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Airline Starts Weighing Passengers Prior To Takeoff

REUTERS/Peter Andrews

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A Finnish airline has begun weighing passengers prior to takeoff in a voluntary measure to improve data on balance and operation of aircraft.

Finnair is planning on conducting research to improve the balance of aircraft carriers by placing scales next to departure gates at the Helsinki Airport, koco News reported. Passengers will be weighed along with their carry-on luggage, and the airline is hoping for 100-150 people per flight to agree to be weighed.

Prior to this experiment, Finnair was forced to rely on 2009 research from the European Avian Safety Association which found that the average male passenger weighed approximately 187 pounds, with 15-pound luggage on top of that. The average female passenger weighed 147 pounds with 13-pound luggage. The Nordic airline now wants to see if the number has changed for updated research, Helsinki Times reported.

“We want to make sure we have the best possible data at our disposal also in this respect. That’s why we’re collecting data from our own network,” Sami Suokas, the manager of customer processes at Finnair, told Finnish outlet Helsingin Sanomat.

All measurements will be strictly confidential, the airline assured customers.

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