Our plane rolled to a stop about 100 yards into our 2000-mile journey a few weeks ago.
“We’re a little overweight,” our pilot announced, and we all sucked in our guts. “So we’re going to need to burn some fuel. We’ll be here about another 15 minutes.”
“We probably shouldn’t have stopped for those Kwik Trip breakfast sammies,” I whispered to my young companion, and we looked around guiltily.
I am familiar with airplane weight restrictions, having once witnessed the smallest and feistiest member of our travel party escorted off a flight due to that plane being overweight.
She had the bad luck of being the last person to board the aircraft that day, and that airline had the bad luck of choosing the wrong person to eject.
Nearly 30 years later, that petite passenger is still piqued.
On that fateful flight, we were headed to Canton Ohio for Hall of Fame weekend, so those seats were otherwise filled with some pretty big retired NFL players. I remember thinking, as we eventually taxied to the runway, that the airline probably could have selected their human ballast a little more scientifically.
Well, according to a few articles I saw yesterday, Finnair has come up with a policy to avoid all that awkwardness and wasted fuel. All you need to do is weigh yourself on a scale conveniently located at your departure gate.
Weight now, what???
Public weigh-ins?
That’s plane crazy!
It’s embarrassing enough to have to hastily rearrange your dainties when your carry-on doesn’t make weight. Now they want to weigh the whole person?
No thank you. Not even I need to see those numbers on my scale. I certainly don’t want my fellow passengers getting a peek.
I understand that airlines need to know things like the current average weight of humans which, obviously, fluctuates with the season, and the decade, and the availability of banana cream pie.
I just don’t think they need to know MY weight. My husband doesn’t even know that and he’s coached me through four labors and a shattered elbow.
I salute the 800 Helsinki passengers who already have consented to this communal weigh-in. I wonder if they planned their apparel and salt intake accordingly in the days leading up to their travels.
To me, getting weighed at the airport seems like something that would happen in a recurring nightmare you have when you’re all stressed out. You wake up with your heart pounding, look around your bedroom and thank your lucky stars that it was all a dream.
Apparently Asiana, a South Korean airline, already has been weighing international travelers and their carry-ons at Seoul Gimpo Airport.
Guess who just crossed Seoul off her travel bucket list?
