Finnair plans to weigh passengers checking in luggage before departure

The airline has around 600 volunteers volunteering

Finnish airline Finnair recently announced it is now weighing passengers and their carry-on luggage before takeoff to better estimate the weight of the plane, Fox News reported. The airline announced the move on Monday. Finnair said in a statement that the weighing is voluntary and anonymous and that the data will only be used to optimize Finnair’s current aircraft balance calculations. Press release.

“We use weighing data for averaging calculations required for the safe operation of flights. The data collected is not linked in any way to customer data,” Finnair’s Head of Ground Processes Satu Munnukka said in a press release.

airline tells fox news The airline has had about 600 volunteers volunteer since Monday and said it was “pleased to see interest from our customers in volunteering for this data collection effort.”

“We weigh volunteer passengers and their carry-on luggage,” Munuka said. “During the measurement process, we do not ask for personal data, but instead record the total weight of the passenger and carry-on baggage, the passenger’s age, gender and travel class in a database. No information is collected that would make the participants aware of the situation. “Identified. “

While the airline insists passengers won’t be penalized for their weight and the numbers won’t be hidden from prying eyes, they won’t receive hefty compensation for sharing their weight. Those who agree to be weighed will receive a small gift of a reflective luggage tag as a thank you for their efforts.

While airlines know the weight in all other respects, the weight of passengers and their carry-on luggage is calculated based on the average weight confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The average weight calculated from the measurements will be delivered to Traficom, the Finnish transport and communications agency, between July and September 2024. Once the weight is confirmed, airlines will use it for aircraft balancing and loading calculations between 2025 and 2030. the airline said.

The weighing area will rotate around the gates for some flights at Helsinki Airport. The program will cover selected European flights within the Schengen area at Helsinki Airport as well as several long-haul flights from non-Schengen areas.