Spirit Airlines is adding new flights to Puerto Rico, making it easier to get to the island this spring.
10.02.2024 - 23:59 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes / Airlines
On Monday, one European airline started inviting passengers to ‘weigh in’ before flights.
Finnish airline Finnair is asking travellers at Helsinki airport to voluntarily step on the scales at departure gates.
The company hopes the measure will help estimate the weight of a plane before taking off.
While the airline has already had 800 passengers voluntarily weigh themselves, some travellers have expressed concerns over ‘body shaming’ and financial penalties based on weight.
So why do airlines need to weigh customers and do you have a right to say no?
Finnair has emphasised that their weigh-in option is for improving flight safety and will not be used to penalise passengers - the process is anonymous and names and booking numbers are not recorded.
Each aircraft has a set maximum weight over which it is not safe to fly. Airlines can either use official data from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to estimate how much a plane weighs or do their own standard weight measurements.
Finnair has chosen the latter because it gives a more accurate picture of current passenger and hand luggage weights, but safety authorities require that the survey be renewed every five years.
“We hope to have a good sample of volunteers, both business and leisure travellers, also this time, so that we can get the most accurate information possible for important balance calculations,” says Satu Munnukka, head of ground processes at Finnair.
“We will need data for both the winter season and for the summer season - in the winter season people typically have heavier clothing, which impacts weights,” adds Finnair spokeswoman Päivyt Tallqvist.
The airline will continue the scheme until May after which it will send its figures to the Finnish transport and communications agency, Traficom, to inform aircraft balance and loading calculations from next year until 2030.
The last time Finnair undertook weigh-ins was in 2017 - and it is not the only airline to do so.
At the end of last year, Korean Air announced it would weigh passengers at Gimpo International Airport while Air New Zealand did the same last June for passengers departing from Auckland Airport on international flights.
The introduction of weigh-ins for plane passengers has been controversial - Korean Air had to backtrack on their mandatory policy after public criticism.
If you are travelling with Finnair in the next few months, there is no obligation to step on the scales, Kate Staniforth, Head of Marketing at Travel Republic, emphasises.
“Passengers flying with Finnair should be aware that these ‘weigh-ins’ are voluntary, and they should not feel pressure to partake,” she says.
“However, upon deciding to complete the weigh-in, passengers are assured that the information stays
Spirit Airlines is adding new flights to Puerto Rico, making it easier to get to the island this spring.
Finding the lowest price for a flight can be challenging, but one airline has a somewhat hidden tool to help travelers snag the best deal. JetBlue has a section of their website with a fare calendar that displays flight prices in grid view between an origin and destination airport, helping travelers plan a vacation to get the lowest cost airfare. The tool, called "Best Fare Finder," is located under the «Book» tab on JetBlue’s homepage. The page allows passengers to select how many children and adults will be traveling, whether they would like to pay in cash or TrueBlue miles, and then choose the desired destination from any airport. For example, the price of a flight ticket from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) in April 2024 varies widely. If a traveler booked it for April 18, they would pay $259, but if they can wait six days later, the price drops to only $70. The Best Fare Finder provides all of the prices in the calendar view.
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