How picky are the airlines regarding weight and size of luggage?

[palermo22]

See you in Vancouver - maybe even on the plane - we are also changing planes in SFO - we leave Las Vegas (on Thursday) at 6 PM - and arrive SFO at 7:30 and then take an 8:30 UAL from SFO to YVR!

[brigittetom]

I have a question. If they charge you way more for your bag being overweight, how does that help the luggage handlers back out side of the fact that you'll problably pack more carefully next time.

[NnJ2010]

I have a question. If they charge you way more for your bag being overweight, how does that help the luggage handlers back out side of the fact that you'll problably pack more carefully next time.

It doesn't. It's just a way for them to make more money. BA tags all pieces that are over a certain weight so that the handlers will be aware of it. (At least they did returning from the UK). My bag was considered 'heavy' but did not weigh enough to encounter a fee.

[Host Walt]

You're guided by your final stop - in this case Vancouver - you are allowed 70 lbs per bag

Palermo is correct.

 

However, at the point of your first check in, he won't be there to argue when the agent says the rule is 50#. I suggest you contact your airline and get the policy in writing so, if you have difficulty, you can produce the document.

[Pam]

We were flying Delta out of Ft. Myers, FL, in March. A crotchety, older baggage handler nearly knocked the people in front of us down, so he could zero in on a bag of ours that he was sure would be overweight. He said it was, but he "let it go"; I know for sure it wasn't, because I was used to that bag and knew how much I could pack in it.

 

I have since discarded that bag, and use smaller ones that don't attract as much attention.

 

Old goat.

[lornadoons]

A bag story.......We just returned from the Western Med and in Madrid Spain, on the way home to the US, my carryon bag full of souveniers kept going back and forth through the x-ray machine. The attendant was great, kept apologizing but stating "something was in there". Finally, good naturedly, he said he needed to unpack everything to get to the suspicious item... at the bottom, there it was and as he pulled it out, stated I should have packed it in my luggage... I didn't know what it was yet and couldn't imagine since I didn't pack any weapon like object etc. He pulled out a small smooth edged, thin rock that looked like a silver dollar pancake, no bigger than 3 inches in diameter, that I had picked up off the beach in Croatia to put in our beach house. He laughed and I asked if they seriously thought this as a weapon. Again he laughed and said yes... I asked, "what would someone do with this? Throw it at the pilot? Good thing he was good natured but they did say this was suspicious... too funny... meanwhile I had tons of glass in there that could easily be broken on board and used... oh well... when I got home and unpacked... there was my "weapon" in the bag... he never did take it...:rolleyes:

 

By the way, we fretted over the amount of bags, carryons etc. and no one said a word when we boarded... we made the weight, but others told us we would only be allowed 1 carryon AND a purse... when I called the airline (USAirways) they told me the same thing. When I asked about my husband since he doesn't carry a "purse" , the gentleman told me one carryon and a computer like bag for men... they seem to have rules that change according to whomever you talk to...

[rjack22]

I can tell from this thread that the airlines are picky about weight. What about measurements?

 

Have you ever had your bag measured to see if it is 62" or less?

[hajekfam]

No - but I have had Spirit end up checking my carry-on which has met all other airlines carryon requirements due to the wheels. Caused us a bit of trouble as we had to move all the medications and jewelry to the our other carry-on.

[brigittetom]

rjack22, No but I have had my carryon measured. It was okay for the flight to London but not okay for the flight home. :(

[lornadoons]

No - but I have had Spirit end up checking my carry-on which has met all other airlines carryon requirements due to the wheels.

Funny that they made a stink about the wheels on your bag... my husband's checked bag came back with the wheels completely gone!!!!!

[smudge's mom]

If the weight issue is truly to "save the backs" of the luggage handlers, did anyone ask them if they'd rather lift 2 slightly overweight bags rather than 3 bags that are underweight? Lifting 3 bags is more work than lifting 2, isn't it?

 

I think it started as a money issue - a way of getting more revenue.

