Just curious about accuracy of airport weigh scales...

[Thalassamania]

I'd guess that you could successfully sue for any bag overage charges (in State court) if the airline scale did not have a state testing seal. It would be great fun to see the public respond to this whole bag thing with millions of small claims court cases.

 

[DandyDon]

A portable luggage scale is really essential nowadays as much as they are hitting people. They used to let a few pounds slide but the airlines love those penalties too much now. Moving people is a sideline to collecting fines.

I am sure the scales are licensed, but seldom checked.

 

[Thalassamania]

There are laws about how often they need to be checked. In most jurisdictions they need to have a sticker on them.

 

[gypsyjim]

A few weeks ago I had the chance to play around with some airport baggage scales. A large group of us together on a dive trip were dumped at the airport, well before any of the ticket counters were open. As is normal in such a situation, a bunch of us got bored, and started to poke around. Bored American scuba divers can be an inquisitive bunch!

Somebody decided to weigh their luggage, so a bunch of us followed suit, knowing that dive gear tends to weigh more even after trying to dry it out, and this would be a good chance for some of us to reshuffle things if we were too heavy.

Several things were discovered, that I am sure the airlines, and the airport would rather not have liked being broadcast.

1) The same piece of luggage had a different weight, on different scales as we went up and down the line of scales.

2) The same piece of luggage weighed differently on the very same scale depending on where we placed it on the scale. Standing vertical it tended to weigh more than laid down flat.

3) Weights were very inconsistent. One bag was a bit overweight, so after shifting a few items into the lighter of my two, I reweighed the lighter bag to make sure that I had not gone over on it, AND IT NOW WEIGHED LESS ON THE SAME SCALE, THAN IT HAD BEFORE i ADDED A FEW ITEMS TO IT!!!


#3 was the event that really sparked the stampede to test as many scales as we could before security shut down our "investigation".

 

[DandyDon]

There are laws about how often they need to be checked. In most jurisdictions they need to have a sticker on them.

Still a poor excuse for poor results.

 

[Kat]

I can tell when I lift your bag if it is overweight. To get an accurate weight the bag must be standing upright, in the middle ~ completely on the scale. If I lift it & it feels heavier then what the scales says, I reweigh it, putting it on the scale correctly.
We are not supposed to, but we will waive the fee if your within a pound. But we can not put a heavy tag on a bag & not charge the fee. Where I work, the heavy tags are controlled. If you use a heavy tag, you must have the money to match it.
The baggage handlers can tell, just by lifting the bag, if it is overweight too. They will come upstairs & scream at us, in front of everyone, if there is no heavy tag on it. And if someone is injured lifting an overwight bag & there is no heavy tag on it, the ticket agent is usually suspended without pay.

 

[bletso]

Now that the scales have a real economic impact I suspect that it is illegal to use them without State stickers, the key is "used in commerce."

That is the kicker. If they are using the scale to charge you overweight fees, then they most certainly are used in commerce. We have a set of scales that the state comes about once a year and checks and labels. We also have an independent company come twice a year. They check for accuracy on all four corners and the center of the scale.

We also have a calibrated weight we verify from time to time, and all this is just for a propane scale!

Dale

 

[gypsyjim]

We are not allowed to weigh scrap jewelery for purchase, except on a "trade legal" scale, that also bears a seal from the State. I have watched those guys VERY carefully examine and test the scales for even slight errors. Any error, no State Seal. No State Seal, any use for sales or purchase result in fines/and/or confiscation.

As airline check in scales are used in effect to determine a price, they need to be certified, depending on the applicable legal authority.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm sure all of the airline scales are licensed and tested annually, but still doubt their consistency. See Gypsyjim's post above.

We also have a calibrated weight we verify from time to time, and all this is just for a propane scale!

I'd really like to see every check-in scale tested daily with a 50# weight, along with a signoff list like you see in some lavatories. Eh, they'd probably forge those too.