A weighty issue for passengers flying Air New Zealand.
>> They have nothing to worry about.
>> But for travelers who do worry about those extra KGs,
they'll now extend beyond luggage.
For a short period, passengers on selected international flights from Auckland will
be asked to weigh themselves before boarding.
It's a quick and simple process, individuals will step onto
a set of scales and place their cabin baggage on another set of scales.
A computer will register the weight after a few seconds, and
passengers can resume boarding.
>> Nope.
>> [LAUGH] >> John, back to you.
>> I don't know,
it seems like the weirdest possible way to gather the data they need.
There's got to be a less ridiculous way to do this.
So you're saying you would not fly then?
>> I mean, look, if this is gonna turn into a widespread practice,
much like all of the awful things that have happened with airlines over the last
several decades, then you're not gonna have a choice.
But I don't get it.
>> What if TSA pre-doesn't have to do it?
[LAUGH] >> Okay, so let's get to the explanation.
Let's just get to the explanation real quick, and
then we'll talk about whether or not we're buying the explanation.
So Air New Zealand, by the way, I love the Air New Zealand worker who's like,
you've got nothing to worry about, right?
[LAUGH] Anyway, the Air New Zealand and
aviation analysts say that there's a very legitimate reason why they're doing this.
They need to weigh their passengers to essentially gather
data in regard to the average weight each flight carries.
Okay, so here's Alastair James, who's Air New Zealand's,
and this is a real title, load control improvement specialist, explaining more.
>> Regulatory requirement for
us to know the weight of everything that goes on the aircraft.
And there's a good reason for that.
>> Industry experts say knowing how much everything weighs on board,
including fuel, baggage, passengers, and more,
helps planes to fly more efficiently while remaining balanced.
>> When you go to the check-in encounter, your bag goes through and it's weighed,
but you're not.
So we apply an average weight in those circumstances.
So every five years, we try and
verify that our weights that we're using are accurate.
>> Couldn't they look at national health data to see what the average
weight of New Zealanders happened to be,
whether it's changed at all from previous decades, and just rely on that?
Having each traveler step on a scale is awful.
I think that's not the best, I mean,
it might be the most accurate way of gathering the data, but find another way.
>> It seems like, especially considering that they were given
multiple different ways that they could gather this data,
this seems like a really weird decision for a company to make.
Because you know this maximizes the chance that your customers are gonna be angered,
that they're gonna be put out by this.
I'm sure lots of people are not gonna wanna do it,
which not only is an issue for your brand identity that people might start to
associate you with being embarrassed or something.
But it's also an issue for
your employees because they're gonna have to force people to get on that thing.
They're the ones that are gonna have to be dealing with the complaints and
people who are freaking out.
>> That's absolutely true.
I should also note that the pilots and cabin crew will also be weighed,
so I wonder how they feel about all of this.
And by the way, this whole data collection process
regarding weight started this week, and it is going to continue until early July.
They're aiming to weigh about 10,000 people, so this is temporary.
It doesn't necessarily mean that if you're planning on traveling much
later this year, that you would have to be stepping on a scale if you're
traveling with Air New Zealand.
And if you're wondering, Okay,
if you're wondering about privacy concerns, they're like, no, no, no,
all of this data will be collected without putting a name to the weight.
It's all gonna be anonymous.
It's not gonna be stored or used against the passenger.
So if you're concerned about your weight translating to having to pay for
two seats or maybe even pay a higher price,
Air New Zealand swears up and down that is not the case.
I am a little bit concerned about that, though.
>> Yeah, I would also worry that the infrastructure is being
put in place where if they decided to start charging based on it.
We did the story on TDR, or maybe it was last Wednesday with you,
about the girls who their bags were too heavy, and so
they just put on all of their clothes to change the weight.
And it is weird that your bag weight matters so much but
not your person weight.
That seems like eventually,
that's a loophole they're gonna get around to closing.
>> Ugh, god! >> Though I
don't wanna normalize weighing people before they get on the plane.
>> Flying is the worst, it's just the worst.
I hate checking in luggage.
Look, there's the extra fees associated with that, which suck, I admit.
But what does it mean when you check in your luggage?
Really think about it.
It means more delays, it means waiting around.
I hate the luggage carousels, I hate how everyone gathers around it,
crowds around it, I hate all of it.
I will do anything to avoid having to check in a bag.
So when I travel, even if I'm traveling for a week straight or
two weeks, I try to put everything I need in a backpack.
Cuz if you even have a small compact, rolly luggage,
they're gonna now measure it, they've been doing that more and more.
>> There's a chance.
>> [CROSSTALK] If you're wearing a backpack,
they're less likely to measure it.
>> I just do weekend bag, even if I'm going away for a week, I try to avoid.
I just don't want to.
The chance of it being lost and having to wait is just annoying.
And it's not just that you're waiting,
it's that you're waiting after a day of traveling, the literal worst time to wait.
No, no, thank you.
>> Yeah, I totally agree with you on that.
Now, we should hear from some travelers and see how they feel about having
to step on a scale if they're flying with Air New Zealand, let's watch.
>> When will the infernal humiliation of being weighed in public ever end?
>> I think that's a violation of privacy.
>> When I go to the doctor, I don't even look at the scale.
>> Find it a bit discriminating, a bit insulting, to be honest.
>> The announcement comes as health statistics show New Zealanders
are becoming heavier.
The latest national health survey put the adult obesity
rate at 34%, that's up from 31% a year earlier.
>> I love that.
I know that it's just every country's news people do a different sort of newsy voice.
There's a newsy voice in America, but
hers sounds like puts it at 188 pounds, a little bit higher than it used to be.
>> [LAUGH] >> She loves that people
are getting heavier.
But also, my assumption would be that the average New Zealander would be lighter
weight than the average American.
I don't know if that's a weird thing to assume.
I just assume- >> I don't think it's a weird thing
to consume.
But don't discount how much we've exported our terrible food
habits to other countries.
So I actually have no idea what New Zealand looks like when it
comes to average weight.
I know what it looks like in America, and it ain't good.
And I can understand why people would not want to be publicly weighed.
I don't wanna step on a scale at the doctor's office.
I do it because I actually wanna get the care that I need and
I wanna keep track of these things, but I hate it.
>> I like it. >> I wanna preserve that whole process for
the doctor's office, and sometimes when I really,
really wanna hurt my own feelings, my own home.
But other than that,
I'm not gonna be willing to step on a scale while I'm traveling.