 

But now - with all the extra handling baggage gets - with all the scanning that goes on - I can see a real reason to enforce the weight limits.

 

BTW - I've noticed when you check in for your flight and lift your bag on the area next to the desk - the platform has an integrated scale. I don't know if all airlines have these, but I am guessing they do now. So the check-in clerk is immediately aware of whether your bags are overweight.

 

The only time I had trouble - she told me my bags were 2 and 8 pounds overweight. On the flight out, I had packed all the heavy things - shoes, toiletries, books, etc. - in a smaller, extra bag and kept only clothes in my large suitcases. On the flight home, I was careless in my packing - and ended up overweight. Lucky for us, we had a kind person who told us she would let it pass. And yes, we now travel with 3 bags instead of 2. It's a hassle, but rather that than running into trouble at check-in.

 

On an interesting note - the pilot came on the speaker while we were sitting waiting to take off and said our delay was because he was having problems getting the weight of the flight correct for takeoff. Seems we were too heavy and he was trying to decide whether we needed to take someone off the flight or whatever. I do think he was serious - although I'm not good at detecting when I'm being "put on." :confused:

[sasset]

Think about this:

 

Airlines still use an average passenger weight of 175 lbs, something I haven't weighed since 1978. Next flight look around...does it look like most of your fellow passengers weigh 175 lbs. or less?

 

We were on an America West Express CRJ9 (which carries 86 passengers) going from Long Beach to Phoenix in August. Before they would close the door, they needed 4 passengers from the front of the plane to move rear, at least past row 12, to balance the weight.

 

Maybe it's not about dollars.

 

Regards

[smudge's mom]

Maybe it's not about dollars.

 

That's what I was thinking. In the past, they could let you have more weight as baggage because you had less weight as a person. Now with the weight problem of most of the pax and with them cramming more seats in a plane - the weight issue is really a concern. The lift hasn't changed - the weight they are trying to lift has.

[jerin]

I've been ok with oversize, but not overweight. I have a big duffel that I check the kids carseats in when I fly alone with them, and it's 24x24x42. But with 3 carseats in it, it's still under 30 lb. Since I usually only check one bag per person, and the others are all within the size and weight limits, I've never had a problem. I tried to add a bag of books that weighed about 60 lb. (again, only 4 bags for 4 passengers), and they were going to charge $75. I left the books with my hosts, and they mailed them out little by little with other packages, which ended up being a lot cheaper.

[starsjohn]

Recently had major problems with Canada Air on a flight from LAX to Vancover and back.

 

Going they said the cabin limit was 20 pounds. I had my camera case and laptop which weighed 30 pounds. My partner's carryon had a couple of books and weighed 23 pounds. They refused to let me proceed, so I ended up taking a camera and telephoto lens from the case and hanging it around my neck, while my partner discarded the books. Their website listed no such cabin weight restrictions as I had checked before we left.

 

They also singled out my larger check-in and were very disappointed that it weighed only 48 pounds.

 

They also refused to let another American passenger take his small ukelele aboard the cabin.

 

Coming home they refused let me carry on a ultra-light compact fishing rod I had purchased in Alaska. It was only 2 feet long broken down to three sections. They said it was TSA rules. The TSA website clearly states that a single fishing rod may be transported in the cabin.

 

We repeated this same flight a month later on Alaska Air with no problems.

 

John

[Host Walt]

The best thing to do in all cases is to contact the carrier by phone and ask specific questions about their cabin and checked luggage rules.

 

Then ask them for a "hard copy" by fax or mail, or, failing that, a web site where you can print off the rules.

 

Finally, ask them what you should do if an agent interprets the rules differently.

 

The normal procedure is to ask for the Station Supervisor (or similar title) and discuss, quietly, the issue and why you think the agent is wrong, by showing the Supervisor the documentation.

 

As for the preceding example, Canada Air is required to provide cartons so that the heavy books and fishing rod can be carried as checked baggage if they are denying their being carried on.

 

Some airlines do not permit musical instruments to be carried on if they feel there is a possibility that it/they will be played during the trip.

