Question on new luggage allowance policies

[Luv2Roam]

We are flying Northwest, and I will contact them too.
But I was wondering about the new luggage weight allowances and how that works.
For example, Northwest reduced the domestic free weight allowance for passenger's checked luggage from 70 pounds to 50 pounds per piece. (2 pieces of checked luggage per person)
Usually at counters, we just put our luggage in between the counters. I am assuming that is also a scale and they can tell the overall weight.

So just as an example, say we have four pieces total. The total weight is 200 pounds. (Just numbers to make it easy.) All fine.
BUT what would happen if one piece is 65 pounds and one is 35 pounds? Do they charge for the overage? Or because the bags are at the total accepted limit, is that okay?


We have never weighed our bags at home before flying. But we are thinking 50 pounds could add up easily. Glad we don't carry those solid Samonsite luggage pieces!

I never weighed an empty piece of luggage before. Now I'm curious....

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

While what you are asking is completely logical, the poor counter attendant will pick up that 65# bag and immediately weigh it separately. Then you will be charged the overlimit weight fee, and then check into the hospital to repair that hernia.

One way that seems to work is to use the skycap. Tip him/her well and many things get past the rules.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Our scale isn't good for weighing something like luggage. (The dial is in the center.) But from I see, the empty luggage weighs 9 - 10 pounds each by itself.
Nuts to it. I will pack what I pack and if I have to pay an extra $25, so be it.
I never considered what the weight was. So I don't know if we get close to 50 pounds or not.
It's never been an issue before. Assuming this is another way to bring in more revenue.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

It's never been an issue before. Assuming this is another way to bring in more revenue.

No, not necessarily, it is, however, a way to limit workman's comp. claims for injuries related to overweight baggage. Which is something we all end up paying for.
Try SWA for flights, their allowance is 70# per item.

 

[peachgirl]

The new weight limits are a sore point for me! On our recent trip, I carefully checked online for all the new rules regarding luggage. I even checked the night before we left! We did our best to "weigh" our luggage at home with our scales, but tried to allow for the fact that it probably wasn't very accurate. What a surprise when we got to the airport and found that AA had changed their weight limit from 70# to 50#! On AA, apparently where you place your luggage at check-in has a built in scale, because the agent never moved the piece after I placed it there before telling me the weight. We were within 2 lbs of being overweight on one piece and 1 lb on another, allowing us no room for packing purchases for our return trip! I figured there wasn't a lot I could do about it at that point, so I resigned myself to paying those ridiculous overweight penalties. Btw, keep in mind that when you do go overweight, they will charge you the fees for each LEG of your trip!

I was complaining about it to our driver on our trip back to the airport and he suggested using curbside check-in, saying that they were much more liberal about weight limits. There wasn't much doubt we were over the 50# limit, so we followed his suggestion. It worked perfectly, no one said a thing about our luggage and it didn't require a payoff in the form of a tip to do it. When you take into account the weight of a quality piece of luggage, 50#'s is a ridiculous weight limit. I tend to be a bit skeptical, but it seems to me that they've had the old limits in place for years and it wasn't an issue. Why all of a sudden is a 70# bag a problem? And if it is, was it really neccessary to reduce the weight limit by nearly 1/3? I vote for the "just another way to get more money" idea. My suggestion if you think you may have a problem with the weight limits, use curbside check-in.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

It worked perfectly, no one said a thing about our luggage and it didn't require a payoff in the form of a tip to do it.

A tip is not a payoff, but an appropriate thing to do. The skycaps live on tips. SWA is still at 70# per item.

Another reason for the weight limits and the cost for being overlimit with luggage is for fuel costs. It costs a lot to fly a plane with excess baggage. The extra charge is to offset this cost. I am sure the "bean" counters have sat for hours figuring this one. While you may not think your 20# is significant, multiply this by 100 pax and you are now trying to fly with a ton of luggage. Someone has to pay for this. To keep fares at a reasonable rate, costs have to be offset somewhere else. That somewhere else, in this case, is for those who pack a lot of stuff.
Good to excellent quality luggage no longer weighs a lot. Gone, thank goodness, are the suitcases that weigh in at 10# empty.
Mine weigh in at about 4# empty.

