Baptiste Morin / Credits: ARNE DEDERT / DPA / DPA PICTURE-ALLIANCE VIA AFP 7:28 a.m., February 18, 2024
The Finnish airline Finnair has launched a three-month campaign during which it will weigh its voluntary passengers in order to optimize the safety and fuel costs of its flights. A method which may seem surprising, but which is already used by other companies in the sector.
Would you agree to be weighed before boarding your plane? This is what the Finnish airline Finnair decided to do. It has launched a three-month campaign during which it will weigh its volunteer passengers. The method is rather little known, but it is used by many airlines.
On a plane, nothing is left to chance. All the masses are indicated: that of the aircraft, the fuel, the hold baggage or even the food taken on board. As for passengers, companies can use averages calculated by airline authorities. But they can also launch their own weighing campaign. More safety, less fuel consumed, weight calculation allows for better optimization.
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“Often, airlines can do this when there are significant differences in weight on certain destinations,” explains Didier Brechemier, airline specialist at Roland Berger firm. “As you can see around the world, the weight of a traveler is very different from one destination to another. Companies can even have different average weights depending on the destination.”
Optimization is all the more important for companies as fuel accounts for a third of the ticket price. But there is also an ecological argument: the most accurate weight makes it possible to best reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the flight.