Korean Airlines take a controversial step: weigh passengers to improve travel quality
6:56 AM EST, January 26, 2024
The "Strait Times" reports that the airline, part of the Star Alliance and based in Seoul, began weighing some passengers between January 22 and 31. The primary intent of the carrier is to assess the weight of passengers traveling on international routes from their second hub, Seoul's Gimpo Airport.
The South Korean Asiana Airlines airline conducted similar assessments between 2021 and 2022. They now, however, require updated data.
Asiana Airlines to weigh passengers on international routes
Data provided by Cirium, an aviation analysis company, reveals that Asiana Airlines anticipates only three regular Asian international flights from Gimpo this month: Osaka Kansai (KIX), Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), and Tokyo Haneda (HND).
As a part of the weighing program, passengers and their carry-on luggage flying these routes would be weighed. The objective is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the total weight of passengers and their luggage on board. Passengers will be requested to step on the scale along with their carry-on luggage to determine the gross weight.
Passenger weight study conducted earlier on domestic flights
The airline will use the data collected to formulate updated measurements of passengers' total weight. The procedure is intended to be anonymous. However, passengers can opt out of the weighing program.
Last month, Asiana Airlines conducted a similar survey, though only passengers traveling on domestic flights were evaluated then. Around 5,000 passengers chose to participate. The airline is also optimistic about finding ample volunteers for their upcoming study.
Source: Simple Flying
