Comments on: American Airlines offers $50 voucher after being accused of scale ‘sham’

By: ValueIreland.com | Weights and Measures – some follow up comments

ValueIreland.com | Weights and Measures – some follow up comments — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:23:36 +0000

[...] Consumerist, here’s a cautionary tale about the accuracy of weighing scales at airport from Elliot.Org. The poster had a bag which they’d weighed as 45lbs which at 3 different US airports was [...]

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:57:01 +0000

“Since airlines NEVER used to charge and RARELY used to charge for overweight bags”

Yeah, anyway… that’s simply not true. I can recall paying overweight baggage fees going as far back as 1988, when I started flying between SFO – NRT and SJC-LAX on a frequent basis.

Baggage size limits (61″ typically) and weights have been around for a long time.

By: dulles

dulles — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:39:01 +0000

well it seems that fish scale was an utter waste of $$ for you.

By: Lorraine Brecht

Lorraine Brecht — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:43:00 +0000

When airlines started charging for overweight bags, I bought myself a 100# Simano fish weighing scale that is accurate within a pound. It has a slide indicator that stays there after you put the bag down.

Recently, at the Northwest Airlines checkin counter in Austin, my bag came in a shocking 10 lbs heavier than it had before I left for the airrport, which put me over 5 lbs. Even after I mentioned that my bag was NOT overweight when I weighed it at home, she insisted I remove some items or there would be a surcharge.

This is upsetting & I suspect it’s an airline scam to get more income. If this happens again, I will ask to have the bag weighed on another scale….

There should be a regulatory body where these infractions can be reported??

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:49:52 +0000

Is it legal to charge anything that requires weighing if the scale has not been certified and calibrated? Whenever any measuring device is used to determine the cost, whether by weight or volume, if must be certified for that purpose. The lawyers are going to love this one.

By: hank

hank — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:57:24 +0000

All scales have a zeroing capability, whether it’s one in your bathroom, at the butcher shop, in a produce market, or at an airline counter. Always look at the scale display BEFORE placing your suitcase on it. If it doesn’t read zero, then immediately bring it to the attention of the agent and insist the he/she properly reset it to zero, or use a different scale.
Just like a dishonest butcher whose thumb pulls down on the scale, a dishonest agent could even have put their foot on the scale, although I can’t guess why they would since their pay doesn’t include any bonuses for overweight charges. Perhaps they were trying to help their employer make a profit so that he/she won’t get laid off?
I’ve never experienced a problem of this nature because we always weigh our luggage at home to make sure to limit their weight to 45 pounds, just to allow for some slight variations in the accuracy of the scales.

There actually is a slight variation in weight based on elevation – you weigh more when you are closer to the center of the earth (say sea level at LAX) than you do at 5,200 feet above sea level (Denver) – but the difference amount is much less than a single ounce.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:11:11 +0000

American didn’t “disappoint” Mr. Rabin and his wife — they DEFRAUDED him, to the tune of $50 — and then they have the stones to refuse a refund and give him a VOUCHER??? Unbelievable! What if a gas station owner had a mis-calibrated gas pump and overcharged his customers by a few dollars? Think he could get away with giving back the amount he overcharged as a gift certificate? Please. He’d wind up in court, on the news, and out of business.

This is not a triumph of customer service, it’s a travesty. American should have AT THE VERY LEAST refunded his $50. Better yet, they should give him a round-trip ticket voucher and thank him for not calling Arizona’s Department of Weights and Measures (1-800-277-6675 — just in case you’re reading, Mr. Rabin). I bet that “faulty” scale could net American a few hundred bucks a day — unless American’s right, the scale is fine, and his bag really did lose 4.5 pounds, in which case American needs to find the luggage-stealing gremlins in their planes. Either way, this is a totally unsatisfactory resolution.

Chris, I can’t believe you let this one go so lightly. American stole money from a reader — and who knows how many others — and may well be in violation of the law. Shouldn’t they be called to task?

By: Matthew B

Matthew B — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:16:54 +0000

Given that the airlines have actively fought any state interventions in their businesses (e.g. the NY airline code of conduct) I believe that if a state agency started playing hardball, the airlines would sue and say only the federal government has the power to regulate them. Then the underresourced FAA will have yet another problem on its hands.

If the airlines are going to use scales to charge for a service on a weight basis, then those scales have to be calibrated as often as is necessary to ensure their reliability, if that’s twice a year, fine, if it’s twice a day that’s fine too, just make sure it gets done, or don’t charge on a weight basis. Your local deli would be in serious trouble if it short changed you on roast beef, why should the airlines be treated differently?

By: Arizona Road Warrior

Arizona Road Warrior — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:07:16 +0000

“Has anyone ever seen a calibration sticker on one of these scales?” Yes…I have seen calibration stickers on scales at several airports.

Most states require one calibration a year. Also, the state should check each scale every year.

By: Carver Farrow

Carver Farrow — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:11:52 +0000

Mr. Rabin is pleased far easier than I. I would be livid and nothing less than my $50 back would please me. First, I would be upset over the disparity between the scales, but second, I would be really upset that AA failed to address my concerns in a meaningful and responsive way.

By: Mayer Nudell

Mayer Nudell — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:35:25 +0000

I had a similar experience with American last year in Chicago. Fortunately for me, the weight overage was “only” 2 lbs. and the agent just let it go.

By: DN

DN — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:16:45 +0000

I doubt the scales are calibrated very often, but at the same time, my experience is that the scales are relatively accurate. I traveled with a case which weighed 49 lbs 2-3 times a week for 9 months across 9 states (I used a postal scale to weigh the individual items and the packed case to verify) and the weight ranged from 48 to 50 lbs. I flew Alaska/Horizon, Delta, Southwest, United, and American and with the exception of a counter in Boise, ID which clearly showed -9 before weighing my case, I didn’t pay any overweight charges or see any scales grossly miscalibrated. I will also admit that I am MVP Gold and Premier Executive, so I did use the elite counters at Alaska/Horizon and United but not at the other airlines.

Now, some airports have two scales at the counter – one checked bag opening for two kiosks. If you think one scale is inaccurate, move the bag about a foot to the left or right and see what the other one says. Some airports also have a scale near the skycaps – you can quickly run your bag on that scale to see what you’re coming in at (and if you’re under at the skycap and not at the counter, go back outside and save $45).

Personally, while I would expect the airlines to mandate an extremely strict enforcement of the overweight fee, I can’t imagine that using wildly inaccurate scales to charge $50 per passenger would be worth the class-action lawsuit that would be filed.

Then again, we are talking about airlines…

By: Stewart Sheinfeld

Stewart Sheinfeld — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:05:30 +0000

This should be reported to the City of Chicago Dept of Consumer Affairs
They are very quick to ticket small business for any variation in their weights and measures and inspect all of them 2 X year. If the airlines are going to start strictly enforcing weight then they need to be inspected just like a butcher or baker or any one selling by weight

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:53:07 +0000

The last two times I’ve flown, I’ve asked the agent at the counter for information on the last date of calibration for the scales. Last Friday, three different scales at Love Field gave three different weights for my checked bag (all within 5 pounds, and all under the maximum). I suggested to the ticket agent that they needed to have the scales checked!

By: Jasper

Jasper — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:50:05 +0000

I’ve been wondering about this. I’ve been noticing that airlines tend to weigh my bags heavier than I do at home. So far, I’ve been assuming that my old scale is not very well equipped to way large suitcases, but the thought has crossed my mind that airlines might be tryng to pinch a couple bucks out of everybody by calibrating their sclaes a bit off.