If you are flying to or from South Korea in the next few weeks, please note: you will need to have your weight measured and recorded before your flight.
1. fuel and weight
A law enacted by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism requires airlines to assess the weight of passengers, including their carry-on items. Standardization, which must be done every five years, helps calculate aircraft weight distribution and economic fuel consumption, and contributes to overall flight safety, Business Insider and JoongAng Ilbo reported.
2. domestic and international
Domestic flights departing from Gimpo Airport between Aug. 28 and Sept. 6 will be affected, while international flights departing from Incheon Airport between Sept. 8 and 19 will participate in the exercise.
The country’s flag carrier, Korean Air, has confirmed to JoongAng Ilbo and Insider that they will require passengers to step on scales before boarding.
The data collated anonymously will be used for investigative purposes and does not mean overweight passengers will have to pay more.
Korean Air
3. at the door
The weigh-in will take place in front of the gate, The Korea Times reported.
Korean Air also pointed out that other operators need to abide by the evaluation work and cannot get rid of the same practices as them regardless of how passengers feel, but passengers can make complaints and file complaints as they wish. Opt out early.
4. Do other countries do the same?
South Korea is not the only country required to collect this data. Insider looked at how the U.S. will manage the same data collection problem in 2021 and found that the FAA has taken a very different approach. Customers can self-report their weight when asked by staff. Current rules allow airlines to review the situation and correct the figures by making “reasonable estimates” if they believe the weights were given inaccurately.
According to Travel Tomorrow, New Zealand has taken a middle ground between both the US and South Korean approaches. As it tries to meet the requirements set by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority and take action to reduce emissions, Air New Zealand invites passengers to be weighed before flying, but the process is voluntary.
For those interested, South Korea’s last summer survey of 2017 found that the average adult male weighed 81 kg (178.6 lb), while the average female weighed 68.9 kg (152.1 lb).
