Why Air New Zealand Passengers Are Being Weighed Before Boarding

SharonKurheg

4 years ago

Some Air New Zealand passengers were in for an awkward surprise when they were recently told they had to get weighed before boarding their flight.

Hilary Barry is a journalist in the country, and she had this to say about it in a tweet:

OMG Air NZ announces to everyone in the terminal it’s conducting a survey to weigh both passengers and hand luggage today. That won’t be embarrassing AT ALL. 😂 (They also said it’s a requirement they do it every 5 years.)

— Hilary Barry (@Hilary_Barry) April 14, 2021

As you can see above, apparently the airline is required to do it every 5 years. Air New Zealand confirmed this with their own tweet a little while later:

Kia Ora @Hilary_Barry👋 It’s a regulatory requirement to calculate the average weight of our passengers, crew and baggage every 5 years. All data is anonymous, so no need to feel embarrassed! Taking part isn’t compulsory, but we really appreciate our customers helping out.

— Air New Zealand✈️ (@FlyAirNZ) April 14, 2021

Well, at least the data was anonymous ;-). In fact, one passenger asked what his weight was, and was told they didn’t have access to the data, as it’s not visible to even the data collection team.

To clarify the matter, Air New Zealand chief operational integrity officer captain David Morgan explained the matter a little more:

In order to fly safely and efficiently, we need to calculate the weight, balance and fuel requirements of each and every flight ahead of take-off. To do this, we need to know the average weight of our passengers, crew and cabin baggage.

The NZ government further explains:

As part of an ongoing process to have an up-to-date standard passenger weight, regular reviews of the mean adult passenger weight are required. The CAA intends to carry out surveys of passenger weights when there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the actual mean passenger weight has shifted by 2% or more. This figure is in line with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) guidelines for conducting passenger weight surveys.

Determining the average weight of passengers (male, female, child, adult) and baggage is always needed for flight safety – along other things, it helps them calculate balance and how much fuel they’ll need to get from Point A to Point B.

However over time, the average weight of the typical human may change – in the U.S., for example, between 1960 and 2002, men’s average weight increased between 27 and 33 pounds, depending on how old they were. New Zealand’s residents’ weight gain over the years isn’t far behind. So periodically determining the average weight of passengers and their luggage will help ensure the flights are safe and efficient.

But still, you get to the airport and are greeted with, “Hi! Before you board that place, could you please step on this scale?” Awkward!

Feature Image: pxhere

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

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