Airline announces plan to weigh passengers before boarding

Metro (UK) reported that Samoa Air – which tends to use smaller aircrafts -began charging passengers by weight in 2012.

‘According to the laws of the worldwide Air Transport Association, airlines are obliged to carry out regular procedures of pre-flight control such as weighing passengers with hand luggage in order to observe the requirements for ensuring flight safety.

“The weighing record will only contain the corresponding passenger category (i.e. male/female/children)”, the company said. “As for the rest, full confidentiality of results is guaranteed”.

Passengers will be asked to proceed through a weighing machine in the departure gate zone.

“We will appreciate your assistance and thank you in advance for the help in the solution of our common task of flight safety!”, the airline adds in language seemingly directed at passengers.

“Now if you could please step on the scale, we need to check your weight”.

Fliers at most airlines are used to having their bags weighed before checking them, however one airline has now announced it will also weigh passengers and their carry-ons before boarding. Today in the Sky has reached out to Uzbekistan Airways for comment.

“All airlines have policies in place for load calculations, weight and balance of their aircraft”, IATA spokesman Perry Flint told ABC News.

Uzbekistan Airways hasn’t responded to CNN’s request for clarification on the new guidelines and whether overweight passengers will be penalized.

The announcement comes after Samoan Air became the world’s first airline to charge passengers according to their weight in 2013.

The airline’s chief executive, Chris Langton, said: “Planes are run by weight and not by seat, and travellers should be educated on this important issue”.