Did anyone ever have to pay more for overweight bags?

[kenman]

I was just curious If you ever had to pay for overweight bags?
how much does the average bag weigh?

 

[justhat]

We had our bags weighed in August returning to Newark from New Orleans on American Airlines. The SkyCap said that it came up on the computer that we were chosen for a random weight check and that one of our bags was probably too heavy so he would try to send it by for us without the woman at the counter weighing it. Well, though he tried, she weighed it and it was over the 50 lbs. max. What we did was just take out some items from that bag and repack them at the counter into another suitcase. Once we got it under 50 lbs. we were fine and they didn't charge us anything.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Hmm, gee and I thought we were the only family that american made do that. We were in DFW back to LGA and at the counter she made us rearrange everything and weighed every bag again. We were holding up the line. I didnt realize dh put spare drinks in the luggage, I just think it was shifting between 3 suitcases. I always weigh all my luggage at home before check in. I also saw from the transportation board that if you use southwest curbside check in they will not weigh your luggage. This is true because when our luggage arrived in orlando all that was on it was a red heavy tag. No charges etc. I still weighed at home and know I did not exceed the limit anyway. Good luck.

 

[kenman]

What size suitcase do you use?

 

[mbb]

we were checking in at UA, and three *ahem* "gentlemen" *stepped* in front of us with three VERY large bags - the bags were not fully packed, but they had yards of string tied around them, knotted and reknotted.

The airport agent just looked at them, sighed, and said.."You realize, sir, that just because you have those bags all tied up does not mean that I will not weigh them"
Gentlemen1: " Well, as you can see, it's not fully packed, so there is no way it is over the limit"
Agent:"Well, then you won't have any objection to me weighing it then..."

Disgruntled looks, lots of mumbling - and the gentlemen were upset too

Sure enough 73.6 ppounds!!! HELLO, we have a winner!!

Agent:"Sir, that will be an additional $400.00"



Smiles all around - except for the Three Packeteers!!

 

[kenman]

You really wonder sometimes if it is worth all the bull, just to get there!
Checking in at ABE is like a big project, they take everything out of your bag that you spent hours so the stuff won't be a mess, then they just shove it back any which way, then you have to worry how much your bag weighs etc. Is it worth it?

 

[shelleyz]

$400.00? Thats a lot of money for a heavy suitcase.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by luvmarypoppins
Hmm, gee and I thought we were the only family that american made do that. We were in DFW back to LGA and at the counter she made us rearrange everything and weighed every bag again. We were holding up the line. I didnt realize dh put spare drinks in the luggage, I just think it was shifting between 3 suitcases. I always weigh all my luggage at home before check in. I also saw from the transportation board that if you use southwest curbside check in they will not weigh your luggage. This is true because when our luggage arrived in orlando all that was on it was a red heavy tag. No charges etc. I still weighed at home and know I did not exceed the limit anyway. Good luck.

You would be amazed at how many people who don't tip the skycaps pay for overweight bags. I tip very well and have never been charged, but, I saw quite a few pax this trip that paid for the overweighted bags.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by kenman
You really wonder sometimes if it is worth all the bull, just to get there!
Checking in at ABE is like a big project, they take everything out of your bag that you spent hours so the stuff won't be a mess, then they just shove it back any which way, then you have to worry how much your bag weighs etc. Is it worth it?

Yep, it sure is. I have yet to have any bag contents shoved back any which way, each time it has been inspected it was put back exactly as I had packed it. The only way I knew was that there was a notice in the bags.
As to weight, well, I never worry, I use the skycap and tip them well.

 

[kenman]

what are skycaps??????

 

[NotUrsula]

Skycaps are the porters at the airport. If your airport has outdoor checkin at the departures level, and you use it, the Skycaps actually will be the ones sending your bags onto the belts for the bag rooms.

Even though they wear airline insignia, at most airports the Skycaps are independent contractors who pay a license fee to the airlines for the privilege of handling bags for their passengers. They are not paid an hourly wage, but work strictly for tips. Therefore, they tend to be a bit more willing to overlook charging for a few extra lbs. if you tip well.

The scam with the string on the bags (and duct tape, too) is one of those things you see quite often with couriers, where people try to send really heavy objects via courier to avoid the price of same-day air freight. If the suitcase is opened, the odds are it will contain a cardboard box full of solid steel machine parts.

