Passengers of South Korea’s largest airline Korean Air will be required to step on weighing scales before boarding their flights.
Korean Air confirmed on its website that it would be “measuring the average weight of passengers along with their carry-on items for flight safety”.
No discrimination intended
The new measure is not a random one nor is it meant to insult or discriminate against passengers of different sizes.
“The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn’t mean overweight passengers will need to pay more”, informed an airline official.
To assess impact of weight on safety and performance
The intention is to collect data to measure the average weight of passengers along with their carry-on luggage and analyze its impact on flight safety and performance.
“This is crucial for safety of flight operations, and Korean Air complies with this mandate and remains committed to safety, its number one priority”, said an airline representative.
Using this data they study the impact of a plane’s overall weight on its fuel consumption and the distances it can fly.
The study further helps aviation organizations identify what strategies can be adopted for better weight distribution onboard.
Over a brief period
Also, the practice will go on only for a brief period.
It will take place from August 28 until September 3 at South Korea’s Gimpo International Airport.
Next it will be carried out at the Incheon International Airport between September 8 and September 19.
Voluntary choice
Passengers will also have the choice to opt-out of the practice and can do so by letting a staff member know.
The airline assured that the weighing process will be weighed anonymously and the data will be shared with the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Periodic practice
Few other countries also require airlines to periodically submit data on the weight distribution of its flights to the respective country’s regulator.
In Korea’s case, the process is used to help determine the weight distribution on aircraft, and calculations need to take place every five years.
“Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (MOLIT) has advised all Korean flag carriers to weigh passengers with their carry-on baggage to update its ‘Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards’,” a spokesperson informed.
New Zealand
The national carrier of New Zealand, Air New Zealand had also conducted a similar programme which began in late May and ended early last month.
Some passengers flying on its long international routes, including Auckland to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport, got their weight and luggage checked before boarding.
Respecting privacy
Here also the process was anonymous.
“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,” a representative said.
To not overburden the engines
It was part of an “essential” initiative to ensure “the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft”, according to Air New Zealand, and was also a requirement from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.
The lighter an airplane is, “the less work the engines have to do, the less fuel it uses, and the farther it can fly,” according to the National Air and Space Museum.
