First they started weighing our bags. Now airlines are starting force passengers to step on the scales themselves!
Yep, Air New Zealand is about to require all passengers traveling internationally from the country’s Aukland airport to be weigh starting in June.
According to the company, this is part of a ‘passenger weight survey’.
Why Air New Zealand is weighing its passengers
So, why are they doing this exactly? It’s apparently a safety thing, as the companies need to accurately be able to guess an aircraft’s weight to be sure that they are within structural limitations of the plane itself as it’s soaring through the skies.
“We know stepping on the scales can be daunting,” Air New Zealand load control improvement specialist Alastair James said to Newshub. “We want to reassure our customers there is no visible display anywhere.”
And if this is you, don’t worry–your kilo count won’t be on display.
“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.”
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, this is absolutely crucial.
“Operators usually use standard weights for passengers and their carry-on bags to avoid the requirement to weigh each passenger and their bag before the flight,” the Government safety agency said in a statement to Newshub.
“To ensure these standards remain accurate, airlines are required to conduct a survey to check this standard figure and update it if necessary. Companies across the world have been successfully using this technique for many years.”
But, if it’s so important, why aren’t other doing it? That is certainly the question.
Plus-sized passengers on planes: The debate rages
The move comes as there has been an increasing debate raging online about obese flyers on aircrafts, with a recent TikTok stirring an huge fight online after a woman posted that she was unable to fit down the aisle of a plane comfortably.
The video, entitled “Flying while fat – Lavatory edition” , has gone hugely viral.
“So, this is an awkward topic but we’re going to go ahead and get awkward and talk about it,” the woman said. “I don’t fit in a standard airplane lavatory at all.”
“Forget the difficulty of having to get two seats to fly – accessibility to a bathroom is the number one road block for me when it comes to long-distance travel.”
“I have had this issue as well. I got sick and tired of the embarrassment and self hatred,” responded one commenter.
On Twitter, however, comments were much more negative.
“If you are too fat to fly then ride a bicycle”,” said Twitter user Mango Dreams.
There was then huge backlash to the backlash, with many commenting that the cultural hate towards obese people was unreasonable and bigoted.
What will airlines do next?
The big mystery is what will this move lead to? Will we soon all be weighed before flights, and be forced to pay extra if we are over a certain number, just like bags are? This is something that many have expressed concerned about.
But who’s to say exactly? We’ll have to wait and see what they do in the coming months and years.