Airline Announces Weighing Passengers Alongside Carry-On Luggage

A recent announcement by Finnair reveals the airline’s new policy to weigh passengers along with their carry-on luggage. This move aims to better estimate the plane’s weight before take-off, enhancing flight safety.

Finnair, the Finnish carrier, began “measuring” passengers departing from Helsinki, with over 500 volunteer customers participating in the weigh-ins so far. According to spokeswoman Kaisa Tikkanen, this initiative is part of ensuring safe transit by accurately balancing the flight. Airlines typically use average weights provided by aviation authorities or collect their own data for this purpose.

Finnair assured potential passengers that the data collected is not linked to personal information. “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,” said Satu Munnukka, head of ground processes at Finnair.

Despite these assurances, the policy has sparked controversy on social media. Critics argue it could lead to embarrassment for overweight passengers, describing the plan as “cruel” and “draconian.” Some users have expressed their refusal to fly with Finnair, while others see it as a step towards addressing the obesity crisis.

In response, Finnair emphasized that this practice is a part of their strong safety culture. Communications director Päivyt Tallqvist explained that the weigh-ins help verify the accuracy of the data used for flight calculations. The weigh-ins will be voluntary and conducted in February, April, and May, considering factors such as age, gender, and travel class.

Finnair is not the first airline to implement such measures. Last year, Korean Air announced a similar policy to update its Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards. The data collected in these weigh-ins is kept anonymous and used solely for survey purposes.

In a related incident, easyJet had to ask 19 passengers to volunteer to leave a flight from Lanzarote to Liverpool due to the plane being over the weight limit. Passengers who volunteered were compensated up to €500 per person.

Public opinion on this issue varies, with previous polls indicating that a significant number of Britons support the idea of charging overweight passengers more. The ongoing debate highlights the balance airlines must strike between safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.