AN AIRLINE has announced plans to start weighing passengers to determine how many people they can safely carry.
Having luggage weighed is bad enough, with passengers always keen to sneak in as much as they can, without incurring a fine.
However, Air New Zealand is now asking passengers to step on the scales before they fly as well, to work out the average weight of the passengers on board.
The airline has said that it is “essential" for the "safe and efficient operation of the aircraft and is a Civil Aviation Authority requirement".
Luckily, not every Air New Zealand passenger will be required to be weighed before they fly.
The new plans are simply a temporary measure for the airline to get the figures they need to determine the average weight of their passenger load.
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People departing on international flights from Auckland International Airport between May 29 and July 2, 2023 will be given the option to take part if they want to.
However, those who don't wish to be weighed are not obliged to step on the scales, as involvement is completely voluntary.
Air New Zealand's Load Control Improvement Specialist Alastair James said in a statement: “We weigh everything that goes on the aircraft – from the cargo to the meals onboard, to the luggage in the hold.
“For customers, crew and cabin bags, we use average weights, which we get from doing this survey."
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For those keen to get involved, but aren't happy for other people to know their statistics, all the data that is collected will be kept anonymous – the airline also won't know who has been weighed.
Alastair continued: "We know stepping on the scales can be daunting.
'We want to reassure our customers there is no visible display anywhere. No one can see your weight – not even us! It's completely anonymous.
"It's simple, it's voluntary, and by weighing in, you'll be helping us to fly you safely and efficiently, every time."
Despite it being voluntary, some people were still shocked to hear about the plans.
One wrote on Twitter: "That is ridiculous. Don't do this silliness."
Another said: "This is a human rights violation."
A third simply added: "Wow! This is dangerous fatphobia."
This year's survey is just the latest from the airline, who have to gather the passenger weight averages at regular intervals.
They last did it in 2021, when they gathered data for their domestic passengers.
The airline said that, now that international travel is back up and running, "it's time for international flyers to weigh in".
Air New Zealand aren't the only airline to have been asking passengers to step on the scales this year.
Some people queueing for a flight in America were filmed being weighed before being permitted to fly.
Tiktoker Lillian Wessel (@lilwessel) filmed the events at an airport, as she waited to get on board.
She shared the footage online and explained that it was because they were using a particularly small aircraft, so weight load was more important than usual.
She said: "It’s a tiny plane so they needed our weight to take off for safety reasons."
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