You haven't lived through the fun of weight checks until you have flown foreign flag carriers. They not only weigh your checked bags, but your carryons, too, and they tend to be REALLY strict about the weight limits. I learned long ago *never* to set out with the maximum number of bags, just in case I had to add one to accomodate a weight issue (We always travel with an empty duffel in one of the bags for just this reason, it lives permanently in the outer pocket of the pullman.)

 

[DebbieB]

I always thought I overpacked, but I weighed my luggage last time and it was only 30 pounds. I think it's a 26" and I have to squeeze it together to get it to zipper. I do check another bag that is probably small enough to carryon (overnight size). On the way down it doesn't have much in it but on the way back it has all the stuff we bought. Then I carryon my laptop.

 

[Goof]

Ok, so the subject of over-weight baggage has apparently become a big issue with some airlines. With this in mind, how many of you have been charged for baggage being oversize?

We have not flown in 2 years and know that Delta has a much smaller baggage size limitation now than they did in 2002. It is now 62" (length+height+width)

 

[madge]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
You would be amazed at how many people who don't tip the skycaps pay for overweight bags. I tip very well and have never been charged, but, I saw quite a few pax this trip that paid for the overweighted bags.

::outing::: we tipped the skycaps well and still had overweight bags last Fall. Luckily we brought a bag to bring home souvenirs in, so we put some things in it and off we went.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by madge
::outing::: we tipped the skycaps well and still had overweight bags last Fall. Luckily we brought a bag to bring home souvenirs in, so we put some things in it and off we went.

What airline was this?

 

[justhat]

We too always tip skycaps very well, as my uncle works as one in Newark so we know the importance of tipping. We had already tipped the skycap in New Orleans but he said that when a message appears on the screen that someone was selected for a weight check, he has to bring the bags inside to be checked. He tried to get them past the check-in agent because he knew one was too heavy, but there was no way he could. We've always had heavy luggage and check-in with skycaps whenever possible and had never been weighed until this trip in August on American Airlines.

 

[DVC-Don]

A Southwest agent once tagged 2 of our large bags with a bright "Heavy" tag on a return from WDW, but did not charge us. They were big 33" bags and they were heavy that day, no idea what they weighed though. After that trip we downsized to 26" bags and have not had a problem.

 

[vicb]

The year I "splurged" for new bags was the year they changed the size rules I was stuck with those big bags!

Now we have 2 -26 in. ones and a couple of small rolling duffles bags. We are a family of four. It always seemed more efficient to cram it into two large bags but now we use 3 or 4 smaller ones.
We have not been overweight, close though!

My sister just got charged $25 for an overweight bags coming home from GA. She said it was ok because it would have cost that much to ship her souvineers anyway.

 

[madge]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
What airline was this?

Southwest Airlines, Nashville, Tennessee.

It was hysterical not really. The bag weighed less than 5 pounds more than the limit. We had to take stuff out and put it in the duffel we brought along...

in the commotion, I lost my ID and didn't know that until we had to go through security. DH had gone with my oldest to park the car...I had the younger two with me, one in a stroller and the other having a panic attack about flying. I get to the security gate, no picture ID. at this point, I realize that the ID must be with the luggage I hurry back to the check-in area, flag down a very helpful man and find the ID. Back we go to security...where they tell me I have to go through the gate before my kids?? I knew that I had to fold the stroller, I knew I couldn't carry my daughter if she could walk. I didn't know I had to go first, with the notion that she's going to follow me through the gate???? I politely explained to the man that my daughter had been cooped up for 3 hours in her car seat. as soon as I put her down, she's going to run. most likely the opposite direction. Ma'am, you must go first. ooo-kay. I do. what does my daughter do? runs the opposite way. After we finally get through the gates (thank God it wasn't crowded that morning), a female security agent stops me and asks why I didn't carry my baby in, that's what she would have let me do. ugh.

it was a nightmare.

we will never have heavy bags again, LOL.

ironically, we were early for that flight. arrived at BNA in plenty of time. after all of that, we barely made the flight, LOL. at least it seemed that way

 

[Geoff_M]

Ok, so the subject of over-weight baggage has apparently become a big issue with some airlines. With this in mind, how many of you have been charged for baggage being oversize?

The major airlines have concluded that heavy bags are one of the root causes of baggage handler workman's comp claims and are trying to manage those costs. I don't think that "iffy" sized luggage is a major concern of theirs. If it's obviously oversized, or extremely odd shaped, then it might be scrutinized and possibly assesed an extra charge. I have a plastic footlocker that's right at the legal dimension limits and the one time I flew with it, they didn't bother to get the measuring tape out.