Air New Zealand will weigh passengers

Air New Zealand will weigh passengers

The airline decided to take the measure for safety reasons. In all, the weight of 10,000 passengers is determined – but participation is voluntary and data remains anonymous.

New Zealand airline Air New Zealand wants to weigh not only luggage, but also passengers before international flights in the coming weeks. The reason is that pilots need to know the weight and balance of the loaded aircraft before each takeoff, as announced by the company. “It’s a safety issue. Every time we fly we want to know exactly how heavy the plane is,” airline boss Greg Foran told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday.

From now until July 2nd, the stopovers are at Auckland Airport, in the North Island of the Pacific state. The weight of 10,000 passengers is determined in total – but participation is voluntary. “Don’t worry, unlike scales at home, at the gym or at the doctor’s office, no one can see the numbers, not even airline staff,” reported the New Zealand Herald. Data would be collected anonymously.

“We weigh everything on the plane”

The objective is to determine the average weight of passengers together with their hand luggage. “We weigh everything on the plane – from cargo to in-flight meals to checked baggage,” said Alastair James, Air New Zealand’s Cargo Control Improvement Specialist. “On the other hand, for customers, crew and carry-on luggage, we use average weights that we get in this research.”

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand was named the world’s best airline in this year’s Airline Excellence Awards by airlineratings.com on Wednesday, replacing Qatar Airways. The company will soon introduce the so-called Skynest. So Economy Class passengers can sleep in a real bed. A total of six berths will be fitted to some machines, for which travelers can book a time slot.

(APA)