Most of us are used to weighing our bags when we go to the airport, but some airlines may start weighing the passengers!

This has already started with some airlines in Europe, but could become a thing internationally.

Airlines crews have to approximately determine the total amount of weight onboard each flight before takeoff, in order to ensure that there will be enough fuel to make the journey, so, the heavier the plane, the more fuel required.

Normally passengers aren’t willing to shout out their weight willy-nilly, and if they did it would be a lie, like on their drivers license. And it’s not like you can eyeball someone and correctly guess their weight. Most airlines say they rely on “generous estimations” for the weight of its passengers, but that usually means their planes carry more fuel than necessary, increasing both the airline’s costs and its carbon footprint. Obviously having a more concise actual weight to ensure the correct amount of fuel would be better for everyone all around.

The science of it makes perfect sense, but I still don’t want to be weighed at the airport. Of course, they aren’t suggesting we stand on scales in front of an entire airport filled with people, but they may ask you to stand on a “pressure pad” when you check in where the weight can be recorded confidentially.

What do you think?

4-24-19