specialist with the airline, in a statement.
Air New Zealand isn’t the first airline to weigh its passengers, a controversial practice that has drawn scrutiny in the past. One expert said it’s key for safety and to improve operational efficiency, though stressed weighing scales will not soon become a common sight at boarding gates.
“Airlines are trying to make sure they operate safely but also efficiently,” said Robert Kokonis, president and managing director of AirTrav Inc., an aviation advisory firm. “If there are opportunities to reduce fuel burn, they’ll do that.”
The data from the survey is also used to calculate an aircraft’s weight for various stages of flight, such as takeoff and landing, for which there are maximum weight limits, explained Kokonis.In New Zealand these surveys are mandated by the nation’s industry watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority, unless airlines opt to use a standard weight set by the authority.
Currently, the authority’s designated weight for people 13 and over is 86 kilograms, which includes carry-on luggage. The authority last changed the average passenger weight in 2004, increasing it from 77 kilograms.
Kokonis said, however, that this practice will not become standard: “This is not going to be adopted by carriers globally. Passenger rights advocates are going to firmly take a stand against it, governments and privacy watchdogs might weigh in, and passengers just won’t stand for it.”
Air New Zealand said its passenger weight survey is entirely voluntary and anonymous. As well, customers’ weight will not be displayed anywhere.
“No one can see your weight — not even us!,” said James. “It’s simple, it’s voluntary, and by weighing in, you’ll be helping us to fly you safely and efficiently, every time.”
This isn’t the first time Air New Zealand has conducted such a survey. The airline weighed domestic travellers in 2021.
This ongoing survey runs from May 29 to July 2 and will be conducted on certain international flights departing from Auckland International Airport.
