Korean Air Will Weigh Passengers Before Boarding

Korean Air will request passengers to weigh themselves at the airport before boarding their flight. However, the airline's goal is not to engage in body shaming or other forms of discrimination against passengers because of their weight. Instead, Korean Air plans to "[measure] the average weight of passengers along with their carry-on items for flight safety."

Korean Air announced that the program will affect some passengers departing from its hubs at Gimpo International Airport (GMP) and Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul. The program will run from August 28 to September 3 at Gimpo and from September 8 to 19 at Incheon. Korean Air plans to anonymously weigh passengers and their luggage and share the data with South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

Not all passengers must weigh themselves if they feel uncomfortable sharing their weight; Korean Air will allow passengers to opt out of the process. The airline would have to make such a program optional to avoid accusations of discrimination against its passengers. Although Korean Air does not officially have a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy, many other airlines have policies that prohibit discrimination based on characteristics such as weight.

South Korea's civil aviation authority, the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA), requires Korean Air to occasionally collect data on the weight distribution of its flights. It is currently unknown if KOCA will require other Korean airlines, such as Asiana Airlines, to obtain passenger weight data.

Korean Air will use the data to help determine the optimal weight distribution of its aircraft. Data collection only has to happen once every five years. An aircraft's weight is important because it affects fuel consumption and the distances it can fly. The airline aims to find more efficient ways to distribute weight on an aircraft. 

Representatives from Korean Air spoke to various news sources to clarify the airline's decision.

One spokesperson told The Independent: "Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation has advised all Korean flag carriers to weigh passengers with their carry-on baggage to update its 'Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards.' This is crucial for the safety of flight operations, and Korean Air complies with this mandate and remains committed to safety, its number one priority."

Meanwhile, another Korean Air representative told Korea JoongAng Daily: "Korean Air passengers will be asked to step on scales with their carried-on items at each boarding gate. The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn't mean overweight passengers will need to pay more."

According to Korean Air's website, passengers in economy class can have one carry-on bag and one personal item if the total weight is less than 10 kg (22 lb). Passengers in premium cabins can have two carry-on bags of no more than 18 kg (40 lb). The study will not involve passengers checked bags.

Korean Air is one of two airlines to weigh passengers in recent months. Air New Zealand announced plans to collect passenger weight on international flights departing from Auckland Airport (AKL) in May. The airline did the study for similar reasons to Korean Air. Weighing passengers is relatively uncommon among major airlines, and it remains to be seen if other carriers will engage in similar initiatives.