Uzbekistan Airways announces it will weigh passengers before flights
ATP- Arab tourism portal- According to the statement, prior to boarding, airline staff will "suggest" travelers use the "special weighing machine" in the gate area in order to "ensure flight safety."
"Please be informed that Uzbekistan Airways airline carries out the procedure of preflight weighing for determination of the average weight of passenger with hand baggage," the statement says. "According to the rules of International Air Transport Association, airlines are obliged to carry out the regular procedures of preflight control passengers weighing with hand baggage to observe requirements for ensuring flight safety," it adds.
"The weighing record will only contain the corresponding passenger category (i.e. male/ female/ children). As for the rest, the full confidentiality of results is guaranteed," the statement continues.
The airline says it is conducting the weigh-ins because of a rule from the International Air Transport Association, but the IATA says no such rule exists.
"We are not aware of an IATA rule concerning the weighing of passengers and their hand luggage prior to flight," Chris Goater, manager of IATA corporate communications, told The Huffington Post.
"All airlines have policies in place for load calculations, weight and balance of their aircraft. These policies in turn are subject to the rules and regulations of their national aviation regulator," he said.
Uzbekistan Airways says "confidentiality of results is guaranteed," but it isn’t clear the extent to which such considerations will protect passengers from embarrassment.
The TSA is the US, for example, has the results of virtual scanners that penetrate clothing, analyzed in a separate area so that officials cannot see the passenger being scanned.
Back in 2013, Samoa Airlines began pricing passenger tickets by passenger weight. Uzbekistan Airways has not publicly commented on the new policy since the announcement was made.
