Remember back in 2008 when airlines started charging for checked bags? Well, the slimy and obnoxious cash grab seems to have gotten a little more slimy. Generally, the rule is that bags can be up to 50 pounds, or an oversized bag fee is assessed. According to one passenger on United, they self-tagged their own bag and put it on the scale, where it weighed 47 pounds…but then the number started climbing. They then questioned the employee about it, and they said, “Ah, don’t worry about it,” and put their hand up for a high-five, but then added, “but you can leave my tip right there” while pointing to an “inconspicuous spot on the counter.” They left him $5, even though they suspected the employee was using their foot to weigh down the scale.
- In other instances, scales at airports haven’t been properly calibrated, and are routinely giving incorrect weight readings. In Charlotte, North Carolina officials found “a half dozen scales were miscalibrated”
- In a turn, there’ve also been instances of passengers using their feet to manipulate the scales, so their bag reads lighter than it really is…so it goes both ways.
Either way, checked bag fees were initially instituted to offset the rising price of jet fuel. When that price went down to a more reasonable level, those bag fees never seemed to go away…did they?
Source: View From The Wing