Airline passengers are used to weighing their checked baggage at the airport, and you can expect to pay additional fees for luggage that goes over your weight allowance. But what about weighing your carry-on luggage, or, more importantly, yourself?
That’s the idea behind Finnair’s new “voluntary and anonymous” program, which was introduced last week at Helsinki Airport for certain European and long-haul flights. The goal is to make air travel safer by ensuring that the total weight of the aircraft (and its passengers and cargo) does not exceed set limits, known as the “maximum takeoff weight.”
After all, despite an airline’s careful attempts to calculate and standardize the weight of the fuel, water, catering items, and cargo aboard a particular aircraft, the weight of passengers (and their carry-on items) are unknown variables that differ from flight to flight. Rather than weighing every passenger before every flight, airlines use an average weight based on their own calculations or an industry standard, yet these figures need to be updated every five years to ensure accuracy.
Finnair, Finland’s national carrier, has been careful to stress that no one will be forced to step on a scale before boarding, and the weights will not be visible to anyone nearby. The data (which also includes age, gender, and travel class) will not be associated with a customer’s name, seat number, or booking number. The figures will be used between 2025 and 2030 to update Finnair’s average weight measurements to ensure optimal aircraft balance and loading, as well as to calculate fuel, flight range, and cargo capacity. The airline will repeat the program in a few months to more accurately assess the weight differential of packing and dressing habits in warmer weather.
Not surprisingly, reactions have been mixed, both in Finland and on social media, with some describing the program as “fat-phobic” and others saying it sounds “reasonable.” It has reinvigorated a discussion about whether heavier passengers should pay more for their seat or whether lighter passengers should be entitled to a larger baggage allowance to make up for their smaller weight contribution.
Stepping on the scale for safety:
- According to Finnair, around 800 passengers participated during the program’s first week. They received a baggage tag as a thank you for their help.
- Weighing passengers is not a new concept; Air New Zealand and Korean Airlines implemented similar initiatives in 2023. These voluntary programs, which have no financial ramifications based on the number on the scale, are far from the most extreme version of a weigh-in. Back in 2013, Samoa Air began charging passengers based on their body weight and luggage, approximately 50 cents per pound.
- Besides the inherent safety concerns associated with overloading an aircraft, having accurate weight calculations can help airlines be more efficient with their fuel costs and minimize flight emissions. The overall weight can affect an aircraft’s speed, maneuverability, and ability to climb.
- The EU Aviation Safety Agency carried out a passenger survey in 2022 and found that the average passenger is 166.7 lbs (75.6 kg). The average carry-on weighs 16.8 lbs (7.6 kg) and the average checked bag weighs 35 lbs (15.9 kg). Not surprisingly, passenger data revealed that weights were slightly higher in the winter than in the summer due to packing warmer clothes. On average, first- and business-class passengers had a higher average weight than economy and economy premium passengers, due to the higher proportion of male travelers.
