Airline becomes the latest to weigh passengers before they fly for ‘safety reasons’
Airline passengers are used to weighing their luggage, but now travellers on South Korea‘s flag carriers could be weighed themselves before boarding their flights.
Korean Air, the country’s largest airline, has become the latest company to announce that it will be measuring the average weight of passengers and their carry-on items ‘for flight safety’.
Similar measures came into place in New Zealand in June, when more than 10,000 passengers flying with Air New Zealand were expected to weigh themselves pre-flight.
Now travellers flying from South Korea’s two biggest airports in Seoul will be asked to step on the scales at the airport, in a move which the government says is ‘crucial for safety of flight operations’.
The new measures will come into effect at Gimpo Airport from 28 August to 6 September, while the same is true for passengers departing from Incheon International Airport from 8-19 September.
Korean Air, the country’s largest airline has become the latest company to announce that it will be measuring the average weight of passengers and their carry-on items
Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (MOLIT) has issued the advice to all Korean flag carriers in order to update its ‘Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards’.
‘This is crucial for safety of flight operations, and Korean Air complies with this mandate and remains committed to safety, its number one priority,’ they said.
Concerns over the move have been raised by some online, but the company has emphasised that participating passengers’ privacy will be maintained.
‘Korean Air passengers will be asked to step on scales with their carried-on items at each boarding gate,’ a Korean Air official told Korea JoongAng Daily.
‘The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn’t mean overweight passengers will need to pay more.’
Passengers may also be relieved to hear that if they would prefer not to be weighed they will be able to skip it.
It comes after a five-week survey of passengers by Kiwi carrier Air New Zealand, announced in May, with scales set up in Auckland airport.
It comes after a five-week survey of passengers by Kiwi carrier Air New Zealand, announced in May, with scales set up in Auckland airport
More than 10,000 passengers flying with Air New Zealand were expected to weigh themselves pre-flight (stock image)
Air New Zealand load control specialist Alastair James stressed at the time that the survey was completely voluntary and anonymous.
‘We know stepping on the scales can be daunting. We want to reassure our customers there is no visible display anywhere,’ he told Seven Sharp.
‘We need to know the weights of everything that go onboard our aircraft.
‘For passengers or customers, crew and their cabin bags, we use an average weight and that average weight comes from this survey.’
Mr James explained that the survey required at least 10,000 people to take part ‘to get a reasonable sample of the travelling public’.
While he admitted that the process ‘seems a little unusual’, he said it was important for the airline to determine the average weight on flights.
As well as the weight of passengers, crew and luggage, the survey also weighed cargo and meals onboard.
The survey is a requirement of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority and Air New Zealand conducts it every five years.