A Finnish airline has caused controversy after announcing plans to begin weighing passengers with their carry-on luggage to better estimate a plane’s weight before take-off.
The policy from Finnair has gone viral on social media and sparked ferocious debate after the firm began ‘measuring’ passengers departing from Helsinki on Monday.
Some social media users quipped that ‘even the airline’s name is against people who are overweight’, but others raised concerns about the impact on those who struggle with their weight or people with eating disorders such as anorexia.
Finnair, which services the UK with budget flights to and from Finland, highlighted in a statement that airlines calculate the weight of the plane, its interior and passengers on board to balance the flight and make for safe transit.
So far, more than 500 passengers have voluntarily taken part in weigh-ins, a spokesperson for Finnair said on Wednesday.
The policy from Finnair has gone viral on social media and sparked ferocious debate after the firm began ‘measuring’ passengers departing from Helsinki on Monday
Finnair, which services the UK with budget flights to and from Finland , highlighted in a statement that airlines calculate the weight of the plane, its interior and passengers on board to balance the flight
The policy has had mixed reception online, with one social media user writing: ‘It’s Finnair, not Fatair!’
A second added: ‘About time. People weight more than their bags. I thought the newsreader said Thinair.’
Another said: ‘I am [definitely] not a thin woman, and I agree with Finnair on this. It is not fast shaming, it is ensuring safety for passengers.
‘I’ll tell you, I would rather joke about my weight than have something go wrong over weight distribution and end up dead.’
Other social media users said the practice should be ‘standard with every airline’ as they praised the decision.
But some customers have raised concerns over privacy, data collection and the psychological impact upon passengers.
One Twitter user said: ‘It already costs an arm and a leg to fly, what next?’
A second added: ‘Seems to me a massive (no pun intended) invasion of privacy. My mother was bulimic and obsessed with weight. Except when pregnant I’ve never weighed myself since, nor have my siblings’.
Another furious user said: ‘Finnair are to start weighing their passengers? Have I read that correctly? I am utterly shocked! And disgusted’.
One user dubbed the policy ‘draconian’, adding it was a sign of a ‘nanny state’.
Until now, many airlines use average weights provided by aviation authorities – assumed to be 88kg – or collect their own data.
Finnair said that no collected weight data is linked to passengers, adding: ‘Only the customer service agent working at the measuring point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind.’
The scheme is voluntary, meaning those who do not wish to be weighed will not be forced to do so.
Communications director Päivyt Tallqvist told The Huffington Post that Finns tend to bring a lot more weight onto the plane in colder months as they come prepared with thick, heavy coats.
‘This is part of having a very strong safety culture in our organization,’ Tallqvist said.
‘We want to see if the data we’re using for calculations is accurate. We use them for every flight, and they’re important for the aircraft’s performance.
‘When you explain this to [passengers], they understand.’
Finnair are not the first airline to take the initiative and measure the weight of passengers themselves.
In August last year, Korea’s largest airline, Korean Air, announced it would start weighing passengers at Gimpo Airport on domestic routes and Incheon Airport on international flights for a short period through September.
The company said the move was aimed at reducing wasted fuel and helping more accurately estimate the weight of the plane.
It is unclear if any other airlines have similar plans to bring in weigh-ins for their passengers.
