If you’re travelling to Auckland from Hobart in the next 5 weeks, you might just be asked to step on to the scales before you fly.
Air New Zealand will weigh passengers on selected flights next month and during the upcoming July school holidays as part of a survey aimed at determining the average weight of customers, including their hand luggage.
Alastair James, Air New Zealand’s load control specialist, explained in an interview with Seven Sharp that while the practice may seem unconventional, it is an essential measure to ensure accurate weight calculations for all items carried on board their aircraft.
“For passengers or customers, crew and their cabin bags, we use an average weight, and that average weight comes from this survey,” James said.
Conducted every five years, the survey requires participation from a minimum of 10,000 travellers to obtain a representative sample of the flying public.
Passengers are simply asked to stand on a scale, while a second scale measures the weight of their bag.
The recorded weights are automatically entered into a laptop, which remains discreetly out of sight from the public eye.
Air New Zealand say the weigh-in procedure is purely voluntary and passengers who prefer to bypass the process have the freedom to do so.