[Offtune Angel]

Recently had major problems with Canada Air on a flight from LAX to Vancover and back. John

Are you talking about Air Canada or Canada Air?

[starsjohn]

Oops, it was Air Canada. I guess my sister could not use Air Canada either as she would not want her priceless violin

or flute packed in the hold.

 

John

[Offtune Angel]

Oops, it was Air Canada. I guess my sister could not use Air Canada either as she would not want her priceless violin or flute packed in the hold.John

Thanks John. In my opinion AC doesn't have enough information on their website about cabin baggage weights or what can and can not go in the cabin. Too many decisions seem to be left up to either the person on the telephone and/or the person checking-in you and your luggage. Airport staff and telephone staff don't always agree. Catch someone on a bad day and :eek: . If I had a priceless instrument, I'd want an ironclad guarantee that it would accompany me in the cabin. Of course if I was travelling with a migraine I would probably want an ironclad guarantee that nobody was going to play their instrument in the cabin. :D

[Lucies12]

I have a question. If they charge you way more for your bag being overweight, how does that help the luggage handlers back out side of the fact that you'll problably pack more carefully next time.

It doesn't help the baggage handler, but it helps the company pay for the medical bills and possible overtime for replacement labor incurred from the worker's comp injury.

 

Also, a few points regarding the effect of overweight luggage:

 

-It does matter how the bags are lifted, but even when lifted correctly, ergonomics research has shown that repetitive movements and lifting similar to what airline baggage handlers and TSA does is still likely to cause injury.

-Baggage handler is among the occupations with the highest injury rate.

-Early in the year it was reported that TSA had almost a 20% injury rate, higher than any other government agency (even military and USPS).

-There are recent documented cases of accidents due to planes exceeding weight capacity. One that comes to mind is one in which R&B artist Aaliyah was killed, I can't specifically recall others off the top of my head.

 

It's easy to look in from the outside of any organization or industry and point out "stupid" rules, but especially in a heavily regulated industry such as aviation, there are usually very good reasons for those rules, even if the reasons aren't obviously apparent or if the particular CSR you are speaking has no idea what those reasons are.

[lornadoons]

That's what I was thinking. In the past' date=' they could let you have more weight as baggage because you had less weight as a person. Now with the weight problem of most of the pax and with them cramming more seats in a plane - the weight issue is really a concern. The lift hasn't changed - the weight they are trying to lift has.[/quote']

 

About the passenger weight... I remember in the past flying on almost empty flights. Coming back from Calif. one time I was on one of those jumbos and there were about 10 of us in the middle section where I was sitting... nowadays... less flights, more people on all planes... most overbooked... there are very few flights I'm on where there are empty seats... just my 2 cents...:)

[NnJ2010]

 

BTW - I've noticed when you check in for your flight and lift your bag on the area next to the desk - the platform has an integrated scale. I don't know if all airlines have these' date=' but I am guessing they do now. So the check-in clerk is immediately aware of whether your bags are overweight.

[/quote']

Just to respond to this, not all airports have them. Not all airports use them. I've seen them where they aren't turned on. go figure? Depends on the airport and on that particular airline rep. Since you can't guarantee it, not worth the headache IMO.

[smudge's mom]

Just to respond to this, not all airports have them. Not all airports use them. I've seen them where they aren't turned on. go figure?

Sure wish all airlines used them. I found it helpful in judging future packing to see exactly how much my luggage weighed. However, if I can't see the weight for myself, I'm sure not going to ask - afraid of the answer and the consequences. :eek:

[moorefunn]

saltwatertwo

 

check with your airline on the internet i am flying nwa and to vancouver it is 50 lb not 70

[NnJ2010]

Sure wish all airlines used them. I found it helpful in judging future packing to see exactly how much my luggage weighed. However' date=' if I can't see the weight for myself, I'm sure not going to ask - afraid of the answer and the consequences. :eek:[/quote']

 

AGREED! I never ask. Honestly though...I have put it on my bathroom scale before just to find out....you just have to angle it so you can see the numbers ;)