Take off your shoes. Take the keys out of your pocket. Stand on the scales… And this is not an anecdote, but a reality. This is how employees of the airline that operates the flight talk to passengers.
The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority requires the national carrier weighed passengers departing on international flights from Auckland Airport until July 2, 2023.
The program, which Air New Zealand calls Passenger Weight Study is a way to collect weight data and distribute it evenly throughout the aircraft cabin.
“We weigh everything on board the aircraft, from cargo and food to suitcases in the hold,” said Alastair James, the airline’s cargo improvement specialist. “For customers, crew members and carry-on luggage, we use the average weight that we received as a result of this study.”
However, weight is a personal fact that not everyone wants to reveal.. To protect the privacy of its passengers, the airline said the data is anonymised.
Travelers will be asked to stand on an electronic scale when checking in for a flight. Their weight information is then sent to the survey but not displayed on the admin screen.
The passenger must also place their baggage on other scales for separate weighing. “We know getting on the scale can be scary. We want to assure our customers that there is no visible screen anywhere. No one can see your weight, not even us,” the Air NZ executive said.
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