(GoRealNewsNow.com) – In a new suspect move disguised as field research, Finnish airline Finnair just kicked off an initiative asking passengers to step on a scale with their carry-on bags to weigh them.
The goal here is to get a clearer picture of the overall weight the plane will carry before it takes off. News site Barrons mentioned that Finnair is looking for volunteers to get weighed over the next few months.
Finnair spokesperson Kaisa Tikkanen shared that the airline started this process at Helsinki Airport and that 500 passengers decided to join in. Finnair also planned these volunteer weigh-ins for a few specific months: February, April and May.
When it comes to making sure a flight is balanced correctly airlines need to know a set of different weights: the plane itself, the fuel, all the checked bags, any cargo, food and drinks on board, water and the passengers.
Finnair explained that while airlines can use average weights from aviation groups, they also have the option to gather this info themselves.
Satu Munnukka, who is in charge of ground processes at Finnair, stated that this weigh-in thing is totally private. “The collected data is not linked in any way to the customer’s personal data,” she said. Only the staff member who is helping with the weigh-in will see the total weight so passengers can feel comfortable participating.
Finnair is not the first to try this out. New Zealand’s airline asked over 10,000 travelers to share their weight before getting on an international flight back in May 2023 in an attempt to use less fuel.