What is the primary purpose of providing pilots with passenger count before a flight?

The primary purpose of providing pilots with the passenger count before a flight is to assess safety and seating locations. Knowing the number of passengers allows pilots to evaluate the distribution of weight throughout the aircraft, which is crucial for maintaining balance and ensuring safe takeoff, flight, and landing. Additionally, this information helps pilots inform any necessary adjustments in seating arrangements or procedures, such as ensuring that emergency exit rows are appropriately occupied or that the cabin weight is within safe limits.

While other options may seem relevant, they do not capture the main objective. The fuel requirements can be calculated based on various factors but are not solely dependent on passenger count. Baggage loading is indeed affected by the number of passengers, but it is more of an operational consideration rather than a primary focus of pilot briefing. Flight duration is influenced by many variables, including weather and routing, rather than passenger numbers alone. Hence, the assessment of safety and seating locations is the key focus in this context.