Carry-on bags are not the only things being weighed at this airport — where some passengers were being asked to step on the scale, according to a report.
In a controversial new policy rolled out last Saturday, travelers flying out of Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa can no longer pre-select seats when they buy Hawaiian Airlines tickets.
“It’s in order to make airplane weight and balance limitations,” a Hawaiian Airlines customer service agent told The Post.
The airline admitted it’s already received several gripes from passengers, who regard the policy as discriminatory and offensive.
“We’re having a tough time explaining it (the policy’s rationale),” the customer service agent said.
Two businessmen, Avamua Dave Haleck and Daniel King, filed formal complaints to the US Transportation Department.
“And of course Hawaiian is saying that ‘yes it is a safety issue,’” Haleck told the radio network. “So have we been flying unsafe for all these years?”
A six-month survey by the airline showed an average passenger weight is ballooning, forcing it to redistribute the loads in its Boeing 767 cabins to meet manufacturer’s guidelines, according to Radio New Zealand.
Close to 75 percent of all Samoans are obese, according to the CIA World Facebook, Metro UK reported.