Finnair's recent announcement to weigh passengers along with their carry-on luggage has sparked a heated debate.
The Finnish airline claims that the measurements are necessary for flight balance and safety.
Finnish Airlines applies a policy of weighing passengers before takeoff
An airline has caused controversy by announcing that it will weigh passengers along with their hand luggage before takeoff.
Finnish airline Finnair emphasized that it has begun implementing a policy of 'passenger measurement' with passengers who depart from Helsinki on Monday.
Kaisa Tikkanen, a spokesperson for Finnair, revealed that more than 500 customers volunteered to participate in the pre-flight weight check activity.
Sharing the purpose of this policy, Finnair has affirmed that they are trying to balance flights and ensure safety by calculating the weight of the aircraft, interior, and passengers on board.
Besides the average weight of 88kg provided by the authority, airlines can collect their own data to optimize this new flight policy.
In addition, Finnair ensures that earnings data is not linked to any other personal data of customers.
The customer weighing policy is controversial because it shames overweight people
However, this flight policy has angered many customers by causing shamelessness for 'overweight' people.
Another user criticized the airline, saying she would not travel through Finnair, because she "will not let the airline scold me for being obese," and she also said she never weighs herself.
Another user said: "Have they started checking their customers' weight? This is so rude and ridiculous!"
Some users also pointed out the absurdity of this policy because there have never been any reported accidents related to a customer's weight.
Finnair is not the first airline to implement measure passenger weight.
South Korea's largest airline, Korean Air, has been weighing passengers at Gimpo Airport on domestic routes and Incheon Airport on international flights since August last year.
Besides body weight, they also pay special attention to the weight of the entire package.
Finnair communications director Päivyt Tallqvist said Finns often carry more weight on the plane and that comes from thick, heavy coats.
The airline company emphasized that this move can help reduce fuel waste and ensure safety during the flight.
Finnair also gave a specific example to prove that their harsh weight policy is reasonable.
An EasyJet flight from Lanzarote to Liverpool was unable to take off last month due to excess weight.
The airline forced 19 passengers off the plane when they were among the heaviest passengers on the plane.
19 passengers voluntarily took the following flight to ensure safe weight on flights.
However, passengers changing to another flight due to being overweight will be free of charge and compensated according to regulations.
Research conducted by Holiday Extras in 2010 showed that 58% of Britons wanted overweight passengers to pay more for their flights.
Another survey in 2017 by jetcost.co.uk revealed that nearly 90% of Britons believed overweight passengers should pay extra.
Additionally, around 80% of respondents expressed support for the idea of introducing "plus-sized zones" on flights.
