Bangkok Airways starts weighing passengers

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Weighing passengers to become standard for Bangkok Airways

by Neill Fronde

September 18, 2023

Your chance to weigh in on airport and flight practices in Thailand may be coming, quite literally. Bangkok Airways is looking to join a number of international airlines that will be weighing passengers before boarding.

On September 16, it became clear that airlines were getting a bit nosy about passengers’ pounds. Foreign giants like Korean Air and Air New Zealand initiated an eyebrow-raising rule, demanding that passengers step on the scales before they step onto the plane.

Why? To crack the code of standard passenger weight and averages to safely calculate flight load.

In a recent development within the aviation industry, the unconventional practice has taken off and the notion of assessing passengers’ weight before boarding has gained traction. Their aim? To keep those aircraft trimmed and proper, reducing fuel consumption in the process.

The primary objective behind this unorthodox procedure is the meticulous determination of standard passenger weight and average figures. This, in turn, facilitates the precise calculation of aircraft weight distribution, thereby curbing fuel consumption.

Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited is now joining the ranks of airlines as part of the weight-watching club. In doing so, the airline seeks to employ standardized average weight data to accurately gauge the cumulative weight of passengers and their accompanying carry-on luggage.

Essentially, while it’s common practice to weight checked backs, and standards are set for weight limits on your carrying, one crucial factor is missing in calculating a plane’s total flying weight – the “excess baggage” passengers are carrying on their bones.

The ultimate aim is to ensure that each flight adheres to the stringent parameters delineated by the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft, thereby fostering an environment of enhanced safety. But for many, this strive for safety may feel more like an intrusion of privacy.

From September 15 to October 31, Bangkok Airways is formally petitioning for authorisation to conduct the weighing of passengers, including their carry-on items, at the boarding gate area. The airline’s management cordially solicits the cooperation of all passengers in facilitating this data collection exercise.

Bangkok Airways promises though that your personal pounds and carry-on quirks won’t be plastered publicly for all to see. They assure the weights will be strictly for their eyes only, as they endeavour to fine-tune their average weight calculations.

The airline affirms that the information garnered through this process will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Its exclusive purpose is to refine the compilation of average weight data, an exercise aimed at promoting the precision and reliability of flight operations. The airline expresses its anticipation and optimism for the proactive support and collaboration of its passengers.

Meanwhile, a pre-flight trip to the treadmill might become a new regular part of passengers’ travel preparations.

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