Air New Zealand To Weigh Passengers Before Flights

More than 10,000 passengers flying with Air New Zealand throughout June will be asked to step onto the scales before they board their flight.

The airline is looking for those travelling on its international network to take part in its passenger weight survey.

The trial is to run from May 29 until July 2 and the goal is to collect data to improve aviation safety.

It is an “essential” initiative to ensure “the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft”, according to Air New Zealand, and is also a requirement from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The weight survey is voluntary and passengers are not required to participate if they do not wish to.

Fliers on the domestic network were weighed in 2021, and now that international travel has resumed following the pandemic, it’s time for international flyers to weigh in.

Among the people who may be asked to participate in the survey are those travelling on the direct flight from Auckland to New York’s JFK airport.

Why It Makes A Difference

The practice of weighing passengers has been employed by several airlines in the Pacific region for many years to gather data for weight and balance calculations.

In 2003, a similar survey of 15,000 by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) found the average weight of passengers and their hand luggage to be 85.4kg. As a result of this survey, the CAA set the adult weight (those over 13 years of age) at 86 kilos; the average stemming from 93 kg for men and 75 kg for women.

When an airline has a more precise knowledge of the load an aircraft will carry, the better it can determine how much fuel it will need. The weight survey is part of a wider effort by airlines to improve safety and efficiency.

The success of this survey may lead other airlines to adopt similar procedures in the future.

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