As part of a month-long survey, Air New Zealand is measuring the weight of its passengers.
(Photo: dpa)
wellington New Zealand’s airline Air New Zealand wants to weigh not only the luggage but also the passengers before international flights in the coming weeks. The reason is that the pilots have to know the weight and balance of the loaded aircraft before each take-off, as the company announced.
“It’s about safety. Every time we fly we want to know exactly what the weight of the plane is,” airline chief Greg Foran told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday.
From now until July 2, the scales are at Auckland Airport on the North Island of the Pacific state. The weight of 10,000 passengers is determined in total – but participation is voluntary. “Don’t worry, unlike the scales at home, at the gym or at the doctor’s office, no one can see the numbers, not even airline staff,” the New Zealand Herald reported. The data would be collected anonymously.
The aim is to determine the average weight of the passengers together with their hand luggage. “We weigh everything on the plane – from cargo to inflight meals to checked baggage,” said Alastair James, cargo control improvement specialist at Air New Zealand. “On the other hand, for customers, crew and hand luggage, we use average weights that we get from this survey.”
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand was named the best airline in the world by airlineratings.com in this year’s Airline Excellence Awards on Wednesday, replacing Qatar Airways.
In total, the weight of 10,000 passengers is determined.
(Photo: dpa)
The company will soon introduce the so-called Skynest. Then Economy Class guests can sleep in a real bed. A total of six bunk beds are to be installed in some machines, for which travelers can then book a time slot.
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