Airline announces it will weigh passengers before boarding for "safety reasons"

New Zealand’s flag airline, Air New Zealand, has announced it will weigh passengers boarding its planes “for safety reasons.”

In a release issued on Tuesday, the carrier said this measure is part of a survey and will only impact international flyers.

Passengers can opt out of the survey, and staff will be present to assist those who decide to go through with it.

“We are conducting a survey to measure the average weight of our passengers, including cabin baggage, on international flights,” wrote Air New Zealand officials.

“For safety reasons, we need to know the weight of all items onboard the aircraft. For passengers, crew and carry-on bags, we use average weights that we get every five years through this survey.”

The airline confirmed that this process would happen just before a passenger boards a craft but would not lead to flight delays.

The announcement has got people talking, with some wondering if this should be standard procedure.

“I always wonder why airlines didn’t weigh people. They weigh your bags,” wondered Bonnie Dittrich on Twitter.”

I always wonder why airlines didn’t weigh people. They weigh your bags🤷🏻‍♀️

— Bonnie Dittrich (@bonnie_dittrich) May 30, 2023

Others are raising privacy concerns, but don’t worry. Those who participate don’t have to worry about their weight being attached to their name in a directory or having their weight displayed in front of everyone.

Can’t wait to fly Air New Zealand @FlyAirNZ #flying #airport pic.twitter.com/TBVpfTFLZB

— Jason Ford (@TheFordFactor) May 31, 2023

Air New Zealand says once you step on the scale, your weight will be fed directly into a computer and recorded anonymously with thousands of other passengers.

“Gathering statistics about passengers so that flying can be more safe and efficient is good,” wrote Twitter user @vereinscius. “So long as they don’t start charging by weight or other ableist shenanigans, this is probably a good thing.”

Gathering statistics about passengers so that flying can be more safe and efficient is good.
So long as they don’t start charging by weight, or other ableist shenanigans this is probably a good thing.

— verum (@vereinscius) May 31, 2023

What are your thoughts? Should Canadian airlines follow suit to ensure better passenger safety?

Let us know in the comments.

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