Passengers flying with Korean Air will have one more thing to do before boarding – step on the scale. This action is not related to the ticket price and will not affect the journey, but it is extremely necessary for global aviation.
Korean Air is one of the many airlines around the world that must periodically obtain data about the weight of the passengers on the basis of which the weight of the plane at takeoff is calculated.
How important is the body weight of passengers?
According to an airline announcement, picked up by CNN, passenger weighing will affect some flights departing from Gimpo International Airport (GMP) from August 28 to September 3 and from Incheon International Airport (ICN) from September 8 to 19.
Both passengers and luggage will be weighed anonymously, and the data will then be shared with the country's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. If a passenger wishes not to have their weight data collected, Korean Air confirms that they can refuse to be weighed by informing a company representative.
While some travelers may be surprised by this stage of boarding, they should know that this is not the airline's decision, but one imposed by government airline regulators.
Average weight of a man and a woman
Earlier this year, Air New Zealand ran a similar program with some of its passengers flying on its international routes, such as New York's Auckland – JFK. And in the past, other airlines have run similar programs, such as Finnair for example.
Once the data is collected, it helps airlines make decisions about fuel needs and weight distribution on board. Airplanes carry a maximum take-off weight (weight composed of aircraft weight, baggage weight, passenger weight and fuel weight), and airlines must ensure that this is not exceeded, with all the associated margins.
In aviation, the authorities have determined that a man has an average weight of 82 kg, and a woman has 63 kg, to which the weight of luggage is added. It's just that in recent years, these values are no longer relevant, as the world's population tends to gain weight.