Airline to weigh passengers before they board a flight; here's why

What comes to your mind when you think of air travel? Passport, boarding pass and arriving at least a couple of hours before take-off, right? Well, that's not all, if you are planning to travel on Korean Air in the next few weeks.

Travelling on South Korea's flagship airline may entail another step: weighing yourself before boarding the flight, CNN reported, which was quick to add the measure has nothing to do with body-shaming.

The programme will affect some travellers boarding their flights from Gimpo International Airport between August 28 and September 3 and Incheon International Airport from September 8 to 19, the airline reportedly announced.

The collected data will be submitted to the country's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. However, the airline has clarified that travellers have the option to opt out of the programme by letting the staff know in advance.

"The data collated anonymously will be utilised for survey purposes and doesn't mean overweight passengers will need to pay more," Korea JoongAng Daily quoted the airline as saying.

And while it comes as a surprise to many, it's usually the government that decides to make passengers weigh themselves before travelling to collect plane data.

In May 2023, Air New Zealand also asked the passengers to step on the scale until July 2, according to reports.

• Look: Airline CEO works as cabin crew on flights to Gulf countries