The Facts
On Monday, Air New Zealand began asking passengers to weigh themselves before boarding international flights departing from Auckland International Airport, as part of a monthlong trial to improve fuel efficiency.
More than 10K travelers are expected to voluntarily step onto the scales in contribution to anonymous data collection that will run through July 2.
The Spin
Narrative A
Air New Zealand's voluntary weight survey is crucial to the enhancement of safety and efficiency, as well as to the reduction the environmental impact of flights, as it will enable airlines to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. Even though this is relatively rare in many parts of the world, several Pacific airlines are already gathering data for weight and balance calculations.
Narrative B
While the airline may indeed be carrying out this survey due to safety concerns, the decision to ask passengers to weigh themselves in public places is likely to further promote weight discrimination. This new measure will make the sometimes very stressful experience of air travel even tougher, especially for people with body image issues and eating disorders.