According to a new announcement, Finnair plans to weigh its passengers on departure from Helsinki. Many of the airline’s passengers will likely not be too happy about this latest announcement. While the US used to weigh passengers for commercial helicopter flights, many believe the new regulation to be giving too much information to the airline.

Finnair to weigh departing passengers

Those flying in commercial helicopters in the US might recall that they were previously weighed before climbing onboard. However, this practice is unusual when it comes to commercial plane flights. Travelers already know what it’s like to have their baggage weighed at check-in. Moreover, they also know how it feels when the airline tells them their bags are overweight.

However, now, Finnair has decided to weigh its passengers when departing from Helsinki Airport. Not only this, but they will also weigh their cabin baggage, and record passengers’ age, gender and class of travel.

According to the airline, this new practice will run during much of February, as well as from April through May. However, to be fair, the practice won’t be obligatory, with passengers given the option to opt out of the weighing. Moreover, Finnair goes on to assure passengers that this information will be anonymous, with only the person doing the weighing knowing the passengers’ weight.

As noted by the Guardian, the airline started voluntary weighing at departure gates in Helsinki Airport on Monday. Meanwhile, to Finnair’s surprise, they already had 600 volunteers by Wednesday.

Suvi Aaltonen, a spokesperson for Finnair, told the Guardian, “Our customers have taken it really positively so far. We’ve been quite surprised by people wanting to take part.”

The gathered information will be sent to Finland’s transport and communications agency, Traficom. Moreover, it will be used for aircraft balance and loading calculations from 2025 through 2030.

This is nothing new for Finnair’s passengers

Meanwhile, the weighing procedure isn’t something new for Finnair’s passengers. Reportedly, the airline used the same procedure in 2018, as it allows the airline’s current aircraft to optimize balance calculations for the flight.

Moreover, each of its aircraft has a set maximum weight to ensure a safe take-off, and this weight cannot be exceeded. Moreover, this calculation includes the weight of the plane itself, along with the weight of fuel, onboard catering, water tanks, checked baggage and cargo and the weight of the passengers on the flight.

Other airlines already know the weight of all aspects besides passengers and checked baggage, using average weights confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority. However, Finland’s national airline prefers to generate its own statistics, which will need to be renewed every five years.

Will the weighing process by Finnair lead to flight delays?

The only potential problem with the weighing of passengers is that, if there are many volunteers among them, an early check-in could potentially avoid delays.

Readers, would you volunteer to be weighed on your way home from a vacation in Finland? Let us know by dropping a comment below.