Check your bag weight,Air New Zealand is calculating the cost

Air New Zealand plane … passengers travelling from Auckland to Rarotonga will be amongst the first affected by the new electronic weigh-in system. Photo: airliners.net

Air New Zealand passengers beware: pack right or be prepared to pay the price.
The airline has begun trialling a new electronic baggage weighing system.
It automatically calculates the weight of baggage being checked through and any applicable charges, Air New Zealand executive Norm Thompson said.
It has started from Auckland International Airport, where Cook Islands passengers will be affected. Wellington and Christchurch airports will be next.
It is uncertain when the system will be introduced at Rarotonga International Airport.
Up until now, many airline staff let the odd kilo slip by at the check-in counter, especially when flights were not full.
However, the new system will clamp down on travellers exceeding the 20-kilogram allowance.
“This new X-bag system is designed to ensure that we more closely control baggage weight and fuel use. Every extra kilo carried on an aircraft means extra fuel burned,” Thompson said. .
CHARGES
Domestic travellers are charged $5 per kilogram of baggage over 20kg, and can carry on a further 7kg free. Charges are higher for international travellers.
“This new X-bag system is designed to ensure that we more closely control baggage weight, and fuel use. Every extra kilo carried on an aircraft means extra fuel burned,” Thompson said.
Air NZ currently carries about a million kilograms of excess baggage domestically each year, costing $2200 per kg in fuel. Fuel makes up 35 per cent of the airline’s total costs.
“It’s important to remember that there is no change to our current policy. This is categorically not a revenue-gathering exercise,” Thomson said.
Check-in staff were being briefed on how to deal with passengers angered by the new system, The Dominion Post newspaper reported.
A source told the newspaper Air NZ had a 3kg “buffer” on top of the 20kg allowance and staff could currently decide whether to let some excess baggage go free, for example if it would cause delays.
Air New Zealand is trying to cut costs and improve efficiency across the business, including a planned transfer of nearly 1700 jobs to a specialist ground handling company which would do the work for $20m a year less.

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