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Weigh-in at Air New Zealand before departure: Disheartening gait

Photo: AirNZ / AP

Passengers on Air New Zealand's international flights are expected to reveal their weight in the coming weeks before takeoff. However, completely discreet, as the airline assures.

"We know that walking on the scales can be daunting. We would like to assure our customers that there is no visible display. No one can see your weight – not even us! It's completely anonymous," an airline manager assured news.com.au, according to the website.

The information is therefore collected to calculate the weight and balance of the aircraft. "It's easy, it's voluntary, and if you indicate your weight, you help us fly you safely and efficiently every time," the management appealed to passengers. Everything that is on board is weighed – from the cargo to the meals on board to the luggage in the cargo hold.

According to the airline, domestic passengers were already weighed in 2021, and now the airline is focusing on passengers traveling internationally.

Until July 2, they will be asked to be weighed at Auckland International Airport for certain Air New Zealand flights.

According to the airline, at least 10,000 passengers must take part in the survey. This is a requirement of the Civil Aviation Authority.

According to the regulations of the authority, airlines have several ways to estimate the weight of passengers. One option is to carry out regular surveys, such as those carried out by Air New Zealand, to determine an average weight. Another option is to accept a standard weight set by the authority.

Currently, the weight set by the authority for people aged 13 and over is 86 kilograms, including hand luggage. The last time the authority had increased the average passenger weight was in 2004. Until then, it was 77 kilograms.

mmq/AP