Finnair Is Weighing Passengers at Check-In. Here's Why.

It needs to collect data on 2,000 passengers.

Scandinavian countries have a reputation to maintain as pioneers of social experiments (six-hour workdays, national basic income), and the latest data-gathering test in Finland is no exception. Finnair announced an experiment this week to weigh passengers before they board their plane.

The new initiative isn't as triggering as it first seems. In fact, Finnair is collecting data on customers' weights to better estimate fuel requirements and hopefully, decrease operating costs. Many European airlines, including Finnair, use estimates from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to calculate the correlation between total weight, fuel, and safety. EASA last collected data in 2009, and Finnair wants to check that the weight estimates are still accurate and reflect its main customer base.

The goal is to collect the weights of 2,000 passengers, and so far this week, Finnair has asked 180 passengers to participate. The process is entirely voluntary and anonymous, and occurs at check-in. The passengers are being asked to step on the scale with their luggage, and according to the airline, feedback so far has been positive. Right now, the experiments are being conducted at Helsinki airport, but Finnair hopes to gather data on different routes and plans to continue the project into 2018 to account for seasonal changes (those bulky down coats aren't light, after all).

According to figures reported in The Telegraph, the current passenger weights based on the EASA's estimates are 84.6 kilograms for men (186.5 pounds) and 66.5 kilograms (146.6 pounds) for women.

The collected customer data might be used to help the airline strategize the expansion of its route network, as weight helps forecasts payloads and fuel requirements. Finnair's regular international destinations include New York, London, and Paris, with seasonal flights to Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco. In January, it was named one of the top 20 safest airlines in the world.