Finnish airline Finnair asks passengers to voluntarily weigh themselves before boarding a plane.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Almost everything that goes on board a commercial aircraft is weighed, including fuel, checked baggage, cargo and food. Most airlines use average data for passengers and their carry-on baggage.

But this week, Finland’s national carrier Finnair announced on Friday that it had started asking passengers to voluntarily and anonymously step onto the scales with their baggage at the country’s main airport in Helsinki. The aim is to get your own numbers.

“We will need data for both winter and summer seasons. In winter, people usually wear heavier clothing, which affects their weight,” said Finnair spokesperson Payvit Thorqvist. he told The Associated Press, adding that the investigation will continue into May.

It added that there would be no “weight penalties” for passengers on European or long-haul flights and that “the numbers will be kept secret, away from prying eyes.”

About 800 people have participated in the study so far, and those who agree to participate will receive a small gift: a reflective luggage tag, Thorqvist said.

Airlines can use official data from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, known as EASA, or create their own standard weight measurements, Thorqvist said. Finnair chose the latter, but safety authorities require the survey to be updated every five years. The last time Finnair weighed passengers was in 2018.

In June, New Zealand’s national airline also weighed passengers before boarding.

The weight figures will be transmitted to the Finnish Transport and Communications Authority later this year and will be used to calculate aircraft balance and payload for the period 2025-2030.

Satu Munukka, Finnair’s head of ground processes, said: “We once again want to gather a good sample of volunteers from both business and leisure travelers to ensure we have the most accurate information needed for important balance calculations. “I think so,” he said. statement.

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This article has been corrected to show that the name of the EU agency is the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, not the European Aviation Safety Agency.