Passport? Check. Boarding pass? Got it. Now please step on this scale, says Air New Zealand

In this photo supplied by Air New Zealand, a woman stands on scales to be weighed ahead of a flight in Auckland, New Zealand on May 29, 2023. New Zealand's national airline is asking people to step on the scales before they board international flights. Air New Zealand says it wants to weigh 10,000 passengers as part of a monthlong survey to better estimate the weight and balance of its planes. (AirNZ via AP)

Air New Zealand is asking passengers to step on a scale before they board international flights, but the airline insists that it’s not being nosy.

The carrier says it is gathering information for a few weeks to calculate the average weight of passengers, which will help pilots know the weight and balance of loaded planes.

Passengers can opt not to be weighed, according to the airline.

“We know stepping on the scales can be daunting,” said Alastair James, who goes by the title of Air New Zealand’s load control improvement specialist. “We want to reassure our customers there is no visible display anywhere. No one can see your weight -- not even us.”

Besides, James said, the airline weighs everything else that goes on the plane, including cargo, passengers’ bags, even meals.

Air New Zealand says the country’s civil aviation authority is requiring the weighing program. The airline said it started weighing passengers on flights leaving Auckland International Airport on Monday, and the survey will run through July 2. The airline weighed passengers on domestic flights back in 2021.