 

[Luv2Roam]

IF we are over the 50#, curbside will work at MCO.
At Omaha, curbside is available, but they wheel the luggage right in with you to the counter.
So IF we are over the 50#, at least maybe I can get around it at MCO.
Something tells me the airline will start charging more for everything. (Already meals and weight restictions. Sure there is more to come.) Not to mention cut back on flights, intense security issues, always the chance of late/cancelled flights, etc.
IMHO everything added together in the long run will make more people want to drive, rather than fly. Then the airlines will again be complaining not enough people are flying. I'm sure I'll get flamed on that. But that's if it continues, I can see that happening. Esp if/when we go to war.
Over Thanksgiving we drove to IN, rather than fly, because of driving being cheaper, not really taking THAT much longer to drive than arriving early and waiting at airports, layovers, going through security, etc.
I think to 50# is too much of a cut back. I may be griping unncessarily, as I really don't know how much our luggage usually weighs at check-in. But when I'm allowed 50#, and the suitcase when empty is 10#....
My rant for today I guess.
Off my soapbox now.

Gone, thank goodness, are the suitcases that weigh in at 10# empty.

Our luggage is not very old at all. The set we just bought a year ago. DH bought another piece just last night.
They may not be expensive, but they are nice pieces. Those are what I weighed. Although I know our scales are not great (or meant) to weigh luggage.

 

[peachgirl]

A tip is not a payoff, but an appropriate thing to do. The skycaps live on tips

Of course a tip is appropriate for good service and I tipped an appropriate amount. I did not increase my tip to help insure that I wouldn't get charged penalties. I was referring to your comments that if you tip well enough they will ignore the rules for you. IMO, that is a payoff, not a tip.

"Tip him/her well and many things get past the rules."




"Our luggage is not very old at all. The set we just bought a year ago. DH bought another piece just last night."


We bought a new set of Samsonite soft sided luggage for our last trip. The largest piece, which btw, just barely makes it under the size requirements, weighs in at approximately 10 lbs empty. I agree with you that with all the hassle of flying these days, more people will decided to drive versus flying. I'd much prefer driving and we do so whenever possible. Some of the hassles are things the airlines can do nothing about. Some of them are of their own making. Put the two together and flying has become a pain in the backside.

 

[baileybrad]

We flew Delta in early December. Nothing was said about our luggage weights while boarding in Dayton. We had 4 travelers and 2 large suitcases. Returning when we were checking in at MCO the lady who was handling our check-in said nothing about the weight of our luggage when she tagged it and set it down. A co-worker who was literally milling around looked at the larger of our 2 bags and said that thing must weigh 80 lbs. and she insisted on weighing it.
The other lady said no it is really close to 70. The weighing took place and the "helper" said I am cutting you a break and am not going to charge you. When we picked up our luggage in Dayton, there was an over-weight tag on it....the bag weighed 72 lbs. at least that is what the tag indicated.

As we were finishing up with the check-in process in Orlando the original lady said to us that this was not that big of a deal. I thanked her but very politely remarked while I understand the weight requirements for the safety of their workers.....that we could have brought up to eight pieces of luggage. I also asked if there was a huge issue, then we could have just put a few things in the 2 carry-ons that we had between the 4 of us....she agreed. The whole weight theory on the plane is not necessarily a valid premise, the stress on workers to me IS the bigger issue. We will just bring more suitcases and more weight on our next flight, especially if Delta lowers their weight limit. I think that the person who handled our check-in let common sense enter the room. But again they can handle 2 large and hopefully not over-weight pieces of luggage, or maybe 5 or so pieces that will in the end weigh much more. I still think that large reduction in weight allowed for luggage is another way to bring in more cash to an industry that is still hurting from the economy and world situation.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

You probably were cut a break because there were 4 travelers, and that could have equaled 12 pieces rather than two. It is weight per pax that is the issue.

 

[baileybrad]

Exactly.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Of course a tip is appropriate for good service and I tipped an appropriate amount. I did not increase my tip to help insure that I wouldn't get charged penalties. I was referring to your comments that if you tip well enough they will ignore the rules for you. IMO, that is a payoff, not a tip

I agree, it did not sound right. Believe it or not, many people use the skycaps to get around rules or make it easy for themselves and do not tip them. Or, sometimes they undertip.
By tipping them well I mean tip them appropriately.