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Weigh to go: Airlines could start weighing passengers before flights
Passengers may soon have to join their checked bags and be weighed before boarding a flight.
The data airlines use for weight and balance checks before departure could be outdated due to rising rates of obesity in the US.
According to an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration airlines may have to conduct surveys to set ‘standard average passenger weights’ for crew members and passengers.
This would mean a random sampling of passengers being weighed.
"Regardless of the sampling method used, an operator has the option of surveying each passenger and bag abroad the aircraft and should give a passenger the right to decline to participate in any passenger or weight survey," the guidance says, according to AirInsightGroup.
It would have to be conducted on a voluntary basis.
In the circular, the FAA recommends airlines complete the surveys every three years.
The weight of any passenger being recorded must remain confidential.
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