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We all know what it's like to have our luggage weighed at airport check-in. Most of us are also familiar with the “crouch of shame”: the position adopted when digging into a bag to remove something heavy, when you have been informed that your bag is just a few grams overweight.
But now, some brave airline passengers are consenting to being weighed before boarding the plane.
In a project by European airline Finnair at its Helsinki airport hub, volunteer passengers are weighed at the departure gate to allow the airline to refine aircraft weight estimates before takeoff.
And in a nightmare scenario for anyone who's ever tried to nonchalantly smuggle an overweight carry-on bag onto the plane, passengers are weighed along with their carry-on bags.
Luckily for anyone carrying a bulky suitcase, weigh-ins are not linked to individual bookings or passenger data. It's all anonymous, Päivyt Tallqvist, Finnair's senior vice president of communications, told CNN, and only the staff member at the door saw the weight.
The trial began on Monday and by Thursday morning 800 volunteers had participated, Tallqvist said, adding that the airline was “positively surprised by the number of volunteers.”
“We have communicated this survey to Finnair customers through our social media channels and our mobile app, and the first volunteers proactively asked to participate even before the equipment was installed,” he said.
They plan to weigh 1,200 passengers for the winter season, and more for the summer season.
Tallqvist said the airline is collecting data on the average weight of passengers and their carry-on luggage “in order to perform aircraft balance and performance calculations that are necessary for the safe operation of flights.”
Airlines calculate the weight of planes (the weight of all people on board, as well as cargo and baggage in the hold, and items such as catering and water tanks on board) before each takeoff, along with their center serious. The weight and seating of an airplane can affect where passengers can sit and, in some cases, even how many passengers can take on board and how much luggage can fit in the hold. Every plane you fly has a maximum weight set for safe takeoff.
“While airlines know the weight from all other aspects, the weight of customers and their carry-on luggage is calculated using the average weights confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority,” Tallqvist said.
Airlines usually use the average passenger weight provided by the European Aviation Safety Authority, but they can also use their own weight, approved by the authorities. Finnair has used its own measurements since 2018, but they must be updated every five years, hence the update.
Korean Air carried out its own weighing program in 2023, while Air New Zealand also conducted a weight survey last year.
Finnair is collecting data for both the winter and summer seasons, as passengers tend to wear thicker clothing and coats during the cold Finnish winters. Winter readings will be completed in February and summer readings between April and May.
The airline says it will calculate an average weight from the measurements taken and send the data to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency for verification. The weights will be used for load calculations between 2025 and 2030.
And while many passengers would prefer to keep their weight a secret, Satu Munnukka, Finnair's head of ground processes, assured nervous passengers in a statement that “the data collected is in no way linked to the customer's personal data.”
Munnukka added: “We record the total weight and background of the customer and their hand luggage, but we do not ask for the name or reservation number, for example.
“Only the customer service agent working at the measurement point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind.”
